Despite a variety of threats to Wisconsin's farmers, they say they are better off than they were five years ago and remain optimistic about their future.

That was the conclusion of a recent survey of Wisconsin farmers by the Wisconsin Farm Bureau.  Some 350 farmers were asked their opinion on a several issues facing the agriculture industry. 

While we are not surprised that today's farmer remains optimistic about the future, it was the number that stood out. Nearly 9 of 10 (87 percent) said they were more optimistic about farming than they were five years ago and 82 percent said they were better off financially than they were five years ago.Much of the optimism about the future of agriculture may lie in the push for renewable forms of energy, including the growing use of corn in the production of ethanol. Nearly half of the farmers listed this as a positive factor. This optimism is impressive when considering that the family farm faces many threats — rising fuel costs, urban sprawl, competition from mega farms and the fluctuating prices for the products they produce. Another threat to the farmer is the rising cost of health insurance and even the ability to buy it. One in three said cost and availability of health insurance was their main worry and 6 in 10 said it was among their top three. Earlier this year, it was reported that nearly 1 in 5 farmers had no health insurance and those who did, were paying several thousands of dollars a month for coverage. The formation of the Farmers' Health Cooperative of Wisconsin should help alleviate this concern by giving farmers group buying power when it comes to insurance. Although state and federal officials were involved in getting the program going, we hope it is run as a true co-op, something farmers have been good at managing for years. The program just started April 1, so its success can't yet be judged, but it should help alleviate the health insurance concern. Another response from the survey should put to rest the assumption that farmers would rather live off government subsidies. Ninety-two percent of those responding said farm income should come "totally from the marketplace" and only 8 percent said income should be supplemented by farm subsidies. We were a bit surprised by the response that only 27 percent of farmers said the public thinks positively about the farming industry and that 52 percent said the public doesn't think about farmers at all.The generally positive and forward looking responses from the farming community is good news for all of us who rely on the agriculture industry to put food our table and help to make Wisconsin's economy strong. Farming is a $51 billion a year business in the Badger State, which is still America's Dairyland, regardless of what Californians might think. The generally positive and forward looking responses from the farming community is good news for all of us who rely on the agriculture industry to put food our table and help to make Wisconsin's economy strong. Farming is a $51 billion a year business in the Badger State, which is still America's Dairyland, regardless of what Californians might think.