With their way of life in jeopardy, dairy farmers search for ways to stabilize markets

Gina Stokes says she will keep fighting for her family’s dairy farm, where the cows have names, not numbers, and the land tugs at her heart.  That’s a tall order these days for many farmers. Wisconsin lost 500 dairy farms in 2017, and about 150 have quit milking cows so far this year, putting the total number of milk-cow herds at around 7,600 — down 20 percent from five years ago. Nationwide, dairy farmers have been pummeled by more than three years of falling income and rising costs.“The milk checks are not covering the bills,” Stokes said of her family's dairy operation, which has about 75 cows.