Dairy farm operators view beginning dairy farms as an issue that programs and policies must address (all colleges, legal/financial communities, and legislature). Dairy operators are willing to assist beginning dairy farmers. A variety of beginning dairy farmer strategies were deemed necessary by current Iowa dairy operators.

Milk price volatility has been extreme in the last 4 years but policy choices that would require governmental action are not approved by anywhere near a majority of Iowa dairy operators. State Johnes’ control programs did gather a majority approval. Although stray voltage has been an issue much discussed in popular agricultural media, a state program or policy did not gather approval from at least one fourth of Iowa dairy operators.

Models of successful beginning dairy farmers and a beginning dairy farmer venture capital fund could provide the vision and seed capital to re-establish dairy farms in areas of Iowa that have had dwindling dairy farm numbers. The models would provide a vision for owners of empty dairy facilities, as well as beginning dairy operators, with ideas of how the dairy could meet both parties goals. Analysis of the survey data continues and this data will be compared to the 2000 Northeast Iowa Dairy Survey.