The state of Wisconsin suffered the single biggest decline in dairy farms last year, but milk prices are offering some hope to local farmers. The latest numbers from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection show that the state lost 818 dairy farms in 2019. That reflects a ten percent drop from the 8110 licensed dairy farms a year ago. Rich Olson from Olson Family Farm in southern Door County says the good news for existing farmers is that the price of milk has been trending up. He believes a better balance of supply and demand will help dairy farmers in the long run.
The state has lost over 5600 farms in the past decade which is a 44 percent drop. Progressive Diary projects that if realized, 2020 milk production will rise 2.6 percent from 2019.