Top Wisconsin Agriculture Facts From the 2024 Census of Agriculture
In partnership with: Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
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Wisconsin might be known for its cheese, but that’s just one part of the thriving and diverse Wisconsin agriculture industry. According to the USDA’s most recent Census of Agriculture, there are 58,521 farms in Wisconsin with a market value of agricultural products sold totaling nearly $16.7 billion. (The 2022 Census of Agriculture data was released in February 2024 and is the most recent census data available.)
The number of farms in Wisconsin has decreased by 10% since 2017 and by 24% since 2002. However, there are still more than 13.7 million acres of farmland in Wisconsin, and the state’s average farm size is 236 acres.
The market value of crops grown in Wisconsin, including nursery and greenhouse crops, totaled more than $6.4 billion in 2022. The market value of livestock, poultry and their products, including beef, pork, chicken, dairy and eggs, came to over $10.2 billion.
What Are Wisconsin’s Top Agricultural Products?
According to the most recent available cash receipts (the total amount of crops or livestock sold in a calendar year), Wisconsin’s top agricultural products include milk and other dairy products, corn, cattle and calves, soybeans, and potatoes, to name a few.
See More: Wisconsin Agriculture
Who Owns Wisconsin Farms?
The Census of Agriculture calculates farm ownership by the farm’s legal status for tax purposes. Like many states, Wisconsin farms are primarily owned and operated by families or individuals, with 49,491 family farms as of 2022, or about 84.6% of all farms in the state. Partnerships accounted for 4,297 farms, or 7.3%, while 3,676 farms, or 6.3%, are owned by corporations. Other farms, such as estates or trusts, prison farms, grazing associations, American Indian Reservations, etc., make up about 1.8% of farms in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin farmers are predominantly men. According to the Census of Agriculture, there were 68,320 male farmers in Wisconsin in 2022, making up 65% of the state’s total producers. Wisconsin’s 37,600 women farmers accounted for 35% of the total.
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How Old Are Wisconsin Farmers?
Out of 105,920 farmers in Wisconsin, most are over the age of 55. In fact, the average age of a Wisconsin farmer is 56.7 years old, up from 56 years in 2017.
Just over a quarter of Wisconsin farmers (around 26.6%) fall into the age group of 55 to 64 years, and 23.5% of farmers are ages 65 to 74. Farmers ranging from 45 to 54 years old account for 15.4%, followed by farmers ages 35 to 44 (13.8%), then farmers aged 75 or older (10.8%). Only 8% of farmers are ages 25 to 34, and just 2,016 Wisconsin farmers are under 25, or about 1.9%.
Wisconsin is home to 10,454 farmers considered “young producers” (age 34 or younger).
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More Wisconsin Farm Facts
Though the state counts more than 105,000 agricultural producers, 55% of Wisconsin farmers have a primary occupation other than farming. Only about 47,851 respondents to the Census of Agriculture said their primary occupation was farming.
Active duty military members and veterans also account for some farmers. Wisconsin has 7,461 farmers with current or past military service.
There are 6,216 dairy farms in Wisconsin, down from 9,037 in 2017.
Wisconsin farmers grew 158,982 square feet of mushrooms in 2022, up from 108,495 in 2017.
3,642 Wisconsin farms used renewable energy-producing systems in 2022, up from 2,935 in 2017.
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