They can be extremely efficient, many are profitable and provide a decent living for their owners. These folks run very successful farms and also willingly give what precious little free time they have to serve their communities. For a number of reasons, many farmers are finding that it makes sense to expand their farm operations. A few are expanding by leaps and bounds, doubling or tripling the size of their livestock enterprises. Most are increasing incrementally, adding a few head each year and perhaps adding a building or two.
Expansion is a good option for many farmers.
There is a tremendous variety of resources available to assist these expanding livestock operations. UW-Extension offers free financial analysis services to help explore the feasibility of expansion projects. Many agri-businesses are strongly encouraging livestock expansion and have created programs to make it happen. The agricultural press is loaded with stories explaining how farmers have expanded their livestock operations. Even in the face of great persuasion to expand, the majority of Wisconsin farmers have chosen to keep their farms at a modest size.