Wisconsin is one of the North Central states most severely affected by declining farm numbers. Declining farm numbers in Wisconsin is primarily a problem of farm career entry. Farmers leaving the profession greatly outnumber those entering. Yet young folks are finding it hard to get into farming, while others are finding it difficult to retire. In addition to our
education and training programs for beginning farmers, CIAS has researched dairy farm entry and quality of life.
Food and the Mid-Level Farm
CIAS staff member Steve Stevenson is co-author of a new book on the crisis faced by mid-scale farms and ranches, and strategies for reviving these operations. Food and the Mid-Level Farm makes it clear that the demise of midsize farms and ranches is not a foregone conclusion and that the renewal of an agriculture of [...more]
Milking More than Profit: Life Satisfaction on Wisconsin Dairy Farms
The number of dairy farms in Wisconsin has been declining steadily for years. This decline has inportant implications for the economic, ecological and social sustainability of communities, families and individuals in Wisconsin. Life satisfaction is one important social consideration in agriculture. Without offering a satisfying life, even the most profitable and ecologically sound forms of [...more]
Life Satisfaction on Grazing Dairy Farms in Wisconsin
How satisfied are graziers with their lives? According to a recent survey, graziers are more satisfied with all quality of life measures than farmers who use pasture less intensively and operators of small confinement dairies. Dairy graziers and operators of large confinement dairies expressed the same high levels of satisfaction with family time, time with [...more]
New Zealand internships provide eye-opening experience
“I must say it was the hardest I’ve ever worked for free, but somehow I really didn’t mind. I knew that the knowledge I gained was priceless.”
Those are the words of Mike Tomandl who recently completed a dairy farm internship in New Zealand. He and fellow intern Joe Heimerl went to New Zealand in July [...more]
Starting your own dairy farm (Research Brief #58)
Despite volatile milk prices, hundreds of new farmers get started in dairying each year. Compared to other types of livestock farming, dairying can provide a higher income per animal, monthly paychecks, and, in many areas, more markets.
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Nurturing the Next Generation of Wisconsin’s Dairy Farmers
New dairy farmers often face high start-up costs for land, equipment and facilities. Volatile milk prices, long hours and hard work reduce the appeal of a career in dairy farming. To better understand the start-up strategies used by beginning dairy farmers, a research team surveyed 321 beginning dairy farmers in 1996. They [...more]
Starting—and succeeding—as a Wisconsin dairy farmer (Research Brief #56)
You don’t need to take over a family farm, or even grow up on a farm, to be a successful dairy farmer in Wisconsin. You can milk 50 or 150 cows, and you can own or rent land. But you do need to identify how well your experience, financial resources, and farming support networks can [...more]
Wisconsin School for Beginning Dairy Farmers CD set
Learn about grass-based dairying from the comfort of your home with the Wisconsin School for Beginning Dairy Farmers CD set!
You can view the Grass-Based Dairy Seminar sessions taught by grass farmers, UW and Extension faculty, and other professionals right on your home computer. This seminar is designed to familiarize you with the principles and practices [...more]
Sharemilking in Wisconsin: evaluating a farm entry/exit strategy (Research Brief #34)
In a sharemilking agreement, a young farmer operates a farm on behalf of the farm owner for an agreed share of farm income and expenses. The arrangement offers young farmers a way to build assets and dairy management skills without requiring a large amount of capital input at the beginning of their careers.
A long-standing New [...more]
New Zealand’s dairy career path: could it work in Wisconsin? (Research Brief #33)
Dairy farming is a solid career choice, offering good status and pay, a high quality of life, and well-defined training and career paths. That’s the message to New Zealand high school students from technical schools, the national dairy apprentice program, and the dairy industry. And dairy training and career opportunities there not only open the [...more]