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Dairy: Impacting all Wisconsin’s People
Wisconsin is known around the world for its dairy industry. Wisconsin’s climate, soils, landscape, and infrastructure make the state the premier location for dairying.
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| Photos courtesy of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board |
Wisconsin’s dairy industry belongs to all the state’s people, rural and urban, as dairying contributes $20.6 billion – nearly $40,000 per minute – to Wisconsin’s economy each year. Wisconsin dairy farms generate tax revenues, support businesses, and drive Wisconsin’s position in the international marketplace through the exportation of high-quality dairy products.
Wisconsin has garnered more cheesemaking awards than any other state or country on the globe, and the state continues to lead the nation in the production of cheese. The cheesemaking tradition of Wisconsin continues today through favorite cheeses such as Colby and Cheddar, the Master Cheesemaker Program, and a burgeoning specialty cheese industry that showcases the talent, heritage, and culture of our cheesemakers and their craft. Wisconsin’s specialty cheeses, such as Asiago, Gouda, and Gorgonzola, keep up with consumer appetites for gourmet foods.
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Technological and research aspects of the dairy industry are also important components of Wisconsin’s agricultural economy. Wisconsin is one of the top exporters of livestock genetics and of purebred dairy cattle. Many top dairy-related companies make their homes in Wisconsin. The University of Wisconsin-Madison is known around the world for its role in research and development for the dairy industry. Dairy scientists at UW-Madison developed the first reliable test of milk quality and the discovery of the process for infusing food with Vitamin D in order to eliminate rickets. Sharing our knowledge and building our resources are important components of Wisconsin’s dairy industry.
People can do their part in supporting Wisconsin’s dairy industry by purchasing Wisconsin products. SavorWisconsin.com makes it easier to find the dairy product of your choice. Consumers can search through our cheese producer and dairy producer listings, search by region, or find their local farmers’ market using our farmers’ market calendar. We invite you to search SavorWisconsin.com for your dairy favorites as we celebrate June Dairy Month.
Economic Figures from “ Wisconsin and the Agricultural Economy,” by Steven C. Deller, UW-Madison Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Staff Paper No. 471, March 2004
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