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Dairying among Wisconsin's Amish and Old Order Mennonite farmers expanded through 2017, and by early 2018 Amish farms contained 12.9 percent of the state's total dairy herds of cows, goats, and sheep. Old Order Mennonite herds comprised 5.0 percent. Faced with a variety of challenges, Wisconsin lost 198 Amish herds between April 2018 and July 2020, yet its number of Old Order Mennonite herds grew. Together, these groups operated over half of the dairy farms within 59 of Wisconsin's towns in 2020. The paper examines the spatial patterns of expansion and contraction of Old Order dairying between 2012 and 2020, noting and explaining differences between the Amish and Mennonite farmers, as well as among the three conferences of Old Order Mennonites. Losses among the Amish were the greatest for can milk producers, yet 19 percent of Wisconsin's Amish dairy herds were on certified organic farms in 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to document and evaluate patterns of nontraditional credit use among Wisconsin dairy farmers. Using a survey-based case study approach, this article analyzes farmer and farm characteristics, farmers' utilization of credit and farmers' perceptions of nontraditional lenders. The findings are connected to ongoing structural change in the dairy sector and economic theories of trade credit. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected using an incentivized online survey of Wisconsin dairy farmers distributed through existing university and industry networks. A total of 16 farmers completed the survey. The sample is treated as a focus group case study, and participants' responses are examined using summary statistics and correlational analyses to describe emergent patterns in the industry. Findings: Among survey respondents who utilize agricultural credit, nearly 80% (11 of 14) borrow from at least one nontraditional lender, and nontraditional credit comprises 17% of their total borrowing, on average. Much of this borrowing occurs through the financial arm of a vendor and is used to finance equipment or machinery purchases. Despite widespread use of nontraditional credit, no surveyed farmers preferred nontraditional lenders over traditional lenders. Originality/value: This is the first study to analyze the use of nontraditional credit specifically among Wisconsin dairy farmers. Dairy farming is a capital-intensive endeavor, and recent structural change in the sector has increased surviving dairy farmers' demand for credit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lameness is a leading animal welfare concern in the dairy industry. Multiple stakeholders are involved in lameness management on a dairy farm, including farmers, hoof trimmers, and veterinarians. This study sought to explore perceptions of lameness, perceptions of roles in lameness management, and barriers to improved lameness management in these groups. Fourteen homogeneous focus groups were held in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and New York from April 2017 to March 2020; 5 with farmers (n = 31), 4 with hoof trimmers (n = 32), and 5 with veterinarians (n = 25). The 1-h facilitated discussions were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and common themes identified through thematic analysis. Lameness was perceived by participants as a complex health problem and one in which the connections between pathogenesis, facilities, and management were not always well understood or easy to change. The complexity of the problem encompassed the lack of agreement on a definition of lameness, normalization to its signs, and the interconnectedness of lameness with other health and management issues. These issues appeared to contribute to resignation by participants that lameness was inevitable. Despite shared concerns about lameness among these groups, respondents reported a lack of communication, especially between hoof trimmers and veterinarians. Participants also voiced a desire to work together more productively, with hoof trimmers and veterinarians valuing the ability to deliver a consistent message to farmers. These findings suggest a need for increased efforts to facilitate collaboration between farmers, hoof trimmers, and veterinarians to improve lameness management on dairy farms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many dairy farmers in North America disbud or dehorn their cattle to improve human and animal safety. The Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM v. 4.0) program requires that disbudding be performed before 8 wk of age with pain-control medication. The objective of this observational cross-sectional study was to quantify disbudding and dehorning practices of Wisconsin dairy producers to target future extension programming. Responses from 217 Wisconsin dairy producers and calf raisers were collected via digital surveys distributed at extension events and through industry contacts. Of the 217 respondents, 188 performed on-farm disbudding themselves. Most respondents (61%) used caustic paste as their primary method, which was most commonly applied on the day the calf was born (53%). Hot iron was used by 32% of respondents, and surgical methods (gouge, scoop, or wire saw) were used by 6% of respondents. Hot-iron disbudding was most commonly performed at 4 to 8 wk of age (41%) and 1 to 4 wk of age (33%), whereas surgical methods were most commonly performed at 8 wk or older (73%). Pain-control medication was used by 43% of respondents. Specifically, 35% used an anti-inflammatory, and 21% used a local nerve block. Veterinary involvement in creating the disbudding protocol was associated with increased odds of using pain control. Respondents with a target weaning age of ≥10 wk had greater odds of complying with FARM disbudding requirements and were also more likely to use polled genetics. Respondents aged 18 to 34 and respondents with >60 calves were more likely to have made changes to their disbudding or dehorning protocol in the last decade. Although use of pain control was higher than in previous US studies, full adoption of pain management requires further extension efforts. Veterinarians appeared influential on adoption of pain control, and their involvement may encourage adoption of pain management. Further research should investigate how the implementation of new FARM v. 4.0 standards will change the disbudding and dehorning practices of American dairy producers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses Wisconsin Cheese's way out of the branding problem it had five years ago. It discusses how Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin decided to rebuild the brand from the ground up. Consumers' perceptions used to revolve around big, boring blocks of factory cheddar instead of the reality of more than 600 varieties, types and styles of cheese that are made in Wisconsin. The hardest thing a brand can undertake is to go from mass to class. Wisconsin wins more awards for cheese than any other state or country. Needs were identified to build a strong and consistent brand, to be better storytellers to the world and to build authentic relationships with real cheese lovers. With a new logo, new websites, a more creative corporate culture, relationships with Food Fanatics who help drive the speciality cheese marketplace and increased media presence, Wisconsin announced itself, and proved itself, as the State of Cheese. Now, sales of Wisconsin speciality cheese outpace all others in that category, Wisconsin Cheese has more website visitors than ever before, they achieved over US$40m in national and local media mentions in the last year, they have brand ambassadors in all 50 states and are on page one for Google searches for 'cheese'. This paper details how they did it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Accidents are common in the agricultural industry, particularly among dairy farmers. How said farmers get hurt is well established, but far less is known about how distal, socio-environmental factors influence injuries. This study examined associations between medically-attended agricultural injuries and: (1) personal sociodemographic characteristics, and (2) farm environment features and general safety practices.Methods: A cross-sectional survey was implemented with linked data from electronic health records on prior agricultural injuries that occurred between 01/01/2002-12/31/2015. The sample included adult dairy producers who resided in north-central Wisconsin (USA) and were medically-homed to the Marshfield Clinic Health System. Multiple logistic regression was used to analyze associations between socio-environmental characteristics and agricultural injuries.Results: There were 620 dairy farmers in the analytical sample, with 50 medically-attended agricultural injuries observed during the 14-year study time period (5.7 injuries per 1000 dairy farmers per year). In the multivariable model, the odds of agricultural injury were significantly greater among farmers who have private individually-purchased health insurance (OR=4.25; 95% CI: 1.31, 13.84), do not live at their dairy operation (OR=2.91; CI: 1.27, 6.67), and do not provide safety training to their workers (OR=4.27; CI: 1.00, 18.21).Conclusions: Dairy farmers in this analysis who did not live at their dairy operation, did not provide safety training to all their workers, or had individually-purchased health insurance were more apt to get injured, but more research is needed to confirm these findings in prospectively designed studies. How these factors can be directly addressed or otherwise used to better focus farm injury prevention initiatives should also be explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of women farming in the United States continues to climb, even as the number of farms has been relatively stable in recent years. Nevertheless, women often face an uphill battle in asserting themselves as farmers, particularly if they are living and working in communities in which masculinities and femininities have been shaped over time by the gendered symbolic categories of farmer and farm wife. In light of the discursive power of the title of farmer this article examines women's pathways into farming to ask: 1) To what extent do women encounter difficulties in being legible as farmers, and how do they manage these difficulties?; and 2) How do women farmers reshape rural femininity in being recognized as farmers? Drawing on interviews and ethnographic data from 12 Wisconsin women farmers, this article shows that many women farming sustainably and conventionally faced considerable obstacles at the institutional, interactional, and symbolic levels of the gender system as they attempted to be recognized as farmers; managing these difficulties through persistence. Some women contested the gender regime of farming by constructing an alternative rural femininity through insisting on the title of farmer, drawing on the symbolism of hegemonic rural femininity and masculinity in the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In this study, we set out to compare the health of contract- vs. conventionally reared replacement dairy heifers. Contract-reared heifers are raised off-farm on another farm by another farmer, for a fee. A total of 120 dairy farmers were enrolled in the study: 55 farmers were rearing their own heifers (control farmers; CFs), and 65 were sending heifers to a contract-rearing farm (source dairy farmers; SDFs). Over two years, we monitored approximately 5500 replacement heifers from these farms to check for signs of ill health using a calf health scoring system that involved individually examining each animal at four farm visits (twice annually). Additionally, faecal and nasal swabs were taken from a proportion of heifers with clinical signs of diarrhoea and respiratory disease. Overall, the results indicated few differences in the health and infectious status of home-reared versus contract-reared heifers. Additionally, the number of source dairy farms represented and mixing of heifers from multiple farms at the rearing unit were not associated with an increased incidence of respiratory disease or diarrhoea among contract-reared heifers. Therefore, it was concluded that contract-rearing did not result in adverse health outcomes for replacement dairy heifers. The aim of this study was to compare the health status of contract- vs. conventionally reared replacement dairy heifers over a 2-year period. A total of 120 dairy farmers were enrolled in the study in spring 2018: 55 farmers were rearing their own heifers (control farmers; CFs), and 65 were sending heifers to a contract-rearing farm (source dairy farmers; SDFs). Between spring 2018 and autumn 2019, approximately 5500 replacement heifers from these farms were monitored for signs of ill health during four farm visits using a modified version of the Wisconsin calf health scoring system. Additionally, faecal and nasal swabs were taken from a proportion of heifers with clinical signs of diarrhoea and respiratory disease to determine the associated aetiological agents. Results indicate few differences in the health status and pathogen exposure status of home-reared versus contract-reared heifers. Additionally, the number of source dairy farms represented and commingling of heifers from multiple origins at the rearing unit were not associated with an increased incidence of respiratory disease or diarrhoea among contract-reared heifers. It was concluded that contract-rearing did not result in adverse health outcomes for replacement dairy heifers. This is the first study to demonstrate this finding in a robust, longitudinal, herd-level population study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distinctive surnames typically associated with Amish populations provide a useful means to identify group members. Utilizing listings of Wisconsin's licensed dairy producers between 1989 and 2001, growth and decline of various settlements of Amish dairymen are mapped and described. Overall, growth far exceeded decline, with the number of identified Amish surnamed dairy farmers increasing by nearly three-quarters. The examination of the spatial distribution of specific Amish surnames demonstrates the central role played by family groups in Amish settlement and migration. The prominence of several common Amish surnames differs among the state's largest Amish settlements, and Amish surnames new to Wisconsin are disproportionately found within recently established Amish settlements. Some of these surnames are only found in single communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]