Series: The Dairy State Economy

Jonny Hunter (CC BY 2.0)

Series: The Dairy State Economy

Dairy is iconic in Wisconsin, with the production of milk and cheese a longstanding foundation of the state's identity and global reputation. This industry is a significant component of Wisconsin's economy, dependent on the fluctuations of international markets and tastes of consumers, with each affecting the livelihoods of farmers and their employees. Meanwhile, the structure of the business is changing, with the number of farms decreasing as their average size is increasing. Around Wisconsin, the direction of the dairy industry will define the future for producers and communities.

'Last Generation' Farmers Face Tough Choice Between Selling Or Renting

Julie Grace

WisContext

For land-owning farmers facing tough economic circumstances, the decision to forgo another year's crop or to liquidate their livestock is not an easy one.

Series: The Dairy State Economy

Changes In Dairy Industry Spur Farmers To Pursue Novel Business Strategies

Julie Grace

WisContext

An increasing number of dairy farmers are adopting new sales practices, or are entirely shifting the focus of their business to keep themselves afloat and making money.

Series: The Dairy State Economy

Wisconsin Dairy Navigates Gaps In Immigrant Labor Policy

Julie Grace

WisContext

As farms and other agricultural businesses around Wisconsin struggle to find and retain employees, many turn to seasonal worker programs to hire workers from outside the United States to fill empty positions.

Series: The Dairy State Economy

Series: Wisconsin's Diverse Waves Of Immigration

Non-Profit Looks To Build Connections Between Midwestern Dairy Farms And Immigrant Workers

Madeline Heim

Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism

Roberto Tecpile often puts in 70 hours a week at the Rosenholm dairy farm in Cochrane — a village in Buffalo County where winter days are short and can be bitterly cold.

Series: The Dairy State Economy

Wisconsin's Place In A Bewildering Milk Pricing System

Will Cushman

WisContext

While the economic and human toll wrought by low milk prices have been documented, the factors that determine those prices can feel enigmatic or perhaps even baffling for people outside of the industry.

Series: The Dairy State Economy

Series: CAFOs, Manure And Water

7 Trends That Explain The Contours Of Wisconsin's Deepening Dairy Crisis

Will Cushman

WisContext

A maelstrom of economic and demographic forces are hammering Wisconsin's dairy farmers. But what's causing such exceptional distress in one of the state's iconic industries?

Series: The Dairy State Economy

Wisconsin Farms See Upturn In Women And Millennial Producers... And Goats

Will Cushman

WisContext

The United States Department of Agriculture census documents a large and diverse farming economy in Wisconsin, but also one in flux.

Series: The Dairy State Economy

Series: CAFOs, Manure And Water

What Does CAFO Oversight Look Like In Wisconsin And Who Pays For It?

Will Cushman

WisContext

Wisconsin's agricultural bounty is possible thanks in part to the state's voluminous supply of freshwater. At the same time, the use of this resource to grow crops and nourish livestock poses risks to the quality of these waters.

Series: The Dairy State Economy

Series: Wisconsin's Rural-Urban Continuum

Series: Wisconsin Historical Society Press Excerpts

A Midcentury Revolution In Farming Would Change Wisconsin Forever

Jerry Apps

Technological changes — electricity and mechanization — in the mid-20th century would revolutionize the practice and business of agriculture in Wisconsin, and set into motion economic and demographic changes that continue well into the 21st century.

Series: The Dairy State Economy

Series: CAFOs, Manure And Water

Wisconsin Is America's Dairy Goat Land

Will Cushman

WisContext

Wisconsin's self-proclaimed moniker as "America's Dairyland" is taking on fresh meaning in the 21st century thanks to a growing market for milk from an animal that bleats rather than moos.