A job training program for Wisconsin farmers is in jeopardy

As a fourth-generation dairy farmer tending to 525 cows across a trio of rural Wisconsin farms, Joe Tomandl couldn’t ignore what was happening around him. He could see that more dairy farmers were aging and reaching retirement than were entering the profession. 

So, he launched the Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship (DGA) in 2010, which in 2015 became the nation’s first formal agricultural Apprenticeship to be recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor. 

With 216 mentor farms approved as job training sites in 16 states, and dozens of Apprenticeships up and running, the program is now facing the prospect of going under due to the recent freeze in federal funding. The ripple effect of losing the program could be extensive, leading to job loss in rural communities and stunting the future sustainability of dairy grazing operations across the country.

“We only have a few weeks to keep the Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship moving along,” Tomandl said. “As an organization aligned with the USDA’s commitment to grow the next generation of American farmers, we must avoid becoming an unintended consequence of blanket-type funding cuts and continue our work growing the dairy farming sector.” 

The Dairy Grazing Apprenticeship is a workforce development program that is part of the Dairy Grazing Alliance, which includes industry stakeholders across the value chain who are working to advance the growth of the dairy grazing sector. The Apprenticeship utilizes $4.7 million in grant funding, received through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Climate-Smart Commodities program, to train and build a pipeline of dairy grazing farmers for the future.

“Without the funding we receive through Climate-Smart Commodities grants, we’ll be unable to help grow the dairy industry,” Tomandl said. “We are a workforce and market-led solution, bringing forward opportunities for new, small- and mid-sized dairy farmers to thrive. Providing them with the proper training, and the connections they need within the industry, ensures the sector’s viability for the future.”  

What began in Tomandl’s home state of Wisconsin has now grown to reach 16 states. The paid, two-year Apprenticeship, which requires 4,000 hours of hands-on training to complete, has graduated nearly six dozen journeyworkers who are then able to either become employees at existing farms, train to take over for a retiring farmer or venture out on their own. As of the funding freeze, the program has 60 Apprentices placed on farms, with 125 waiting for placement. The organization itself has 12 full-time employees.

The grant funding allows for DGA to offer direct payments and technical assistance to participating dairy grazing farmers who invest time into training Apprentices. To date, the program has logged more than 750,000 hours of Apprenticeship training. Farmers have paid more than 9 million dollars in wages to Apprentices. 

For Tomandl, DGA is a workforce and market led solution for some of the most pressing challenges the dairy industry faces. The average age of farmers is 58 and the rapid consolidation and capital requirements of the dairy industry coupled with markets which are designed for large scale production makes it harder for the next generation to enter into the business. DGA is developing markets that recognize small- and mid-sized production systems in grass fed that can contribute to our nation’s food resilience. All while creating a sector of dairy where the new farmer can get started and thrive.  

“Fueling the next generation of dairy farmers is as American as it gets,” he said. 

About the Dairy Grazing Alliance (DGA): Operating in 16 states, the Dairy Grazing Alliance has developed a strong network of 216 mentors who provide hands-on training to Apprentices, and 13 Education Coordinators across the nation who support Mentors and Apprentices, bridge on-farm learning with coursework, and strengthen communication with on-farm visits. Currently, there are 60 active Mentor-Apprentice pairs, and 69 Journeyworkers have successfully completed the program (3700 hours on-the-job training and 300 hours of classroom experience), gaining the skills needed to manage or own a dairy grazing operation. Through this Apprenticeship, DGA is strengthening rural dairy grazing while ensuring long-term sustainability in the industry.