Pushing Back On Despair Among Western Wisconsin's Dairy Farmer

An Increase In Bankruptcies Compounds Economic And Emotional Woes.  As the dairy industry struggles with low prices in the face of a long-mounting milk glut, more farmers are finding that their woes are escalating. Over the spring of 2017, a pricing dispute with Canada, Wisconsin's large export market, along with ongoing fears of additional trade issues, have helped crystallize what is turning out to be a serious crisis in dairyland.Cow-feed suppliers can offer a measure of how dairy farmers are holding up. Viewed through the experiences of Olson Feed Service in Crawford County, the picture is grim, as Wisconsin Public Television's Here & Now found in a March 16, 2018 report. The company often mixes up custom blends of food tailored for specific farmers' herds, but lately customers are asking for cheaper products or trying to get by on a smaller amount of feed overall, explained owner Tammy Olson, who couldn't help but notice a growing despair among the farmers she serves. Chapter 12 bankruptcies in the district have been increasing over the past several years, with 2017 filings approaching those during the height of the Great Recession.