Wisconsin

Wisconsin is known for cheese so it makes sense that the state's cattle industry is booming. Ranked as the 9th largest cattle producer in the country in 2022, Wisconsin produced 3.5 million cattle, with 295,000 being beef cattle and a whopping 1.275 million being dairy cows. The state generated 31.7 billion pounds of milk in 2021, generating the state nearly $5.96 billion in agricultural revenue from milk alone. The 64,100 farms and 14.2 million agricultural acres are also used for other livestock such as goats, sheep, hogs, and chickens, allocating 963,603 acres for permanent pasture and rangeland. Since dairy cows are typically kept in relatively close quarters compared to beef cattle, this provides ample space for the free-range livestock in the state to roam and graze naturally. Feed lots are still being utilized by certain farms and in 2021 there were a reported 270,000 head of cattle on feed in the state.

Wisconsin allocates around 10 million acres to mono-crops such as corn and soybeans, with these crops being the highest yield and highest earning for the state, followed by hay, haylage, and alfalfa. The state also produces a vast array of fruits and vegetables such as potatoes, snap beans, cranberries, cabbage, and sweet corn, to name a few.

The state has lost over 14,363 farms since 2007 and that number appears to be on a steady decline. With the average market value of agricultural products sold per operation being around $176,368 and over $11.2 of the states $11.4 billion total agricultural market value of products sold going to large, corporate industries, this leaves only around $200 million exchanging hands at the local, community level. Sourcing directly from local, family-owned farms has the power to slow this decline, empowering local farms and allowing them to be less reliant on elite corporations, resulting in increased profit margins and boosting the local economy. This also ensures that the consumer is getting quality nutrition they can trust.