Much like your family’s budget, farmers will likely be doing the same things you are doing to make their bottom line work. The United States Department of Agriculture expects another 25 percent dip in net farm income in 2024, one year after farmers took about a 16 percent hit from the previous year. According to a Wisconsin Public Radio report, lower commodity prices and higher labor costs are to blame for the drop in many farms. Aerica Bjurstrom, the UW Extension Agriculture Agent for Brown, Door, and Kewaunee counties, says farmers are starting to get used to this because every year is abnormal. She advises farmers to find additional uses for what they are putting into the ground to feed their animals at a later time.

Bjurstrom says programs like dairy margin coverage can help protect farmers from the pitfalls of lower prices. The UW Extension Office is offering a program via Zoom for those who have yet to apply on March 22nd. Farmers are also watching Mother Nature as they head into a possibly earlier-than-usual planting season. While soil temperatures may be higher than average, many parts of Wisconsin still battle drought conditions in their fields.