By Jamie Patton, Special to the Leader
Shawano County is steeped in farming history, which includes the recognition of some of the county’s best farmers and agricultural professionals. Come help us celebrate at the 59th annual Outstanding Young Farmer and Friends of Shawano County Agriculture Awards Banquet!
The banquet will be held Friday at The Main Event, 206 Lemke St., Cecil, with a social beginning at 6:45 p.m. and dinner at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 per person. Preregistration with Shawano County UW-Extension at 715-526-6136 by Wednesday is strongly encouraged.
As in years past, awards to be presented are Outstanding Young Farmer, Friend of Agriculture, Second Miler, Outstanding Tree Farmer and Outstanding Conservation Farmer. Shawano County Farm Bureau will also recognize its 2016 scholarship winners.
Fifty-nine years ago, during the inaugural year of the banquet, the county’s farming community looked a little different. I don’t have agriculture data for 1957, but diving into the USDA Agriculture Census for 1959, I can tell you that 57 years ago, Shawano County was home to 2,506 farms, each averaging 155 acres. Fast forward to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, and Shawano County is now home to 1,278 farms (49 percent decrease since 1959), farming on average 204 acres (32 percent increase).
In 1959, approximately 179,488 acres throughout the county were devoted to cropland, 49,623 acres to pasture, 71,366 acres to woodland pasture, and 70,371 acres of nonpastured woodland. In 2012, 183,461 acres of cropland were harvested. So, total acres-wise, cropland numbers haven’t really changed much in 57 years.
However, you might have noticed the shift from dominantly hay crops to grain crops over the past five plus decades. For example, there wasn’t a single reported acre of soybeans in Shawano County in 1959, but over 22,000 acres of soybeans were planted in 2012.
In 1959, there were 91,255 cattle and calves in the county, along with 53,087 milk cows, 1,015 horses and/or mules, 30,360 hogs and pigs and 120,360 chickens, 4 months and older. The county sold approximately 418 million pounds of milk valued at approximately $13 million.
In 2012, our livestock inventory included 86,817 cattle and calves (5 percent decrease) and 36,455 milk cows (31 percent decrease). However, even with a decreased number of milk cows, the amount of milk produced in Shawano County has approximately doubled in the last 57 years, with approximately 821 million pounds of milk produced in 2012. That milk was valued at approximately $150 million.
Also in 2012, the county was home to 1,658 hogs (95 percent decrease), 1,745 horses and ponies (72 percent increase), and just over 20,000 layers and broilers (85 percent decrease).
Arguably, a more dramatic example of how the county’s agriculture has changed comes through a survey of farm amenities. Of the 2,506 farms in the county in 1959, 27 percent owned a combine, 4 percent owned a corn picker, 33 percent owned a pick-up baler, 54 percent owned a truck, 97 percent owned a tractor and 95 percent owned an automobile. Yes, in 1959, more farms owned a tractor than owned a pickup truck!
Additionally, of those 2,506 farms, 77 percent had a telephone, 62 percent owned a home freezer, 89 percent owned a milking machine and 28 percent owned an electric milk cooler. Oh, how times have changed.
If you’re like me, these numbers really get you thinking about how far farming has come in our lifetime. So, in honor of those dedicated farmers and industry professionals, come join us in Cecil on April 1 at this year’s Outstanding Young Farmer and Friends of Shawano County Agriculture Awards Banquet.
Don’t forget to preregister!