I lived in Wisconsin for the first 18 years of my life. Now every time I cross over the Illinois border to return home, I am greeted by the Mars Cheese Castle standing along the interstate. The cheese castle is a monument to Wisconsin’s dairy industry, which has filled the state with pride and revenue for centuries. 

Today, all that the Mars Cheese Castle stands for is at risk. 

Wisconsin began producing milk and cheese from cattle in the mid-late 1800s, but technological advances and globalization have changed the landscape of agriculture (amongst other industries). Many small farms are having to close due to competition with larger farms instate and beyond.

Over the past four decades, Wisconsin has gone from 47,700 to 6,500 dairy farms. This is largely due to issues of economic scale–smaller, especially family-owned, farms cannot meet the size and speed of production that larger farms can meet, and are often having to close or sell to these larger competitors.

The state seems to be producing more bankruptcies than cheese wheels these days. So of the farms that stay open: who is buying them? And who is doing the work that is keeping the industry afloat? 

The economic changes that small farmers face are exacerbated by global climate change. The effects of climate change alter agricultural processes and schedules, presenting farmers with barriers to production. The industry as a whole is also having to face increasing calls from the public to address its role in the greenhouse effect, as research has revealed that cattle farming is the source of a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions.

Some smaller farms are attempting to survive by dually addressing environmental and economic challenges. Organic farming organizations in Wisconsin provide information to help farmers decrease their greenhouse gas emissions. Some farmers are even seeking out additional modes of income, like installing solar panels to sit alongside grazing cattle.

How are the 6,500 dairy farms remaining in the state staying open? Who owns them, and how do remaining farm owners treat their workers, their animals, and the land they farm on? Over the next several weeks, I will consider if (and if so, how) Wisconsin farmers and workers can have a just and sustainable work environment in the competitive 21st century globalized agricultural economy. Can the Mars Cheese Castle continue to be a true symbol of the state?