I am going to be interviewing for a Cooperative Extension position in
Dunn County, Wisconsin.  I need to find out demographics, land usage,
and current issues in Dunn County and also in Menomonie, Wisconsin.  I
need information on the minorities residing in the county and city.  I
also need information regarding the agribusiness in the area.  I know
they have a lot of dairies - what kind of cows do they have at these
dairies?  I also would like to find out if they have any kind of
growth in small acreages (also called hobby farms) (small farms of
usually less than 40 acres not used for production agriculture).  For
current issues, I am looking for information about the economy in the
county and city, and any societal issues, such as immigrant
population, etc.  I NEED THIS INFORMATION BY WEDNESDAY, MAY 14!!! 
SORRY FOR THE RUSH!

Hello winter99-ga,

There is a lot of statistical information available from a variety of
census reports to help you prepare for your interview. I’ve included
both county and local reports as well as specialized economic and
agricultural ones. I went for quantity on these because I thought that
you could review and interpret them better for your purposes than I
could.

I’ve also included general community information to help you with the
economic and societal issues you asked about. I was not able to come
up with specific numbers on the growth of “hobby farms” in Dunn County
but there is information about them to show that they’re growing. I’ve
also included some local portal sites for Dunn County to help you with
your explorations.

Good luck with your interview.

czh

================================
COMPREHENSIVE CENSUS INFORMATION
================================

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/55/55033.html
Dunn County, Wisconsin
2000 Census People, Business and Geography QuickFacts

http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/55/55033lk.html
Large selection of Dunn County census reports

============
DEMOGRAPHICS
============

http://factfinder.census.gov/bf/_lang=en_vt_name=DEC_2000_SF1_U_DP1_geo_id=05000US55033.html
Geographic Area: Dunn County, Wisconsin
DP-1. Profile of General Demographic Characteristics:  2000
Data Set: Census 2000 Summary File 1 (SF 1) 100-Percent Data

http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsTable?_lang=en&_vt_name=DEC_2000_PL_U_GCTPL_ST7&_geo_id=04000US55
Geographic Area: Wisconsin -- Place and County Subdivision (See
Menomonie)
Race and Hispanic or Latino:  2000

http://factfinder.census.gov/bf/_lang=en_vt_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U_DP2_geo_id=05000US55033.html
Geographic Area: Dunn County, Wisconsin
Selected Social Characteristics:  2000

=====================================
BUSINESS, LAND USAGE AND AGRIBUSINESS
=====================================

http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/cropmap/wisconsin/counties/dunn.html
Wisconsin CropMAP Dunn County

http://www.wfbf.com/dunn.htm
Dunn County Farm Bureau
Agriculture in Dunn County 
There are 1,397 farms in Dunn County on 368,618 acres of land. The
market value of agricultural products sold by Dunn County farmers
totals $114.4 million. Major ag commodities for producers in the
county include: 26,511 head of milk cows, 27,604 head of hogs and pigs
sold, and 73,054 acres of corn for grain or seed. In addition, Dunn
County is one of the nation's leading producers of kidney beans.

http://www.usda.gov/nass/
National Agricultural Statistics Service
This site offers a huge variety of resources relating to all
agricultural topics

http://www.nass.usda.gov/wi/
Wisconsin Agricultural Statistics Service

http://www.nass.usda.gov/census/census97/highlights/wi/wic017.txt
DUNN COUNTY, WISCONSIN, 1997 CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE

http://www.wisagri.com/
Wisconsin Agribusiness Council (WAC).  We are a statewide trade
association for  agribusinesses.  We protect, promote, and support
Wisconsin's agricultural industry through lobbying and education
initiatives.

http://www.mindspring.com/~wnpj/bragri.htm
How Corporate Agribusiness Threatens Wisconsin

http://216.239.37.104/search?q=cache:2W_i11cfl7kC:www.citizensassembly.net/agribusiness.html+agribusiness+wisconsin&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
Agribusiness - Factory Farming
Links to a variety of news articles

http://www.mbf-law.com/about/practices/agribusiness.cfm
AGRIBUSINESS FOCUS GROUP

http://www.wfbf.com/Facts.htm#data
Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation

http://ipcm.wisc.edu/news/nutrient/hay_river.htm 
Hay River Watershed Offers Cash Incentive for Nutrient Management
Dunn County Land Conservation Department (LCD) staff members have
shifted into high gear to accommodate the keen interest in a new kind
of nutrient management project launched in the Hay River Watershed.

============================================
WISCONSIN AND DUNN COUNTRY DAIRY INFORMATION
============================================

http://producer.wisdairy.com/
Welcome to the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board's dairy producer website
(previously known as WisLINKŪ). Find resources here to help you manage
your farm operation, get current dairy news and events and learn how
WMMB is increasing the demand for your raw milk.

http://216.239.53.104/search?q=cache:0tUZvBiJpx8C:www.agmrc.org/dairy/dmain.html+dairy+breeds+wisconsin&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
Ag Marketing Resource Center 
Dairy Links

http://www.chippewa.com/Our_Way_of_Life/flightoffarmers.htm 
The flight of farmers Dairy farms and farmers are disappearing rapidly
in Chippewa County.
While Chippewa County is still full of farms, it isn’t very full of
farmers. Long hours and the sheer expense of agriculture, which makes
it difficult to turn a profit, are among the factors chasing farmers
out of the profession and forcing them to sell out.
***** This article about Chippewa County reflects trends that are also
true in Dunn County.

http://www.chippewa.com/Our_Way_of_Life/quillings.htm 
Quillings comfortable raising family on dairy farm
Dunn County has lost more than half of its dairy herds in the past
decade. In 1990, there were 772 dairy herds in the county; 10 years
later, the number had dropped to 380.

===========
HOBBY FARMS
===========

://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22hobby+farms%22+wisconsin
The search for “hobby farms” brings up a large number of realtors
offering such property. You might want to call one of the ones in Dunn
County and ask them about current trends.

http://www.wisconsinhobbyfarms.com/
Group of realtors listing hobby farms.

http://factfinder.census.gov/bf/_lang=en_vt_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U_DP3_geo_id=05000US55033.html
Dunn County, Wisconsin
Selected Economic Characteristics:  2000

http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/saipe/stcty/c98_55.htm
County Estimates for Median Household Income for Wisconsin: 1998

http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/saipe/stcty/a98_55.htm
County Estimates for People of All Ages in Poverty for Wisconsin: 1998

http://www.bea.doc.gov/
Bureau of Economic Analysis
The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) promotes a better understanding
of the U.S. economy by providing the most timely, relevant, and
accurate economic data in an objective and cost-effective manner.

==========================================
CURRENT ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, COMMUNITY ISSUES
==========================================

http://www.sustainingwisconsin.org/materials/reg_reports/pdf/chipp.pdf
Sustaining Wisconsin – A Statewide Dialog on Wisconsin’s Future –
Chippewa, Dunn, & Eu Claire Counties – November 2001
This is a 31-page report that covers economic, environmental,
community and social issues.

http://www.dunnedc.com/
The Dunn County Economic Development Corporation was formed for the
sole and exclusive purpose of promoting economic growth and stability
in Dunn County. Its mission is to work in cooperation with business,
industry, government and education to facilitate economic growth and
economic stability.
***** This is a portal site with links to all aspects of community
information.

http://www.menomonieethanol.com/ethanol_index.htm
Menomonie Area Concerned Citizens (MACC) 
Ethanol producers are in high gear trying to build plants. The
information on this site is a collection of materials from our fight
to protect our quality of life in Menomonie, Wisconsin and addresses
the issues the ethanol companies do not want to share or talk about.

http://www.villageprofile.com/wisconsin/menomonie/
Community Profile Network -- Greater Menomonie Area
This site gives a good overview of the community and its surroundings

http://www.menomonie.com/
Welcome to the new menomonie.com! We are your Number One resource for
information about the greater Menomonie area and Dunn County,
Wisconsin

http://www.wisconline.com/counties/dunn/
Dunn County, Wisconsin

http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v98/n1021/a08.html
CRANK, THE 'RURAL CRACK,' HITS THE HEARTLAND -- HARD
Wisconsin authorities, alarmed by the jump this year in seven
counties, most bordering Minnesota, say crank use is near epidemic in
northwest Wisconsin and spreading south and east. Chippewa, Dunn, Eau
Claire, Pierce, Polk, St. Croix and Dane counties are reporting
increased problems.

http://www.dunnconnect.com
The Dunn County News
You can get familiar with current issues by reading the local paper. 

===============
SEARCH STRATEGY
===============
"Dunn County" Wisconsin
"Dunn County" Wisconsin dairy
agribusiness wisconsin
"dunn county" dairy farms
wisconsin hobby farms

Social, Economic & Housing Characteristics (Wisconsin counties/municipalities)
http://www.doa.state.wi.us/pagesubtext_detail.asp?linksubcatid=379
Population Housing estimates (Wisconsin counties/municipalities)
http://www.doa.state.wi.us/pagesubtext_detail.asp?linksubcatid=96
Population projections (Wisconsin counties/municipalities)
http://www.doa.state.wi.us/pagesubtext_detail.asp?linksubcatid=105