AGRICULTURE STATISTICS FOR MANITOWOC COUNTY

Manitowoc County has approximately 1,400 farms with a total of 260,000 acres averaging 186 acres per farm. The Wisconsin Agriculture Statistics Service defines a farm as, "Any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, or normally would have been sold, during the year." Of the 1,400 farms in Manitowoc County, approximately 320 are dairy farms with 44,500 cows for an average of 139 cows per farm. Many of these farms are multi-family businesses.

Manitowoc County ranks 4th in Wisconsin and in the top 30 counties in the United States in annual milk production.

There are a total of 594 square miles in the county, which means there are about 75 cows per square mile. This is the third heaviest concentration in Wisconsin.

Milk production per cow in 2006 was 21,000 pounds (up 3.5% from 2005) for a total of 934,500,000 pounds of milk.

In 2006, Manitowoc County ranked 4th in Wisconsin in milk production per cow; fourth in the state in total milk produced and 5th in the state in the number of dairy cows. Manitowoc County dairy farmers produce enough milk to supply every person in the county with over 3.5 gallons of milk each day.

In 2006, Manitowoc County farmers harvested 65,700 acres of alfalfa, 65, 000 acres of corn, 8,000 acres of oats, 1,500 acres of barley, 15,000 acres of wheat, 22,600 acres of soybeans, and 2,900 acres of snap beans. Manitowoc County ranks among the top ten Wisconsin counties in the following: corn silage production, total forage produced, winter wheat, barley, oats and snap beans. Manitowoc County is also among the top thirty Wisconsin counties in soybean production.

2006 crop yields expressed in either bushels per acre or tons per acre follow:

Using the 2006 figure of $2,928 per acre for agricultural land sales continuing in agricultural use, without buildings and improvements, the value of the 260,000 acres in farms in Manitowoc County would total over $760 million!

If one assumes that the dollars generated from Manitowoc County milk sales alone "turns over" five times before leaving the local economy, the true estimated economic value of milk produced in Manitowoc County in 2006 was nearly $587 million. (934,500,000 lbs. of milk x $.13 per pound x 5 (assumes each dollar from milk sales changes hands five times)).

The $121,485,000 of milk produced in 2006 equals:

$2,336,250 each week

$332,836 each day

$13,868 per hour

$231 per minute

Currently, Manitowoc County is home to 96,000 dairy and beef cattle with approximately 94 percent of the total being dairy cows, heifers and calves.

How important is agriculture to the County's economy?

• Total farm and farm-related employment (i.e. allied industries/businesses) in Manitowoc County equals approximately 15 percent of the total employment.
• Agriculture provides jobs for 6,061 Manitowoc County residents.
• Agriculture accounts for $836.3 million in economic activity.
• Agriculture contributes $213.8 million to the County's total income.
• Agriculture pays about $18.6 million in taxes. This figure does not include all property taxes paid to local schools.

Updated August, 2007 by Scott Gunderson, Manitowoc County UW-Extension Dairy Agent.

Sources of information include: Wisconsin Agricultural Statistics Service and National Agricultural Statistics Service

DAIRY CONVERSION FACTORS

• One quart of milk weighs 2.15 pounds - one gallon 8.6 pounds - 46.5 quarts of milk equals 100 pounds.
• Specific gravity of milk at 60°F is 1.032
• 100 pounds of 4% milk will yield approximately:
  • 10 pounds cheese and 90 pounds whey or
  • 5 pounds butter and 90 pounds skim milk or
  • 13 pounds dried whole and 1 1/4 pounds 40% cream
• 100 pounds skim milk will yield approximately:
  • 16 pounds cottage cheese and 84 pounds whey or
  • 3 pounds casein and 94 pounds whey or
  • 9 pounds nonfat dry milk
• 100 pounds whey will yield approximately:
  • 5 pounds lactose and
  • 1 pound protein and
  • 1/3 pound milkfat

To make one pound of:	Requires:
Butter	21.2 pounds whole milk
Whole Milk Cheese	10.0 pounds whole milk
Evaporated Milk	2.1 pounds whole milk
Condensed Milk	2.3 pounds whole milk
Whole Milk Powder	7.4 pounds whole milk
Powdered Cream	13.5 pounds whole milk
Ice Cream (1 gal)	12.0 pounds whole milk (15 pounds when including butter and concentrated milks)
Cottage Cheese	6.25 pounds skim milk
Nonfat dry milk	11.0 pounds skim milk

If you have any questions regarding Agriculture Dairy/Livestock in Manitowoc County, please Email: scottgunderson@co.manitowoc.wi.us or call 920-683-4168.