Dairy Exports Generate 12,723 Jobs in Wisconsin
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Wisconsin’s license plate motto is “America’s Dairyland.” You can also say Wisconsin is the world’s dairyland, generating thousands of Wisconsin jobs in the process, thanks to dairy exports.
A dairy industry analysis using government data shows that Wisconsin leads the nation with 12,723 jobs supported by dairy exports. California is second with 12,263 jobs from exports.
Nationally, U.S. dairy exports created more than 85,000 jobs. These jobs are from exports alone.
When domestic dairy consumption and the economic ripple effect to other industries are factored in, the number of jobs supported by dairy swells to more than 3 million nationally and 230,000 in Wisconsin, according to a separate industry analysis.
Exports help Wisconsin economy
You have probably read articles about economic factors suppressing milk prices for several years, making it tougher for hard-working farmers to make ends meet. Wisconsin has led the nation in farm bankruptcies, a cause of justifiable concern.
But an economic analysis by the U.S. Dairy Export Council and National Milk Producers Federation, based on 2018 data from the U.S. Department
of Agriculture and the U.S. Census Bureau, suggest the pain would be worse without exports.Last year, one out of six gallons of U.S. milk ended up in exported dairy products (such as cheese) and dairy ingredients (such as nonfat dried milk) shipped to other countries.
Without export markets, where would that milk go? How would that affect the Wisconsin and U.S. economies?
How many jobs are generated by dairy exports in your state?
An interactive map created by MILK magazine answers that question with a single click. You can get data on the:
- Value of dairy exports.
- Economic impact of dairy exports.
- Jobs generated by dairy exports.
State-by-state economic fact sheets are displayed in alphabetical order for download here at the GotDairyJobs.com portal jointly created by USDEC, NMPF and the International Dairy Foods Association, which created Dairy Delivers®, an economic impact tool that enables users to get granular details down to the level of congressional districts.
