A Fond du Lac County Dairy expert says a shrinking number of dairy cooperatives is a concern for small dairy farmers in Fond du lac and statewide. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s most recent statistics reports show the number of dairy cooperatives in Wisconsin dropped from 31 to 21 between 2000 and 2015. UW Fond du Lac extension dairy and livestock agent Tina Coleman says that leaves dairy farmers in the state with fewer options for selling their milk. “That is a large number and probably a lot of that has to do with the fact that we do have less dairy farms,” Coleman told WFDL news. “Some of these co-ops, just to keep the numbers of their membership, will merge together.” The president of the Wisconsin Farmers Union says he finds the increasing number of cooperative mergers worrisome, adding that some cooperatives have become “marketing giants” in the southwest part of the U.S.
