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The first farms in Wisconsin exclusively produced wheat. At their peak, Wisconsin farms produced 27 million US bushels (950,000 m 3 ) of wheat. [ 22 ] Rapidly, in the 1860s, the wheat farms began suffering mass soil depletion and insect infestations, lowering the quality and yield of the crop. [ 4 ]
A farm in Marquette County. Agriculture is a significant sector in Wisconsin's economy, producing nearly $104 billion in revenue annually. [1] The significance of the state's agricultural production is exemplified by the depiction of a Holstein cow, an ear of corn, and a wheel of cheese on Wisconsin's state quarter design. [2]
John Stevens (December 4, 1840 – August 5, 1920) was a miller and inventor who lived in Neenah, Wisconsin.His inventions in flour milling revolutionized the process, leading to large-scale shifts in wheat-growing regions, and to the predominance of particular milling companies and mill-equipment manufacturers.
1383 and 1405 Thelen Farm Trail: St. Joseph: Farmstead which spans from wheat-farming era to dairy, including Italianate farmhouse built in 1885, [65] 1873 stone smokehouse, [66] 1873 granary, [67] and 1917 barn and silo. [68] 36
Chester Hazen is regarded as the first cheese factory proprietor in Wisconsin. Dairy farming was uncommon in Wisconsin's early years. [2]: 20-21 Farmers preferred to plant other crops, primarily wheat. [3]: 273 Cows were generally tended to by women on farmsteads, who in turn made cheese and butter from the milk.
These conditions forced both wheat agriculture and the lumber industry into a precipitous decline. Beginning in the 1890s, farmers in Wisconsin shifted from wheat to dairy production to make more sustainable and profitable use of their land.
The main industry for all the settlers was wheat farming until chinch bugs, overused soil, and lowered prices caused its profitability to drop significantly in the 1870s. Dairy farming, specifically for cheese production, became the saving grace for farmers. Between 1876 and 1888, a cheese factory was built in nearly every valley.
Wheat farming dominated the local economy until 1880, when dairy farming became more popular in Richfield and the state at large. [7] [12] The La Crosse and Milwaukee Railroad was constructed through the community in 1855, [12] and while it initially led to local economic growth, the company failed in 1861. Many local landowners had taken out ...