5 factors that can help save Wisconsin family farms, and lives

If there were easy solutions to the crisis of our disappearing farms — slipping away at a rate of as many as three per day in Wisconsin just a few years ago — the Dairy State would have found them by now. But as long as there are farmers out there fighting to go on, there is reason for hope. I talked with experts and innovators to see what can be done:

Innovation

Randy Robida sees farmers trying to make ends meet milking cows on small operations, or selling beef and crops instead, and sees potential for something more. He’s built a business at Deer Creek Farms in St. Croix County to operate as a distributor, working with small operators open to trying novelty crops like specialty wheat and more, which he bundles into larger amounts to be able to sell for a higher price than otherwise available in the market.

“You can change, you can adapt,” he said. “That’s what our forefathers did, they adapted.”

In Arizona, Brad Jannenga has the same idea, in a different market. The tech entrepreneur—founder of Chassis and other ventures—is also a rancher experimenting with different breeds to make specialty Wagyu-style beef resilient enough to survive in Arizona. He’s seeing success with his brand, Bonafide Beef, and hopes he can establish a model that traditional small ranchers could adopt.

“Hopefully that will start catching on, and more and more people will see that,” Jannenga said, adding that specialization may be “how we kind of take back over these smaller farms.”

Technology

Tech has been a double-edged sword, helping drive efficiency as well as consolidation with small family farms finding less innovation that worked for them. That could be changing.

Jim MacDonald, a researcher at the University of Maryland, said technology like self-driving vehicles for spraying fields could be more cost-effective for farms of various sizes. Farm broadcaster Pam Jahnke pointed to robotic milkers as an option for some operations, and said many farms are finding new ways that apps and software for things like animal health can make their operations more efficient.

“I think technology is one of the best answers that we have,” Jahnke said.

Policy

While some may want more and some may want less of it, government is a major factor for agriculture. One of the biggest pieces of legislation the U.S. Congress can consider is the farm bill, which observers expect to near completion early next year if lawmakers can navigate ever-present gridlock.

More: Fighting a fire and odds against survival for Wisconsin family farms

Jeff Lyon, general manager of FarmFirst Dairy Cooperative representing dairy farmers, said one of the most important parts for Wisconsin farming is the Dairy Margin Coverage Program, which in 2018 replaced prior milk price programs. It essentially acts like voluntary insurance, where farmers pay a premium and then receive a payout if milk prices go below a certain level.

While Lyon doesn’t think that program will be controversial, there could be debate over some changes. And, with 85 percent of the farm bill traditionally being nutrition programs as opposed to agriculture — a compromise to get both parties on board — there are plenty of opportunities for partisan rancor to come into play.

Lyon said the constant, through changes in policy, is the individual resilience of Wisconsin farmers. Even though many farmers have exited the industry, others are showing new ways to make it.

“It’s just the changing from what it was, and those things hurt a little bit sometimes,” he said.

Origins

One simple fact is that every single consumer can help make a difference, by remembering where food comes from. While there is a lot of debate about the structure of our food industry, with farmers arguing higher prices at the grocery store rarely land in their pockets, there is also opportunity to select products that support Wisconsin farmers, like locally produced cheese.

One of the best ways and times to show support is during June Dairy Month, when farms across the state host dairy breakfasts. Those and other events not only let people see where their food comes from, but display how farming works today, build relationships, and expose young people who could become interested in agriculture as a career.

Assistance

As the mental health of struggling farmers has become more well known, resources have too. Many farm families —mine included — have experienced the difference that attention to mental health can make, after years of thinking there was nothing they could do but keep their heads down.

Wisconsin author Michael Perry, who grew up on a farm, felt so strongly about it he listed resources in the back of his latest novella about a farmer struggling with serious mental health issues. Those resources include the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. You can call 988, or 1-800-273-8255, or text HELLO to 741741.

There are other resources, like the Farmer Angel Network where I’m from in Sauk County, which began after a local farmer died by suicide. The network provides support from within the agriculture industry, connecting farmers with peers who they can talk to, and other resources. More information is available here. There is strength — not shame — in deciding it is time to make a change.

Brian Reisinger is a writer who grew up on a family farm in Sauk County. He contributes in-depth columns and videos for the Ideas Lab at the Journal Sentinel. Reisinger has written for a wide range of publications and tells the hidden stories of rural America, including the drug crisis, past and future of Wisconsin farmers and adventures in the outdoors. Reisinger works in public affairs consulting for Wisconsin-based Platform Communications. He splits his time between a small town in northern California near his wife’s family, and his family’s farm here in Wisconsin. Reisinger studied journalism and political science at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and has won awards from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, Seven Hills Review literary magazine, Wisconsin Newspaper Association, and more.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Causes for hope we can save family farms in Wisconsin and elsewhere.