Column: Fighting for the future of Wisconsin dairy
By Rep. Vincent Miresse
Hello neighbors,
It’s June Dairy Month, and here in America’s Dairyland, we take celebrating seriously. In 2004, there were 15,904 operating dairy farms in the state; now Wisconsin has fewer than a third of that number. The latest licensing data from the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) shows that there are 5,115 operating dairy farms in the state of Wisconsin and roughly 1.28 million milking cows. High costs are causing a decline in Wisconsin’s dairy farms, even as the number of milking cows remains constant. This trend pressures the small family farms, the backbone of the state’s dairy industry, to either expand their operations or combine with other herds.
Earlier this month, President Donald Trump visited rural Wisconsin, where he promised he was “working on something” to help our farmers. Wisconsin farmers have persevered through the current disastrous state of our economy with grace. The last thing they need to hear is empty promises. Farmers want action and real commitments. It is our duty as a state to support the dairy farmers who give us our name. I co-authored several bills that will help our farmers this legislative session, turning promises into action and supporting America’s Dairyland.
At the end of this legislative session, I introduced the Dairy Agriculture Resilience Investment Now Program, an initiative initially proposed but then removed from the 2025-27 state budget, to support small family farms across Wisconsin. The bill would provide DATCP with the authority to administer grants to smaller dairy farms to improve operational efficiency and their overall resilience. For example, farms that received the grant could use the money to buy new or update existing equipment to help them compete with larger-scale dairy farms.
The Keep Wisconsin Fed bill package was introduced in direct response to the shutdown of the FoodShare benefits program. One bill in the package creates a farm-to-fork program that provides grants to community organizations to purchase locally grown food. The goal of this bill is simple: to connect local farmers with cafeterias to provide high-quality, fresh, nutritious food grown right in their backyards.
It’s a win for the community and for farmers. The bill also provides funding for grants for schools to improve already existing farm-to-school programs.
In January, my Democratic colleagues and I introduced legislation aimed at promoting sustainable farming methods to aid Wisconsin farmers, decrease fossil fuel consumption and capture carbon dioxide. Grants would be provided to farmers who plant and maintain certain types of vegetation, utilize no- or low-till farming practices, and implement best-managed grazing practices. Climate change poses a serious threat to the Wisconsin way of life, and our farming traditions are part of the solution. Our farmers can remove carbon dioxide, a major accelerator of climate change, from our atmosphere and sequester it in the ground, along with other efficiency and conservation measures.
Thank you to all Wisconsin farmers for putting food on our tables and supporting our great state. And happy June Dairy Month. I will continue to fight for you and make sure rural voices are heard in our state Capitol.
Miresse represents Wisconsin’s 71 State Assembly District. He can be reached at (608) 237-9171 or [email protected]