Via the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel:

Wisconsin's dairy industry is on the mend after a dark period in which thousands of farms failed and farmers burned through their retirement savings to remain in business. Lately, the $27 billion industry has been in recovery mode, Agriculture Secretary Ben Brancel said in an interview last week.

...

As of Dec. 1, the state had 11,786 licensed milk cow herds - down 681 from December 2010. That's less of a decline than in previous years when farm-milk prices plummeted and farmers liquidated their herds and shut down their businesses.

"There are marketing opportunities that have never been there in the past," Brancel said, explaining that developing nations are clamoring for more meat and dairy products in the diets of their middle-class populations.

...

[Compared with 2009] It was much better in 2010 and 2011 as farm-milk prices rebounded to profitable levels.

Read the full article here.

"Lazy Cows" via newagecrap