KEWAUNEE (NBC26) - Farmers in all aspects of agriculture, especially dairy, have been in need of help for years. While there are plenty of ideas to help support the industry, locals say Governor Evers new plans to help the industry, need some substance before they get too excited.
“This will absolutely take years to implement. This dairy depression took years to get too, it lasted for years, it’s going to take years to get out of it,” said agriculture agent Aerica Bjurstrom with Extension Kewaunee County.
Evers State of the State address brought a lot of ideas to the table, but locals say they'll have to wait.
“I guess excited but cautious, there’s some really good ideas rolled out,” Bjurstrom added. “There’s no substance to them yet, he said yeah it’s not going to be a silver bullet. It’s going to take a lot of work on everybody’s end.”
Those ideas include mental health support for farmers, investing in rural communities, and getting Wisconsin farmers products moving overseas. Stevens Point farmer Jared Feltz said that would be helpful.
“Farmers are notorious for doing things on their own, so it’s not necessarily our goal to have hope from politicians, but there are certain things we need help with,” he said. “A big part of that is the export market. There’s a huge opportunity for us to move our products across seas.”
Part of Evers plan is to increase dairy exports to 20% of the country's milk supply by 2024.
“Everybody wins when our rural communities are built up and they’re stronger,” Bjurstrom said.
Locals say once these programs have a base, it'll be awhile before we see their impacts. But hopefully it'll be enough to keep America’s Dairyland from disappearing.
Another part of Governor Evers plan includes a program to help connect farmers with mental health services. Bjurstrom said farmers can't leave their job on the farm, they take it home with them. Extension Kewaunee County has help right now, click here to learn more.
