DAIRY REVITALIZATION HELPS LOCAL ECONOMY

SITUATION
Demand for dairy products in this country remains strong, but Wisconsin’s role in the dairy industry has diminished. As family farms continue to go out of business, the economic impact of that decision is felt throughout Wisconsin and the dairy industry.  There is a substantial economy at stake in Marathon County, and even more so in the north central Wisconsin region. The county ranks first in Wisconsin milk production and its agriculture infrastructure provides 10,427 jobs (mostly dairy related). This is just over 12 percent of the total county workforce, and generates more than $1.24 billion in economic activity.

RESPONSE/EVALUATION
Two major initiatives were identified by the community and have been supported by Extension through my efforts: 

1) Dairy Modernization has been a priority program for the past 4 years. In 2005, I worked closely with David Kammel, Biological Systems Engineering, the Partnership for Progressive Agriculture (PPA), and the WI Department of Agriculture to secure grant funding for a new position that reached 520 local producers through various educational activities.  By obtaining other USDA grant funding, I have been able to continue focused dairy modernization work in Marathon County and the surrounding area through September, 2009. By working closely with Sam Zimmermann, the person in this position, we collaborate on educational activities and other outreach efforts that maximize our impact with producers and the industry. Our dairy modernization web page contains virtual tours of and photo galleries of dairy farms that have made significant changes in their facilities with the help of UWEX information. I also worked with Sam on planning group activities in 2008 including “Dairy Facilities for Profit” (103 participants) and “Modernizing for Dairy Heifers” (45 participants). Teaching evaluations were conducted and the group meetings led to on-farm consultation with several of the participants.  A state-wide dairy modernization survey was conducted in 2008 to assess longer-term impacts of Extension dairy modernization work, including farms in Marathon County which I worked with and surveyed. The survey only represented a fraction of the farms that my Extension colleagues and I have worked with in recent years, but it revealed that on average, herd size increased 121 cows, and milk production increased 1,330 pounds per cow/year. The improvement in labor efficiencies was striking with a change of 35 milk cows per full-time equivalent worker to 50. According to respondents, the top-ranking source of educational and professional resources for making dairy modernization decisions came from UW-Extension.

2) Dairyland State Academy is a community identified initiative that was initially developed by the Partnership for Progressive Agriculture. Today it is a 501 (c) 3 organization and has been actively developing their vision for the past three years and raised $1.4 million in the process.  It is the goal of the Dairyland State Academy (DSA) to reverse the loss of family dairy farms in the north central region of Wisconsin by growing a new generation of dairy farmers, revitalizing existent farms and raising public awareness about the importance of Wisconsin dairying. The vision of DSA will be a working dairy farm (student laboratory) with freestall and grazing operations, complete with dairy buildings, equipment and systems; classrooms; meetings spaces; and public viewing areas. Together with the Northcentral Technical College dairy science curriculum, this will create a “center of excellence” in dairy education for the region. The Northcentral Technical College (NTC) contribution towards this initiative totals more than $1.3 million and is in addition to DSA funding. This is a partnership with NTC, University of Wisconsin-Marathon County, University of Wisconsin Extension and University of Wisconsin-River Falls.  My role is to provide educational support to the development of this initiative.  DSA will offer: a two-year Associates Degree in the Science of Dairy Management; hands-on learning essential to instilling a working knowledge of dairying; an innovative classroom curriculum focused on technology, agribusiness, marketing and environmental responsibility; seamless matriculation to a four-year degree at UW-River Falls; year-round learning and education opportunities for existing dairy farmers; educational outreach programs for high school students and FFA members; year-round school tours to educate students about agriculture, land preservation and dairying; and weekly lectures, symposiums and events for the community

FUTURE IMPLICATIONS
progress made in recent years from dairy modernization and the Dairyland State Academy initiative will affect the Marathon County and surrounding economies for many years into the future. The 2008 Dairy Modernization Survey found that 46% of the respondents believe they would not have continued dairy farming if not for deciding to modernize their operation. The DSA initiative is modeled after a similar program in Calmar, Iowa. They have realized a 10,000 cow increase in milk cow numbers in the region, a drastic reversal of the trend prior to this initiative. Since each dairy cow generates about $15,000 to $17,000 of economic activity, these educational efforts are of great importance to all residents.

Mike Wildeck, Director/Dairy Agent - 2008 Success Story

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