Contact: Cullen Werwie, 608-267-7303
Madison—Today, Governor Scott Walker released an update on Wisconsin’s Farmer-to-Farmer Network, which couples farmers who were less affected by the dry conditions with other farmers who were severely affected by the drought.
More than 185 listings were made over the course of the year. At least 75 of them have been removed because the farmers bought or sold the majority of their listing. An estimated 10,000 tons of products was bought or sold on the network. Hay, straw, standing forages, corn silage, sorghum, sudan grass, rye, and oats were exchanged on the Farmer-to-Farmer network. There are currently more than 100 listings of feed for sale.
“Raising awareness of the Farmer-to-Farmer network helped provide dairy farmers with the feed necessary to continue farming and avoid making the difficult decision to downside their operation or exit the business,” said Governor Scott Walker. “Without this network, this drought could have negatively impacted Wisconsin’s agricultural production for years to come. I would like to thank Chancellor Ray Cross and John Shutske of the University of Wisconsin-Extension for helping setup and run this network.”
“We’ve heard countless stories about farmers helping each other out through the Farmer-to-Farmer network,” said Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection Secretary Ben Brancel. “Farmers who bought hay or feed through the network exchange spread the word to other farmers so they could set up their own purchases.”
Additional information about the Farmer-to-Farmer network can be accessed at: http://farmertofarmer.uwex.edu
