Contact: Casey Langan, Director of Public Relations
608-828-5711
MADISON – If a picture is worth a thousand words, it pales in comparison to the recently released national agricultural census. Its findings detail an industry worth billions of dollars in economic activity for Wisconsin.
“Wisconsin’s results in the national ag census are a strong indicator of what a critical economic driver that agriculture is for this state,” said Bill Bruins, president of the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation. “Agriculture is a home-grown, value-added industry that employs tens of thousands of people both on and off the farm.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture conducts an agricultural census every five years to determine the number, size and value of U.S. farms. It also asks what kinds of livestock and crops are being raised. The new census ranks Wisconsin as the ninth largest state when it comes to sales of agricultural commodities.
“While other states may have more farmland acres, Wisconsin’s ranking in the top 10 ag states comes from a diversified farm sector,” Bruins said. “While the dairy industry is still king here, few other states can boast a variety of farm commodities that include corn, cranberries, cucumbers, cherries and cabbage. This kind of diversity is good for strong rural communities, in addition to our state’s overall economy.”
“Our industry also benefits from a population that is informed about the impact that farming has on their lives,” Bruins explained. “The ag census provides some of the information that helps us tell that story.”
“We often tout that agriculture has a $51 billion economic impact in Wisconsin,” he said. “That number is partially derived from the 2002 ag census.”
“In the coming months, we at Farm Bureau will work with our colleagues at the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board and University of Wisconsin-Extension to conduct that research that computes agriculture’s true impact on our economy.”
“When you consider inflationary factors, expanded world trade, more accurate accounting for Wisconsin farms, and the healthy prices we received for commodities ranging from dairy to grain to organics in 2007, I am very confident that number is going to grow,” Bruins said. “Hopefully, so will everyone’s appreciation for the vital role agriculture serves for Wisconsin.”
“It’s important to remember that the census is a snapshot of one point in time,” Bruins said. “Two years ago, farm incomes were up and government payments to farms were down. Unfortunately, the prices that farmers receive for nearly all commodities grown in Wisconsin have since fallen.”
“Statistics from 2007 provide cold comfort for the harsh realities of 2009,” Bruins remarked. “For profit to return to our farms, the national and global economies must rebound, demand for our products must strengthen again, and trade has to flow between nations.”
