Ah, Wisconsin: the Dairy State, home of the cheeseheads—a place where cheese curds dominate. However, for Wisconsin cheese makers, it is becoming increasingly difficult to hold on to the title of the nation's No. 1 cheese producer. It's been a ""gouda"" year for California, which is closing in on America's Dairyland.
According to U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics, Wisconsin led the nation in cheese production in 2005, producing 2.4 billion pounds. California came in a close second with 2.1 billion pounds and continues to add to that number.
The California cheese industry received a boost in 1984 with help from the California Milk Advisory Board and the launch of the Real California Cheese seal and promotional campaign. Commercials promoting the state's cheese industry aired across the country, including in Wisconsin, featuring cows in green California pastures and the slogan, ""Great cheese comes from happy cows. Happy cows come from California.""
Despite the fact that California may surpass Wisconsin in the quantity of cheese produced, Wisconsinites seem to agree California will never match their quality.
""Wisconsin produces at least 650 different kinds of cheeses and that number is on the rise,"" said Jeane Carpenter, a spokesperson for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. California produces approximately 250 varieties.
""If California wants to make a penny a pound on cheddar and mozzarella, they can do that,"" Carpenter said. ""We would much rather have our cheese makers making premium profits on specialty artisan cheeses.""
Jerry Huffman, the communications director for the Wisconsin Department of Tourism, agrees California cheese does not equal Wisconsin's in quality.
""Pound for pound, you put a Wisconsin cheese against a California cheese, I'm betting on the Wisconsin cheese every time just for the simple fact that it's going to taste better,"" Huffman said.
While Wisconsinites may be a little biased when it comes to the quality of their cheese, the numbers don't lie—Wisconsin took home 57 awards at the 2005 United States Championship Cheese Contest compared to California's 13.
Another major difference between California and Wisconsin cheese is the scale on which it is produced. According to Carpenter, dairy farms in Wisconsin tend to be smaller and family-owned with an average of 75 cows per farm. California farms average at least one thousand cows per farm.
""It's much more of a business there. In Wisconsin we like to think it is a way of life,"" she said.
It is possible, however, that Swiss cheese is not the only thing in California with a few holes. Most notably, California's water scarcity problem may poke some holes in its plan to surpass Wisconsin in cheese production.
""There are two constraints on western state dairies. The big one is water and some are saying that some of these western states have hit an upper limit on growth because of limited water supplies,"" said Steven Deller, UW-Madison professor of agriculture and applied economics.
According to a report from the Environmental Working Group, an environmental investigation group, farms in California's Central Valley Project received $538 million in crop and water subsidies in 2002.
It is undeniable that dairy is an important part of Wisconsin, contributing more than $20 billion to the state's economy, and growing.
""Cow numbers in Wisconsin went up in 2005 for the first time in many years, and are expected to increase again in 2006. Milk per cow is also going up faster than in the past,"" said Ed Jesse, UW-Madison professor of agriculture and applied economics.
Even Gov. Jim Doyle is getting in on the frenzy, proposing a new initiative for next year that will help bigger cheese plants in the state reinvest in their operations.
Both Jesse and Deller agree that bragging rights will be the only thing lost to California if the state does pass Wisconsin in cheese production. It looks like Wisconsinites can continue to don their cheeseheads and hold on to the title of America's Dairyland, even if the numbers put California ahead.
