Wisconsin is home to 64,100 farms on 14.2 million acres, according to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP). The average farm size in Wisconsin is 222 acres.
Wisconsin’s agriculture is a big economic driver for the state. It contributes $104.8 billion annually to Wisconsin’s economy. Statistics from American Farmland Trust, however, shows that local farmland is under threat.
From 2001 to 2016, 249,800 acres of Wisconsin’s agricultural land were developed or compromised. Furthermore, the report states, Wisconsin farmers are aging. There are three times as many producers over the age of 65 as under 35 years old.
Using data from the USDA’s Farm Service Agency, a list of counties with the most farmland in Wisconsin has recently been compiled, highlighting the perseverance of state farmers. Many local counties made the top 25 list.
Sauk County has the 16th most farmland in the state. At 202,101 acres, it has 2.1% of the state’s total. Yellow corn is the most common crop.
Columbia County has the 14th most farmland in the state at 214,252 acres. There are 2,446 in the county, over half of which are growing yellow corn.
Source: wiscnews.com
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Categories: Wisconsin, General