Located off County Line K in Wausau, Wisconsin, cattle graze while drones fly overhead from one end of the 120-acre farm to the other. Here, dairy farmers are using robots, data sensors and drones to produce milk — all with the help of artificial intelligence.
Farmers and students at Northcentral Technical College’s Agriculture Center of Excellence collect and analyze data using machines and algorithms, allowing them to make informed production decisions.
The farm serves as the state’s only working and learning center, testing AI-driven technologies in one of Wisconsin’s top industries: dairy.
“They are using the most advanced AI available to drive the functions of their agricultural center,” Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Secretary Amy Pechacek told The Daily Cardinal.
While AI is transforming Wisconsin’s key industries, state leaders say new technologies are enhancing efficiency, productivity and sustainability in a workforce that continuously faces labor shortages.
Over the past decade, Wisconsin's dairy industry in Wisconsin experienced a multitude of challenges, from labor shortages and loss of land because of urban sprawl to producing milk for a larger population.
Greg Cisewski, the Dean of Agriculture, Utilities and Transportation at Northcentral Technical College, said the Agriculture Center of Excellence is a testing ground for new technology to find ways to “grow more on less land” and do so efficiently.
The farm welcomes locals in the industry, allowing them to see how they’re utilizing AI tools while also helping farmers across the state adopt AI initiatives.
Today, the farm has about 55 dairy cattle that are all milked robotically. These robots aren’t just milking cows, but they’re using algorithms to collect and analyze information about the cow’s health and when the cow is ready to be milked.
“We feed them robotically, and we even clean up after them robotically,” Cisewski said. “From how much they chew their cud and how much they’re giving per quarter to how much the cows weigh, a. All of that information comes directly to our farm staff through computers that are hooked up to all these robots.”
Cisewski said the farm is also using sensors and drones to increase productivity and solve the dairy industry’s labor shortage.
Through initiatives and funding, the state is helping technical colleges prepare students with the skills, curriculum and hands-on opportunities needed to succeed in the rapidly evolving workforce.
“Businesses across the state have not been able to hire enough workers,” Pechacek said. “To keep this economic, record-breaking streak going, we want to encourage businesses and assist them to adapt to technology, adopt it and embrace it, to further their growth and prosperity.”
Gov. Tony Evers started a task force in 2023 to help Wisconsin navigate AI. As the first state to issue a task force completely focused on AI and workforce, Pechacek said it provided critical information needed to navigate changes to Wisconsin’s “record-breaking workforce and economic performance.”
Government officials, education and business leaders and community members researched the impact of AI and provided policy recommendations to key industries in the state, including agriculture and manufacturing.
Here’s how Wisconsin’s key industries are adapting and taking advantage of opportunities within AI innovation.
Manufacturing
Even more aggressive than agriculture is the integration of AI into manufacturing, said Layla Merrifield, President of the Wisconsin Technical College System.
The manufacturing industry in Wisconsin employs nearly half a million people and contributes $73 billion to the state’s GDP, making it the largest sector in Wisconsin.
Merrifield said there’s a “tremendous amount of potential” with AI to maximize collecting and analyzing data in order to know exact production costs and maintenance needs.
“The goal is to never have a machine that’s down because that’s lost productivity,” Merrifield said. “We use AI to track lots of data from lots of sensors and figure out exactly how those machines work to keep them up and running.”
Government funding and support has helped Wisconsin’s technical college system train faculty and integrate AI into their curriculum so students are equipped with highly specialized skillsets needed to work in industries that are continuously evolving.
While the state is working with educators, Pechacek said she’s also committed to ensuring small businesses have the tools they need to fully integrate AI and remain competitive globally, because they make up about 50% of the state’s manufacturing industry.
Pechacek said the “economic sands” in the state have shifted, making it more difficult to address workforce challenges with AI than it was a couple years ago. She said the government shutdown and federal policies, including tariffs and immigration, have hurt Wisconsin’s major industries.
“We’ve got a world class workforce, we are nimble and we are still outpacing the nation,” Pechacek said. “I’m confident in our ability to overcome and continue to move forward. But it’s definitely a little different in today’s world than it was in 2023.”
Unemployment
According to a report released by the University of Wisconsin-Extension in June, the state is experiencing a structural labor shortage, meaning there are not enough qualified workers to fill available jobs.
In 2023, Wisconsin had about 2.5 jobs for every one job seeker, Pechacek said. Today the gap is narrowing, where the ratio of unemployed persons per job opening in Wisconsin was 0.7 in May. This is a national trend, and Wisconsin is one of 28 states that had ratios lower than the national measure of 0.9 unemployed persons per job opening.
“AI is allowing our farmers, producers and their staff to do more with the time they have,” Cisewski said. “Our robots allow our staff to go out and pick the things they want to do that day, knowing that technology has the rest of these things covered.”
Farmers use collars with tracking devices to track how much a cow walks around or does any activities. For female cows, Cisewski said they put a tracking device called a bolus in her stomach to read body temperature and measure minute changes that tell them when she needs to be bred and when she’s going to give birth.
“It’s really helpful data,” Cisewski said. “We can see a small change and we know she’s going to have her calf in six hours.”
Cisewski said the farm flies drones to map their fields, providing exact information for farmers on what parts need to be sprayed with fertilizer.
“What we’re trying to do is reduce the input, both for environmental and profitable sustainability for our farmers,” Cisewski said. “Drones go around and read where weeds are and only turn the sprayer on when it finds a weed, until then it keeps it off.”
Shane Colpoys is a sports editor for The Daily Cardinal. She has written in-depth on the Wisconsin women's hockey team beat.
