Program on Agricultural Technology Studies (PATS)
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University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Madison, WI 53706
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Organic Dairy Farms in Wisconsin: Prosperous, Modern, and Expansive
Research Reports No. 16, June 2006
by Bradford Barham, Caroline Brock and Jeremy Foltz
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Organic dairy farming in Wisconsin is experiencing rapid growth and capturing an increased share of the market. Although the organic dairy sector in Wisconsin is still relatively small, accounting for two percent of the state’s cows, Wisconsin is one of the nation’s top two producers of organic dairy products and home to the largest organic milk cooperative. The expectation of strong demand growth for organic milk products provides plenty of potential for continued expansion in organic dairy farming within the state. Yet, relatively little is known about how organic farms compare with other types of dairy operations in terms of the demographic characteristics of the farmers, size and structure of the farms, management practices and technologies utilized, their overall economic performance, and quality of life experiences. This report fills that knowledge gap by offering the first comprehensive, descriptive picture of organic dairy farming in Wisconsin.
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