Celebrate June Dairy Month with Wisconsin Cheese

Celebrate June Dairy Month with Wisconsin Cheese

In 1841, Mrs. Anne Pickett started the first home cheese factory in Wisconsin near Lake Mills. Mrs. Pickett used milk from her neighbors' cows to produce butter and cheese in her log cabin. This procedure continued until 1845, when the level of production and demand grew too large for her kitchen. By 1869, Wisconsin produced over 3 million pounds of cheese, and that number would more than quadruple within 10 years.

Ninety percent of Wisconsin’s milk is made into cheese. Wisconsin cheesemakers produce over 600 varieties, types and styles of cheese; the runner-up comes in a distant second with 250 varieties. Ninety percent of that famous Wisconsin Cheese is sold outside of the state's borders.

A one-ounce slice of Wisconsin Cheese contains about the same amount of protein as an 8-ounce glass of milk.

U.S. per capita cheese consumption was 33.9 pounds in 2014. Our average consumption of cheese has increased 59% over the last 30 years.

Americans eat about 350 slices of pizza per second. That's enough to cover more than 90 football fields a day.

For more information go to  http://www.eatwisconsincheese.com/