Wisconsin's Dairy History from Wheat Fields to Cheese

by Dayanara Flores, age 17

Wisconsin is known as “America's Dairyland” but few people know that during the mid-1800s Wisconsin was the third leading wheat-producing state. They chose to produce in this area because it was an easy task that required little attention. Motorized harvesting increased these yields, and Wisconsin's wheat crops helped Milwaukee become a big grain carrier.

In the 1860s, small insects known as chinch bugs began to eat up wheat crops. As farmers' wheat was eaten by chinch bugs, they also faced falling prices. Farmers tried to expand wheat farming to Minnesota and the Dakotas but the bugs kept eating, so farmers realized they needed to develop a different solution. New York became famous for its butter and cheese and was the number one producer in the United States.

New Yorkers convinced local farmers to invest in cattle that would be better for milking. One of these New Yorkers built Wisconsin's first neighborhood cheese factory in Fond Du Lac. The UW-Madison promoted their dairying through scientific research. William A. Henry was one of the first professors to teach agriculture in the 1800s.

Professor Henry used the university farm to experiment with new dairying methods. This wouldn’t have been successful if farmers hadn’t found a way to store silage or cattle feed throughout the winter without it going bad. The solution was the use of cylindrical silos.

UW professor Stephen Babcock did the first test for butterfat content in milk which would eventually become Babcock ice cream. From these origins, dairy has become one of Wisconsin's most successful products, now known as “America's Dairyland.”

[Source: Wisconsin's History Highlights]