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Ag in Marathon County

Dairy in Marathon County, Wisconsin

Value & Economic Impact

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Marathon County Agriculture: Value & Economic Impact Brochure (PDF, 335 KB)

Agriculture works hard for Marathon County every day. Family-owned farms, food processors and agriculture-related businesses generate thousands of jobs and millions of dollars of economic activity while contributing to local income and tax revenues.

Marathon County consistently ranks first or second in state milk production. Diverse dairy production systems, a sizeable processing sector, world-class cattle genetics and innovative education partnerships characterize the county’s industry.

Where does Marathon County agriculture rank statewide?

  • First in the state
    • milk and other dairy products (value of sales)
    • forage (acres)
  • Second in the state
    • crops and hay (value of sales)
    • oats for grain (acres)
  • Third in the state
    • total value of agriculture products sold
    • cattle and calves (inventory)
    • corn for silage (acres)

Farm with a Red Barn

How important is agriculture in Marathon County?

  • Agriculture provides 13,266 jobs in Marathon County.
  • Agriculture accounts for $2.4 billion in business sales.
  • Agriculture contributes $629.6 million to county income.
  • Agriculture pays $58 million in taxes.

Who owns the farms?

  • Individuals or families – 87%
  • Family partnerships – 7.7%
  • Family corporations – 5.1%
  • Non-family corporations and other – 0.2%

Agriculture provides 15% of county’s jobs

Marathon County agriculture provides 13,266 jobs, 15 percent of the county’s workforce of 88,873. Jobs include farm owners and managers, farm employees, veterinarians, crop and livestock consultants, feed, fuel and other crop input suppliers, farm machinery dealers, barn builders, agricultural lenders and other professionals, to name a few. It also includes those employed in food processing and other value-added industries. Every job in agriculture generates an additional 1.2 jobs in the county.

Marathon County agriculture generates $2.4 billion, almost 18 percent, of the county’s total business sales. Every dollar of sales from agricultural products generates an additional $0.40 of business sales in other parts of the county’s economy.

Agriculture Pumps $2.4 Billion into the Economy

Here’s how agriculture stimulates business activity:

  • The direct effect of agriculture equals $1.54 billion and includes the sale of farm products, processed and other value-added products.
  • Purchases of agricultural and food-processing inputs, services and equipment add another $721.1 million in business sales. For example, this includes business-to-business purchases of fuel, seed, fertilizer, feed and farm machinery, as well as veterinary services, crop and livestock consultants, and financial services.
  • This business-to-business activity then generates another $153.6 million in sales when people who work in agriculture-related businesses spend their earnings in the local economy.

Agriculture contributes about $630 million to county income

Marathon County agriculture accounts for $629.6 million, or 11 percent, of the county’s total income. This includes wages, salaries, benefits and profits of farmers and workers in agriculture-related businesses. Every dollar of agricultural income generates an additional $1.05 of county income.

Agriculture pays $58 million in taxes

Economic activity associated with Marathon County farms and agriculture-related businesses generates $58 million in local and state taxes. This figure does not include all property taxes paid to support local schools. If it did, the number would be much higher.

Table 1.
Taxes generated by agriculture
Sales tax $13.3 million
Property tax $17.5 million
Income tax $7.2 million
Other $19.8 million
Total $57.8 million
Table 2.
Marathon County’s top commodities (sales by dollar value, 2007)
1. Milk $222.7 million
2. Cattle and calves $34.8 million
3. Grain $22.0 million
4. Vegetables $13.7 million
5. Nursery and greenhouse $4.6 million

Dairy is a key Marathon County industry

Dairy is the major agricultural industry in Marathon County. On-farm milk production generates $308.3 million in business sales. Processing milk into dairy products accounts for another $1.55 billion.

  • Eighteen plants process dairy products in Marathon County.
  • On-farm milk production accounts for 3,155 jobs, and dairy processing accounts for 6,190 jobs.
  • At the county level, each dairy cow generates $3,772 in on-farm sales to producers.
  • At the state level, each dairy cow generates about $21,000 in total sales.

Horticulture contributes to Marathon County diversity

Marathon County sales of Christmas trees, fruits and vegetables, greenhouse, nursery and floriculture products add up to $19.1 million. Landscape, grounds maintenance and tree-care businesses create additional full-time jobs and many seasonal jobs.

Direct-marketing sales add $857,000 to economy

More and more Marathon County farmers sell directly to consumers through roadside stands, farmers’ markets, auctions, pick-your-own operations and community supported agriculture (CSA). In all, 215 farms generate $857,000 in direct-marketing sales.

Farmers are stewards of half the county’s land

Marathon County farmers own and manage 490,628 acres, or 50 percent, of the county’s land. This includes cropland, rangeland, pasture, tree farms, farm forests and wetlands. As stewards of the land, farmers use conservation practices, such as crop rotation, nutrient management and integrated pest management, to protect environmental resources and provide habitat for wildlife.

Produced in 2011 by: University of Wisconsin-Extension, Cooperative Extension

Economic data (2008) provided by: Steven C. Deller, professor of agricultural and applied economics, College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison; and community development specialist, University of Wisconsin-Extension, Cooperative Extension.

Other economic data from: USDA 2007 Census of Agriculture

Marathon County Climate & Soil

The climate in this part of the state is well suited for forage production and dairying. Average length of the growing season is 120-140 days, with 2,000-2,200 growing degree days (base of 50 degrees). Average annual precipitation is 32 inches (average snowfall is 50-60″).

Soils can be grouped into four categories:

  • Gently rolling silty upland loams in the northern and western areas.
  • Gentle to steep loam upland slopes adjacent to the Wisconsin River Plain in the central half of the county.
  • Relatively flat sandy soils in the central and eastern areas.
  • Organic soils that are nearly level, poorly drained in basins or outwash plains.

Soil Survey of Marathon County, Wisconsin from the USDA/NCRS (PDF, 1.08 MB)

Marathon County Cropland Data Layer Map for 2009 (PDF, 346 KB)

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