It’s June and we’re in the Dairy State, so I bet you know what that means – it’s time to celebrate National Dairy Month! 

This month-long celebration was established in 1937 as “National Milk Month” by grocer organizations to promote the distribution of surplus milk. In 1939, the name was changed to “National Dairy Month” and over the last 85 years has become a tribute to the hard-working dairy farmers and families who are behind the milk and dairy products that we see on our grocery store shelves everyday.  The American Farm Bureau Federation shares these interesting dairy related facts:

• Wisconsin is the only state where Limburger cheese is produced.
• Farmers measure milk in pounds, not gallons – 8.6 pounds per gallon is the standard.
• Dairy cows eat about 100 pounds of food every day and drink 25-50 gallons of water.
• It takes about 10 pounds of milk to make one pound of cheese and just over 21 pounds to make a pound of butter.
• Little Miss Muffet’s curds and whey (from the nursery rhyme) were an early version of cottage cheese. 

Remember to celebrate with some area Ice Cream Socials!

Happy June Dairy Month,

Marie Marie Witzel
4-H Youth Development Educator
920-386-3790
marie.witzel@wisc.edu