Cheese Named the Official State Dairy Product of Wisconsin
Posted on June 10, 2017
Cheese has been named the official state dairy product of Wisconsin. There is no surprise with Wisconsin's choice. The state is well known for cheese. It leads the U.S. in cheese production and produces over 3 billion pounds of cheese each year.
A group of fourth grade students at Mineral Point Elementary in Mineral Point, Wisconsin came up with the idea for cheese to be the official state dairy product. It was signed into law by Governor Scott Walker on June 1st. A history of Wisconsin cheese can be found here on the Wisconsin Cheese website.Walker says in the announcement, "We are so pleased to give Wisconsin cheese the recognition it deserves by declaring it the official state dairy product. Today we celebrate the efforts of Wisconsin's hard-working dairy farmers and cheesemakers who make us all proud to live in America's Dairyland."
Suzanne Fanning, Vice President, National Product Communications, of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (WMMB), says, "This is a victory for everyone in the Wisconsin dairy community to celebrate--from the dairy farmers who produce the highest quality milk to the third and fourth generation cheesemakers who have dedicated their lives to making the best cheese in the world. We'd like to thank Mrs. Livia Doyle and the efforts of her 4th grade class at Mineral Point Elementary for proposing the idea and seeing it all the way to the governor's desk! This is a wonderful way for kids to learn about the state government and see that they can make a difference."
Here's a video about Wisconsin's cheese heritage from Discover Wisconsin.