The Wisconsin pork industry represents a significant value-added activity in the agricultural economy and a major contributor to the overall Wisconsin economy. Using data from the most recent USDA Disposition, Production and Income report, hog marketings in Wisconsin totaled $98.8 million for the year ending December 2016. However, this production represents only a portion of the economic activity supported by the industry. The hog industry in Wisconsin has undergone rapid structural changes in recent years, and total hog numbers have decreased from a decade ago. About 10,000 Wisconsin jobs are involved in various aspects of the industry ranging from input suppliers to producers, to processors and handlers as well as main street businesses that benefit from purchases by people in these industries. Overall an estimated $375.8 million of personal income and $587 million of gross state product above and beyond the farm level are supported by the hog industry based on 2016 levels of production and long run prices.
The above is an excerpt from the National Pork Producers Council 2017 Economic Impact Study completed by Daniel Otto, Lee Schulz, and Mark Imerman. To review the complete study, click here.
