Bill Dallman sold his herd of Holsteins and ended his dairy business this spring after 28 years of milking.

With no family to pass the business on to and his knees giving out, Dallman said it was time to call it quits.

Meanwhile, just a few miles away in neighboring Winnebago County, Greg Wirtjes of Forest City is endeavoring to get his fledgling organic dairy operation off the ground.

But he and his wife, Kristi, are the exception to the rule that has more farmers exiting the dairy life than entering it.

Iowa’s dairying decline

“The exit of dairy farms is a combination of ‘old knees, old backs and old barns,’” said Dale Thorson, Iowa State University Extension Dairy Specialist.

He said it is also due to the decline in the dairy infrastructure, such as a veterinarian having to drive 50 miles to make a farm visit or having to drive 100 miles to the nearest milk equipment sales and service location.

And, “some farmers simply look at the alternative of producing crops at the current prices and decide not to invest their labor in dairy,” Thorson added.

Source: Mason City Globe Gazette