Cumberland Kiwanis
Minutes of October 26, 2009
Speaker: Jerry Renallo, WITC Agricultural
Education Instructor
Jerry noted that the
agricultural faculty at WITC has been reduced from six to two. He covers a wide range of topics in his
classes, including: soil, crops,
nutrition, and management. He
generally starts classes after the deer hunting season.
He expressed concern over
losses in the age industry, although Barron County is a state leader in many areas
such as turkey processing, forage crops, vegetable growing, and rotary milking
parlors. He provide a
comprehensive overview of the economics of milk production. In recent years there has been a
decline of the number of dairies from over 1200 to about 300. Milk production has dropped from
600,000 pounds to about 400,000 pounds.
Due to current low prices, production costs more than receipts, but
prices vary much over the years.
Agriculture plays a big role
in the Barron County economy. One
dollar in agricultural spending yields $1.66 spent in the county. Every one percent increase in ag
spending results in $2,000,000 spent in the county.
Jerry closed with comments on
the unique situations faced by farm families today.