Wisconsin Farmers Union Leader: Dairy Crisis is “National Security Issue”

Is Wisconsin on the verge of losing a vital part of its identity — and with it — its food security? According to Wisconsin Farmers Union President Darin Von Ruden the answer is yes. The Westby farmer joined Jane Matenaer and Greg Bach, hosts of Matenaer on Air, to discuss his concerns. He also shared some disturbing new statistics: the number of dairy farms in the state has dropped to a little more than 5,200, down from nearly 45,000 in 1986.

“We’re still losing one to one-and-a-half farms a day,” he says. “Since 2020, we’ve lost 25 percent of our dairy farms. By my 40-year high school reunion next year, we’ll likely be under 5,000.”

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Listen to the entire conversation here:

Von Ruden calls the decline “disheartening” and is framing it as a national security concern. He explains that a diverse food system is essential and warns that over-consolidation of farms and processing puts the entire supply chain at risk.

The Farmers Union leader is urging the federal government to ensure fair markets, stop what he describes as price manipulation by large corporations, and create policies that allow new farmers to enter the industry. He criticized subsidies going disproportionately to the largest farms.

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Excerpt from a news release as legislators plan to visit Von Ruden’s farm:

MADISON, WI — Amidst this summer’s economic struggles, at 10:30 AM on Thursday, August 7th, Senator Brad Pfaff (read a recent letter-to-the-editor written by Pfaff here) and Representative Jenna Jacobson will visit a Westby, WI family farm to highlight the destructive cost the Trump Administration’s tariffs will levy against Wisconsin Farmers. Sen. Pfaff and Rep. Jacobson will be joined by WI Farmers Union President Darin Von Ruden and will speak to the importance of Wisconsin farmers, the damage these tariffs will have on farmer’s ability to thrive, and the economic upheaval facing residents across Wisconsin.

“If you don’t have a relative helping you get into farming, you really don’t have that opportunity because of the high cost of land and equipment,” Von Ruden explains. “And if we keep scaring away our workforce, we’ll lose not just farms but the high-quality workers who keep them running.”

Von Ruden tied this part of the conversation to immigration policy. He notes that many dairy farms depend on immigrant labor and says recent raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials have left operations scrambling to fill positions. And even workers with legal status are still afraid of being detained.

He also pushed back against President Donald Trump’s comments suggesting urban residents won’t do farm labor, calling it a false narrative that ignores the need for training, transportation, and investment in urban agriculture.

“Under this administration, the programs that helped inner-city communities start urban farms have been cut,” Von Ruden says. “We’re spending hundreds of millions on the richest farmers while taking away from the smallest. That’s not sustainable for anyone.”

Hear more from Von Ruden as he joins Matenaer on Air the first Wednesday of each month to discuss the state of farming in Wisconsin. You can listen to past discussions here.