Description: This chart uses state statistics to show what proportion of the dairy farms, dairy cows, and milk produced in1998 come from operations in six different herd size categories. The results indicate that roughly 71 percent of the farms milked between 30-100 cows, and that these moderate scale operations owned 64 percent of the cows and produced 62 percent of the state's milk output. Meanwhile, the 19 percent of the industry with very small herds produce relatively little milk, and the relatively small number of very large operations are responsible for a disproportionate percent of the states milk output.

Source: The data come from published statistics compiled by the Wisconsin Agricultural Statistics Service (WASS), a division of the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection. Most data are available in an annual WASS publication titled "Dairy Facts". For more recent data, visit their web site at: http://www.nass.usda.gov/wi/.