As Walker departs, WI is losing 50 dairy farms a month
I've tried to follow Wisconsin farm bankruptcies and the continuing losses of smaller WI dairies as CAFOs boom through state promotion and corporate-friendly, eased oversight.
In fact, Walker intended to shift that oversight from the DNR to Ag, Trade and Consumer Protection, where farm and dairy marketing is actively boosted.
Here is some data posted Tuesday:
In fact, Walker intended to shift that oversight from the DNR to Ag, Trade and Consumer Protection, where farm and dairy marketing is actively boosted.
Here is some data posted Tuesday:
Wisconsin has lost six-hundred dairy farms in the past twelve months, including 584 since January first.
A University of Wisconsin study estimates that more than 40% of the state’s milk production came from farms with more than 500 cows in 2016.So another mess dumped in Tony Evers' lap.
4 comments:
Actually, the dairy farm failures are speeding up. Was 87 in October, and more than 500 in the last 8 months.
https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Wisconsin/Publications/Dairy/Historical_Data_Series/brt2004.pdf
Evers and Kaul need to go after mega-farms and give assistance to the little guy as soon as they office.
And Scotty ran on, "Produce more milk!" and that the rest of us should "Eat more cereal!"
I wonder if he thought all the displaced dairy operators should eat more cereal too, since seeing the price for milk fall because of their overcapacity and the markets excess supply because of their efforts apparently was not enough.
This is the same guy that though selling sweaters for $1 was an example of businesz genius, as if the loss on each item would be made up for by volume.
And only after the election did the media see fit to tell us that Walker built a $1-to-$2 BILLION DOLLAR shortfall in the next budget.
Dairy farmers were largely solidly in Walker's camp. Interesting to see that the same media that covered for Scott Walker for his lifetime career on the public dole did not report how dairy farmers now feel about Walker/GOP policies.
Jefferson Daily County Union, which published Hoard Dairyman, has seen circulations plummet to the point that they no longer can afford to run their web press. It sits idle, for sale, with no buyers. But they again endorsed Walker in 2018 despite the economic warfare being carried out by Walker against that industry in Wisconsin.
I am not a current farmer/laborer but I still had subscribed to the "Wisconsin State Farmer" for many years until recently because I firmly believed in supporting media for the family farmer. I watched with increasing sadness over the years as the weekly paper shrank more and more and seemed to skew towards non-regulation and being anti DNR. It is a story repeating all across the country. Perhaps now that the Wauwatosa Wiff has time on his hands he can get with his old pal Sheriff Clarke and they can put on their cowboy hats and go ride horsies together. Forgive me. There is no need to have horses go through that.
Really the dairy farmers cut there own throat when they voted for Scott Walker in 2010, the recall, and 2014. Many voted for him in 2018 too - my bet is the majority.
The die has been cast and the answer is not to give any dairy operation public money. The industry in Wisconsin, as a whole, directly asked for this and did so year after year. They also voted for trade wars in 2016.
Evers can do little or nothing as the legislature is so badly gerrymandered that dems win the popular vote by a wide margin and repugs get 63% of seats. The media Walker fanboys are just looking for reasons to proclaim Evers is a failure.
Evers can advocate for making CAFOs pay the entire cost of operations and clean up. He can demand that there are no more CAFOs approved until the crisis in farming is resolved. The historical record will show that, under Scott Walker, Wisconsin lost it dairy identity (but don't expect the media to accurately carry this story). All he can do is get republicans on the record on equitable competition between large and small businesses. He needs to pin the dairy disaster on Walker and GOP.
People need to let go of the lie we were taught in Wisconsin schools, that the farmer is the center of all that is great, civilized, and good. This was never true and misrepresents what was always a symbiotic relationship. Most have not visited the racist and over-the-Top dairy propaganda at Wisconsin's Dairy Shrine - it is just offensive and dishonest.
Subsizing remaining farmers does nothing for the houndreds forced out this year along. It will also play into GOPs hands just like the lie that public subsidies offered by Trump compensated farmers for his disasterous trade policies.
There are many hurting in Walkers low-wage anti-small business/farm economy. Subsidizing the dwindling supply of farmers means less funds to work towards resolving the larger issues that created this Walker's out of state divide-and-conquer created.
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