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BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY: WISCONSIN AGRICULTURE


agree to keep their land in agriculture. Soil conservation and animal waste
control programs serve to protect the productivity of the land and the quality
of the groundwater.
  While the cool to moderate climate is ideal for some crops such as peas,
it
also limits the cropping options for farmers, particularly in the northern
part
of the state.
   Wisconsin is fortunate to have a labor force skilled in agricultural produc-
tion and related industries. The food industry employs 3.2 percent of the
state's labor force. While the industry nationally has been in a decline,
Wis-
consin added 4,700 jobs or an 8.1 percent increase. The state also does well
when compared to neighboring states as it is the only one to report positive
employment gains from 1969 to 1983. Most jobs in the food industry are
found in the following sectors: dairy products - 17,200; meat products -
13,400; preserved fruits and vegetables - 9,800; and beverages - 9,800.
   Taxes. Wisconsin's agricultural industry has to deal with a number of
fac-
tors over which it has little control - the climate, federal farm programs,
interest rates, etc. But probably the most frustrating is high property taxes.
Based on 1982 statistics, The Final Report (p. 36) of the Wisconsin Strategic
Development Commission found that Wisconsin farmers paid significantly
more in property taxes than their counterparts in neighboring states. While
average farm real estate taxes per acre in Wisconsin were $14.04, they were
only $8.63 in Iowa, $8.35 in Ohio, $8.05 in Indiana and $5.84 in Minnesota
(but Illinois farmers paid $13.73). The higher taxes increase the cost of
pro-


Farm Tax Capacity Gap:
             Share of Total Personal Income to Share of Equalized Valuation


1970U 1971  1972  19/31 9/ 4 l I V+ ID , t o  1, // . .. .... ... . 1-....-
     -
* Personal income from farming as a share of total personal income.
o  Equalized valuation of farm property as a share of total taxable property.
   For both measures, the 1970 share is shown as 100.