Editor's note: Farm Futures’ exclusive Best Places to Farm report ranks the financial performance of 3,056 counties. By analyzing proprietary data and the recently released results from USDA’s 2022 Census of Agriculture, Farm Futures averaged weighted ranks of the ratios on return on assets, profit margins and asset turnover for each county. How does your county rank? Visit the interactive map to check the ranking of 3,056 counties and browse other stats.

Joe Bragger, who farms near Independence, Wis., points out houses, fields and wineries that once housed dairy operations in his county of Buffalo. Where 800 dairy farms once operated, only 74 now call “the ladies” to the barn. Bragger is one of them.

“Being one of the last ones is nothing to celebrate,” he says.

And yet, he is a huge fan of Buffalo County and was not surprised that it’s one of Farm Futures’ Best Places to Farm.

Proud of his Swiss heritage, Bragger is the second generation on the family dairy farm. In addition to dairy, Bragger Farms operates a pullet facility and grows corn, soy and rye.

Bragger also manages a demonstration research plot with an eye toward hazelnut production, and works with Discovery Farm, a University of Wisconsin Extension program that focuses on the relationship between agriculture and water quality.

Related:Is your county the Best Place to Farm?

Bragger raises brown trout in a partnership with the state’s natural resources department and the Elk Rod and Gun Club, a community service to help stock nearby streams.

His farm is a microcosm of where he sees agricultural success in this corner of the industry. “You’re going to hear four themes: wildlife, farming, diversity and water,” he says, offering the following explanations:

Agritourism is growing quickly as urban residents seek the peace of this rolling countryside, including a pizza farm, where visitors make their own meal with locally grown food; leases for hunting; and cabins for visitors.

Farming is the main economic driver. The key is finding a profitable mix. “Remember, we’re from Switzerland,” he says. “We can do anything.”

Diversity includes complementary businesses. Bragger points to a winery down the road. His son operates a trucking and excavation business. And the business Cowsmo Inc. operates out of a neighboring dairy that puts its manure to profitable use.

Water is plentiful. Two creeks cross their property. The Mississippi River — “the Nile of the United States” — is on his one-on-one visitor’s tour.

All of these economic drivers aside, Bragger says, “I kind of love where I live.”

Related:Where are the best places to farm in U.S.?

Learn more about Farm Futures' Best Places to Farm study and view the interactive map to see where your county ranks.

Ag census data from 2012 and 2017 show how financial performance migrated across the U.S. Record grain prices in 2012 helped profits surge across the Corn Belt and Prairies, but weather and rising surpluses punished 2017 crop incomes. Poultry saved the day for the Southeast in 2022.