I was born & raised in Wisconsin.
I lived in Kenosha & worked t American Motors & at Snap On.
I went back for my 50th HS reunion 10 years ago & drove around to see old friends & neighbors.
The DAIRY COWS have been heavily replaced by beef cows. I found very few dairy cows & I was driving in rural Wisconsin. The rules for handling manure daily have put them driven the dairy cows away.
The rules for handling manure daily have put them driven the dairy cows away.
____________
Even with automation, dairy cows need milking 2x/day. The largest local farms HAVE to hire legal contract workers, most from El Salvador. They travel to the country of origin, fill out lots of forms, provide housing, make sure the workers return at required intervals and jump through many hoops in between.
Calves & heifers are a big business. I know families that also have cattle hauling operations. Along with beef, which just spend summers on pasture, they make it better than when they milked.
We also have the most organic farms of any state, from what I’m told. Organic Valley is the largest employer in my area, with the best wages. They are a co-op, distributing dairy, vegetables, animal feed worldwide. Gross over $1B/year.