Dept. of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection: Beginning farmers encouraged to return survey

Media Contact: Ashley Andre, 608-224-5002 ashley.andre@wi.gov
Jim Dick, Communications Director, 608-224-5020 jim.dick@wi.gov

MADISON – The Wisconsin Beginning Farmer Survey is in the mail, and the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) encourages you to fill it out and send it back to us. The information collected from these surveys will be used to develop programs to serve beginning farmers.

“The future of Wisconsin’s agriculture industry depends on the success of beginning farmers thriving and staying in the business for years to come,” said Dan Smith, DATCP Division Administrator of Agricultural Development. “This survey will help us refine our current beginning farmer assistance and develop new initiatives that will be useful and add value to Wisconsin farms.”

The survey was mailed to those who indicated they were a beginning farmer on their 2012 Census of Agriculture. The four-page survey includes questions about how you began farming, details on the current farm and future goals. There are also questions about what resources are currently the most useful.

The information collected is confidential and will only be used in combination with other reports. The more responses received, the more accurate the results will be.

DATCP works to provide services that will assist beginning farmers improve their production and increase their profitability. Beginning farmers can always contact the Wisconsin Farm Center toll-free at 1-800-942-2474 to connect with available resources including financial analysis, herd-based diagnostics, mediation and transition planning.

The survey is due February 20, 2014. For more information about the survey, contact DATCP’s Mike Bandli at 608-224-5136 or Mike.Bandli@wisconsin.gov.