Agriculture is still the dominant land use and foundation for the economy in the Kickapoo River valley. A little over half of the land in the region is devoted to farming. According to the 2007 Census of Agriculture, 2402 farms are located in Vernon County alone, with an average size of 143 acres. The total value of agricultural production in 2007 was $167,490,000 — and that represents a 6% increase over the 2002 agricultural census.
According to VSN’s Community Food Assessment, Southwest Wisconsin Region consumers spend $231 million buying food each year, including $131 million for home use. Most all of this food is produced outside the region. $2.1 million of food products (one percent of consumer demand and 0.1% of farm cash receipts) are sold by farmers directly to consumers.
History of Agriculture in Vernon County
Agriculture settlement of Vernon County began in the 1840′s and 1850′s. In these early years the County raised wheat, corn, oats and potatoes. Thirty bushels of wheat to the acre, or fifty bushels of oats per acre were considered average crops. The early demand for agricultural products came from the Military and Indian Departments, the fur trade and particularly from the lumber trade which created a demand in excess of [the] supply of agricultural products. With the advent of steamboat transportation on the Mississippi, the County became a wheat exporting area. In 1861, 1 million bushels of wheat were marketed. The construction of the La Crosse and Milwaukee Railroad in 1879 enhanced the wheat export capabilities of the area. By the 1870′s, Vernon County was the most specialized wheat area in the state, and it continued to hold that position until wheat ceased to be an important crop in Wisconsin.
In 1880, there were a few small cheese factories in Vernon County. In the 1880′s and the 1890′s there was a gradual increase in dairying. The large increase in dairying took place after 1910, and dairying has continued to be the primary type of agriculture since that date. Vernon County gained particular fame as an outstanding butter producing area, although it produced a full mix of dairy products. By 1952, Vernon County produced 6.3 million pounds of butter and 8.5 million pounds of cheese.
In 1979, dairy products represented 66% of the total cash receipts from agriculture in the County. Dairy products were followed by meat animals (17%) and field crops (13%).
Since the 1880′s, tobacco has been an important specialty crop in the County. At its peak during the 1950′s, tobacco constituted 15% of the gross farm income in the County.
Farm Characteristics and Agricultural Land Use
Vernon County has been experiencing most of the same trends in farm size and agricultural land usage as other rural counties. According to the U.S. Census of Agriculture, during the past two decades there has been a gradual but steady decline in the number of farming units and a gradual increase in the average size of farming units.
At both ends of the spectrum of farm size, there are two different trends that appear to be occurring. The high production farms are tending toward larger acreage, more capital investments, and increasingly scientific methods of production. As the other end of the production spectrum there has been an increase in the hobby farm often owned by absentee landowners or recent arrivals to the County from more urban areas. These farms often have smaller acreages and lower yields. The average sized family-owned farm appears to the type of farming unit which is most threatened by changes in farm ownership and economic factors.
The overall land in farms has declined according to statistics published by both the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture. Both sets of statistics suggest that there has been a conversion of agricultural land to non-agricultural use in nearly every town in the County. The reasons for the loss of farmland vary from town to town. In the Kickapoo Valley, public acquisition for the proposed La Farge Dam project removed acreages in Stark and Whitestown from private farm ownership. Private acquisition of scenic land for recreation and speculation has also caused a loss in farmland in the Kickapoo Valley. During the years 1967-73 when the dam and recreational reservoir were actively being planned and public land acquired, land speculation caused land prices in the Kickapoo watershed to increase 150 percent. In the western part of the County, particularly the towns along the Mississippi River, private acquisition for residential and recreation use has been the primary cause of farmland loss. Non-farm residential use has also increased in the vicinity of Westby and Viroqua.
Costs of Agricultural Production
The economics of agricultural production have been a major factor influencing the type of agricultural production and the characteristics of farming units. In particular, the high costs of farming has fueled the trend to larger, more capital intensive operations. As the costs of production have increased dramatically, smaller farmers have been forced to sell their land to larger operators or else to non-farm users. In some parts of the County, this has helped spur the amount of non-farm speculative and recreational investment in farmland.
Although the market value of agricultural products sold has increased over 150% during the past decade, the costs of production have increased at an even faster rate.
At the same time that the economics of agricultural production have forced many smaller farmers into an unstable economic situation, the value of farmland has risen dramatically, so that the incentive to sell the farm is created by the high prices a farmer can receive for farmland. Although the value of farmland peaked several years ago and there is a temporary dip in land values, it is expected that the land inflation will continue to be a factor which encourages farmland conversions.
The Wisconsin Farmland Preservation Act was passed by the Wisconsin legislature in the expectation that the bill would provide some property tax relief to farmers, thus mitigating one element of the economic squeeze on the farming industry.
Agriculture
According to VSN’s Community Food Assessment, Southwest Wisconsin Region consumers spend $231 million buying food each year, including $131 million for home use. Most all of this food is produced outside the region. $2.1 million of food products (one percent of consumer demand and 0.1% of farm cash receipts) are sold by farmers directly to consumers.
History of Agriculture in Vernon County
Agriculture settlement of Vernon County began in the 1840′s and 1850′s. In these early years the County raised wheat, corn, oats and potatoes. Thirty bushels of wheat to the acre, or fifty bushels of oats per acre were considered average crops. The early demand for agricultural products came from the Military and Indian Departments, the fur trade and particularly from the lumber trade which created a demand in excess of [the] supply of agricultural products. With the advent of steamboat transportation on the Mississippi, the County became a wheat exporting area. In 1861, 1 million bushels of wheat were marketed. The construction of the La Crosse and Milwaukee Railroad in 1879 enhanced the wheat export capabilities of the area. By the 1870′s, Vernon County was the most specialized wheat area in the state, and it continued to hold that position until wheat ceased to be an important crop in Wisconsin.
In 1880, there were a few small cheese factories in Vernon County. In the 1880′s and the 1890′s there was a gradual increase in dairying. The large increase in dairying took place after 1910, and dairying has continued to be the primary type of agriculture since that date. Vernon County gained particular fame as an outstanding butter producing area, although it produced a full mix of dairy products. By 1952, Vernon County produced 6.3 million pounds of butter and 8.5 million pounds of cheese.
In 1979, dairy products represented 66% of the total cash receipts from agriculture in the County. Dairy products were followed by meat animals (17%) and field crops (13%).
Since the 1880′s, tobacco has been an important specialty crop in the County. At its peak during the 1950′s, tobacco constituted 15% of the gross farm income in the County.
Farm Characteristics and Agricultural Land Use
Vernon County has been experiencing most of the same trends in farm size and agricultural land usage as other rural counties. According to the U.S. Census of Agriculture, during the past two decades there has been a gradual but steady decline in the number of farming units and a gradual increase in the average size of farming units.
At both ends of the spectrum of farm size, there are two different trends that appear to be occurring. The high production farms are tending toward larger acreage, more capital investments, and increasingly scientific methods of production. As the other end of the production spectrum there has been an increase in the hobby farm often owned by absentee landowners or recent arrivals to the County from more urban areas. These farms often have smaller acreages and lower yields. The average sized family-owned farm appears to the type of farming unit which is most threatened by changes in farm ownership and economic factors.
The overall land in farms has declined according to statistics published by both the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture. Both sets of statistics suggest that there has been a conversion of agricultural land to non-agricultural use in nearly every town in the County. The reasons for the loss of farmland vary from town to town. In the Kickapoo Valley, public acquisition for the proposed La Farge Dam project removed acreages in Stark and Whitestown from private farm ownership. Private acquisition of scenic land for recreation and speculation has also caused a loss in farmland in the Kickapoo Valley. During the years 1967-73 when the dam and recreational reservoir were actively being planned and public land acquired, land speculation caused land prices in the Kickapoo watershed to increase 150 percent. In the western part of the County, particularly the towns along the Mississippi River, private acquisition for residential and recreation use has been the primary cause of farmland loss. Non-farm residential use has also increased in the vicinity of Westby and Viroqua.
Costs of Agricultural Production
The economics of agricultural production have been a major factor influencing the type of agricultural production and the characteristics of farming units. In particular, the high costs of farming has fueled the trend to larger, more capital intensive operations. As the costs of production have increased dramatically, smaller farmers have been forced to sell their land to larger operators or else to non-farm users. In some parts of the County, this has helped spur the amount of non-farm speculative and recreational investment in farmland.
Although the market value of agricultural products sold has increased over 150% during the past decade, the costs of production have increased at an even faster rate.
At the same time that the economics of agricultural production have forced many smaller farmers into an unstable economic situation, the value of farmland has risen dramatically, so that the incentive to sell the farm is created by the high prices a farmer can receive for farmland. Although the value of farmland peaked several years ago and there is a temporary dip in land values, it is expected that the land inflation will continue to be a factor which encourages farmland conversions.
The Wisconsin Farmland Preservation Act was passed by the Wisconsin legislature in the expectation that the bill would provide some property tax relief to farmers, thus mitigating one element of the economic squeeze on the farming industry.