Wisconsin Farm Facts

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Wisconsin agriculture is diverse
Wisconsin is one of the most diverse agricultural states in the nation,
producing a variety of dairy, livestock, vegetables, crops, fruits and nursery stock.

Wisconsin’s climate, natural resources, agribusiness infrastructure and farm heritage keep Wisconsin one of the top ten agricultural states in the nation.

Wisconsin farm data

Number of farms: 76,500
Average size of farms: 204 acres

Number of farms by sales and size

Wisconsin agriculture stimulates economic activity
Wisconsin agriculture generates more than $51.5 billion in economic activity. This includes the direct effect of agricultural production and processing that adds value to farm products. It also includes agriculture’s ripple effect on the economy.

Here’s how agriculture’s $51.5 billion economic impact breaks down:

• The direct effect of agriculture is $28.6 billion and includes the sale of all farm products and value-added products.
• Business-to-business purchases create another $17.6 billion in economic activity.
• Spending by people who work in agriculture related businesses generates $5.3 billion in economic activity.

Every new dollar of sales of agricultural products generates an additional $0.80 of economic activity in other parts of the state’s economy.

Wisconsin agriculture provides jobs
Wisconsin agriculture provides almost 420,000 jobs, which is 12 percent of the state’s workforce. These jobs are diverse – farm owners, on-farm employees, veterinarians, crop and livestock consultants, feed and fuel suppliers, food processors, farm machinery manufacturers and dealers, barn builders and agricultural lenders, just to name a few.

Every new job in agriculture generates an additional 1.3 jobs in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin top commodities
(by dollar value)

1. Milk: $2.84 billion
2. Cattle & calves: $711 million
3. Corn: $644 million
4. Greenhouse & nursery: $238 million
5. Soybeans: $230 million
6. Potatoes: $180 million
7. Cranberries: $121 million
8. Hogs: $106 million
9. Hay: $65.3 million
10. Eggs: $55.6 million

Wisconsin agriculture rankings

Soil

• Wisconsin's fertile upland soils are well suited for alfalfa production, helping to feed our 1.23 million dairy cows.
• Wisconsin's state soil is Antigo Silt Loam.
• Wisconsin farmers were pioneers in soil and water conservation, establishing the first county soil conservation project in the nation.

Climate

• Wisconsin's climate is good for growing a variety of crops.
• Warm summers help Wisconsin plants grow and cold winters help the soil replenish itself.
• Average annual rainfall in Wisconsin is 35.5 inches.
• The northern part of Wisconsin averages 10 F in January and 67 F in July. The southern part of Wisconsin averages 16 F in January and 71 F in July.

Crops

• Wisconsin leads the nation in production of snap beans, cranberries, corn for silage, and ginseng.
• Each year, Wisconsin growers harvest more than 1.8 million Christmas trees.
• Central Wisconsin is famous for vegetable production, making us third in production of carrots, potatoes, sweet corn & green peas for processing.

Livestock

• Wisconsin chicken farms produce 1.2 billion eggs and 33.8 million broilers each year.
• State mink producers produce 768,000 pelts each year - tops in the nation.
• Sale of cattle and calves account for $801 million in farm income annually.
• Wisconsin fish farmers produce 387,000 pounds of trout - mostly for restaurants - every year.

Wisconsin Facts
Capital: Madison
Population: 5,363,675
Founded: May 29, 1848
State Bird: Robin
State Tree: Sugar Maple
State Flower: Wood Violet
State Animal: Badger
Number of counties: 72
Largest City: Milwaukee

Farmland ownership
Over 99% of Wisconsin’s farms are owned by family farmers, keeping control of land in the hands of the people who farm it.

Individuals or families – 86%
Family partnerships – 10%
Family-owned corporations – 3%
Non-family corporations – 1%

Agriculture and the environment
Farmers manage the land and water to protect the environment and the resources their farms depend upon and families use.

• Wisconsin farmers own 16 million acres of land – 44 percent of all the land in the state.
• Wisconsin farmers have enrolled more than 635,000 acres of their land in the Conservation Reserve Program to protect the environment and provide habitat for wildlife.
• Wisconsin farmers save 9 million tons of topsoil annually reducing nonpoint source pollution.

Where your food dollar goes
Farmers receive 19-cents of each food dollar spent on food. The remaining cost is associated with processing and marketing of food.

Off-farm labor – 38.5¢
Farmers and ranchers – 19¢
Interest, taxes, other – 9¢
Packaging – 8¢
Repairs and depreciation – 5¢
Profits – 4.5¢
Rent – 4.5¢
Transportation – 4¢
Advertising – 4¢
Energy – 3.5¢

Food spending
Americans spend less of their disposable income on food than people in other countries. Percent of disposable income spent on food consumed at home:

United States – 10%
France – 18%
Germany – 21%
Japan – 26%
Mexico – 33%

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