During the past 40 years, Wisconsin has lost more than 40,000 dairy farms. Small and medium dairy farmers throughout the state are struggling to stay afloat with environmental concerns, workforce shortages, and government policies that favor large-scale agriculture. Last week, AEM member company DeLaval joined the AEM State Advocacy Team for a day of meetings in the Wisconsin Capitol to talk to lawmakers about problems impacting the state's dairy farmers and solutions afforded through modern dairy technology.
Leveraging AEM’s Environmental Benefits of Modern Dairy, Hay, and Forage Production Technologies study, the meetings aimed to educate lawmakers on the benefits of precision agriculture technology and discuss incentives to get these technologies into the hands of Wisconsin farmers. A key point raised during these meetings was that helping small and medium farmers obtain the latest dairy milking system technologies will have significant positive impacts on the economy, animal welfare, and the environment.
Late last year, with the help of the AEM’s Dairy and Manure Leadership groups, the AEM State Advocacy Team drafted a model bill, which would create a grant program for small and medium Wisconsin farmers to invest in new and innovative dairy technology. This draft bill was based on the successful Iowa legislation which established the Iowa Dairy Innovation Fund. In Wisconsin, AEM is in the process of identifying an author and cosponsors for the bill. In the upcoming months, AEM will continue to meet with legislators, the Department of Agriculture, and dairy associations to educate and push this initiative forward.
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Photo Credit: gettyimages-ahavelaar
Categories: Wisconsin, Livestock, Dairy Cattle