An economic analysis shows Wisconsin’s agriculture industry is pulling in more revenue in recent years but employing fewer people.
The report, titled “The Contributions of Agriculture to the Wisconsin Economy,” is published every five years. The newest survey found the industry earned $116.3 billion in revenue in 2022, the latest data available. That is a 10.9 percent increase from 2017.
However, the numbers are nuanced, Steve Deller and Jeff Hadachek, co-authors of the report out of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said.
While revenues are up, the number of agriculture jobs are down and the number of farms are down. Meanwhile, the amount of production is staying the same. This is likely a result of consolidation and farm technology, Deller said.
Other highlights from the report:
- Number of farms are down from 64,793 in 2017 to 58,521 in 2022;
- Number of food processors up from 1,160 in 2017 to 1,245 in 2021;
- Employment declined from 437,700 jobs in 2017 to 353,900 jobs in 2022, a drop of 19.1 percent.
The report also outlines the diversity of Wisconsin’s economy and the strength of the dairy industry.