The number of dairy farms in Wisconsin has been declining steadily for years. This decline has important implications for the economic, ecological and social sustainability of communities, families and individuals in Wisconsin. Life satisfaction is one important social consideration in agriculture. Without offering a satisfying life, even the most profitable and ecologically sound forms of agriculture will not be sustainable. Farmers and policymakers need to consider life satisfaction when making decisions about farming. This report presents the results of the 2006 Life Satisfaction and Dairy Farming survey of 1,300 Wisconsin dairy farmers on both grazing and confinement farms.

Key results include:

• The level of life satisfaction varied by dairy farm.
• Farmers using different dairy farm systems evaluated life satisfaction differently.
• Men and women on dairy farms used different criteria for evaluating life satisfaction.
• Differences in life satisfaction between dairy farms were not just a matter of money.

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Life Satisfaction on Grazing Dairy Farms in Wisconsin (PDF)