The second annual Dairy Strong conference, held in Madison, Wisconsin, began its first full day with an opening address from Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker.

Though the Dairy Strong conference is internationally attended and focuses on global collaboration, there is no denying that Wisconsin is one of the dairy industry’s shining stars. Walker’s speech highlighted the value of Wisconsin’s dairy industry, which represents over half of the state’s 80 billion dollar agriculture sector.

“Florida makes a big deal about their oranges, and they should. Oranges contribute 9 billion dollars to Florida’s economy,” Walker said in the address, “but our dairy industry contributes over 40 billion dollars to the economy of Wisconsin annually, and that is something to brag about.”

Walker also addressed a worrisome trend that many agriculture professionals know too well: The demand for quality producers, as well as the necessary food supply, is continuing to increase, and so is the average age of the American farmer.

“It is paramount that we get our youth more involved in agriculture,” he said. “We need to work harder to get the message out to students, at the state’s three agriculture colleges as well as at the K-12 level, about the opportunities that agriculture can offer them.”

Photo courtesy of the Dairy Business Association

Listen to the full address here:
Dairy Strong 2016 Opening Address