Wisconsin is one of the most diverse agricultural production states in the nation, producing a variety of dairy, livestock, vegetables, crops, and nursery stock. Wisconsin’s climate, natural resources, agribusiness infrastructure and farm heritage keep Wisconsin one of the top ten ag states in the nation.

Click here to get a pdf copy of the "Wisconsin Agriculture Farm Facts" brochure>>>

Wisconsin agriculture generates more than $51.5 billion in economic activity. This includes the direct effect of agricultural production and processing that adds value to farm products. It also includes agriculture’s ripple effect on the economy.

Wisconsin agriculture provides almost 420,000 jobs, which is 12 percent of the state’s workforce.

This comes from a study conducted by University of Wisconsin-Extension. You can read the research report, "Agriculture and the Wisconsin Economy" on line at http://www.uwex.edu/ces/ag/wisag.

Other Links

• Visit the Wisconsin Agricultural Statistics Service web site for more facts and reports on Wisconsin agriculture.
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• The Wisconsin Ag in the Classroom web site provides resource materials for teachers to help elementary students learn more about our modern agricultural system. Click here to go to the Wisconsin Ag in the Classroom web site.
• Get some Fun Facts on Wisconsin Agriculture.
• The American Farm Bureau Federation publishes a colorful Farm Facts brochure for you to learn more about American agriculture.

Click on one of the categories to learn more about Wisconsin agriculture:

Wisconsin Farm Data

Number: 76,500
Average size: 204 acres

By sales and size:

Economic Impact

Wisconsin agriculture generates more than $51.5 billion in economic activity. This includes the direct effect of agricultural production and processing that adds value to farm products. It also includes agriculture’s ripple effect on the economy.

Here’s how agriculture’s $51.5 billion economic impact breaks down:

• The direct effect of agriculture is $28.6 billion and includes the sale of all farm products and value-added products.
• Business-to-business purchases create another $17.6 billion in economic activity.
• Spending by people who work in agriculture related businesses generates $5.3 billion in economic activity.

Every new dollar of sales of agricultural products generates an additional $0.80 of economic activity in other parts of the state’s economy.

Wisconsin agriculture provides almost 420,000 jobs, which is 12 percent of the state’s workforce. These jobs are diverse – farm owners, on-farm employees, veterinarians, crop and livestock consultants, feed and fuel suppliers, food processors, farm machinery manufacturers and dealers, barn builders and agricultural lenders, just to name a few.

Every new job in agriculture generates an additional 1.3 jobs in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Commodity Rankings

FIRST
Beans for processing: 270,800 tons
Cheese: 2.3 billion pounds
Corn for silage: 14.1 million tons
Cranberries: 3.6 million barrels
Ginseng: 350,000 pounds
Mink pelts: 706,000

SECOND
Butter: 309 million pounds
Milk: 22 billion pounds
Milk cows: 1.25 million

THIRD
Carrots: 96,000 tons
Green peas for processing: 84,300 tons
Potatoes: 3.3 billion pounds
Sweet corn for processing: 681,000 tons

FOURTH
Maple syrup: 100,000 gallons
Oats: 15 million bushels
Tart cherries: 13.3 million pounds

FIFTH
Cucumbers for pickles: 36,100 tons
Mint for oil: 241,000 pounds

OTHER
Trout: 491,000 pounds (8th)
Honey: 5.7 million pounds (8th)
Cattle: 3.4 million head (9th)

Wisconsin Top Commodities

1. Milk: $2.84 billion
2. Cattle & calves: $711 million
3. Corn: $644 million
4. Greenhouse & nursery: $238 million
5. Soybeans: $230 million
6. Potatoes: $180 million
7. Cranberries: $121 million
8. Hogs: $106 million
9. Hay: $65.3 million
10. Eggs: $55.6 million