The drought's effect on dairy farms
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Wisconsin's the dairy state, but Governor Jim Doyle has now unveiled a new campaign branding Wisconsin as a state of "original thinkers." | Photo: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
MILWAUKEE - It's now been more than 20 days without rain in southeast Wisconsin and the conditions are posing a major problem for dairy farmers.
No rain equals no crops, and ultimately no feed for dairy cow farmers in the fall.
"Certianly dairy cows need a lot of feed, and dairy farmers raise a lot of their own forage," says David Kummell with Biological Systems Engineering at UW-Madison.
"Forage isn't going to be producing for alfalfa or corn silage, or grain corn that they're going to be feeding the cows," Kummel says. "That's going to have an effect down the road here."
The farmers could take a financil hit, but does this mean milk prices will increase? Not necessarily. The futures market will ultimately decide that.
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