While 2020 offered bad news in many different ways, the weather was a breath of fresh air for area farmers. Wisconsin had gone through three of the wettest years on record in terms of precipitation. Kewaunee broke a 29-year record with 41.09 inches of precipitation and Sturgeon Bay broke a 34-year record with 50.11 inches. Wisconsin farmers saw a little less rain in 2020 with six months below their historical averages. Peninsula Pride Farms President Don Niles said last week that the more favorable weather allowed farmers to work through their plans and implement some of the conservation practices they have not been able to do for several years.

Financially, the United States Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service estimates Wisconsin farmers will see their highest income level since 2013. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the $119.6 billion in 2020 is a 41 percent increase over the previous year. While it is buoyed by payments from the federal government, farmers did see soybean and corn prices go up at harvest time. Monthly milk prices varied over the course of the year, but are currently below where they were at the beginning of 2020.