In 1841, Mrs. Anne Pickett made cheesemaking history when she established Wisconsin's first cottage industry cheese factory using milk from neighbors' cows.
Today, approximately 13,000 dairy farms, with over 1.26 million cows producing
an average of 20,079 pounds of milk each per year, continue the reputation for quality milk from Wisconsin. Cheesemakers use approximately 90 percent of this milk to produce cheese at 138 plants.(People in Wisconsin are called Cheeseheads)Wisconsin has more skilled and licensed cheesemakers than any other state. These cheesemakers must complete rigorous studies in dairy science and cheesemaking before they can be licensed. They also may serve as an apprentice under a licensed cheesemaker. Additionally, Wisconsin is the only state to offer a Master Cheesemaker program, patterned on the rigorous standards of similar programs in Europe.
These fine craftsmen produce over 2.6 billion pounds of cheese each year, nearly 26 percent of all domestic cheese. These quantities continue to grow to meet the nation's demand for quality and variety of cheese from Wisconsin, America's Dairyland.
