June marks Dairy Month in Wisconsin. As people appreciate the industry for the food and the economic impact it provides, processors and farmers are calling for continued support from lawmakers.
On Tuesday, the Joint Finance Committee will address the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Protection portions of the budget. They are expected to discuss continuing dairy processor grants at the state level. The other agenda item is the continuation of the Wisconsin Initiative for Agriculture Exports, which would boost distribution.
WMTV’s Tabitha Bland spoke with Sydney Flick who manages Jazzy Jerseys, a family dairy farm in Lodi.
“Our cows produce about 60 pounds of milk per cow a day,” she said. “The tanks that we had out in front we ship about five or six a week, which is 55,000 pounds.”
Rebekah Sweeney with Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association said the money that comes from the government matters.
“We care about what’s happening at the national level in Washington and what’s happening in Madison,” said Sweeney. “Every dollar a dairy processor receives, they invest in their community.”
Federally, the Dairy Business Innovation Initiative helps create opportunities for processors.
“That could be updates to cheese plants or new products. All of these things help us create more Wisconsin dairy products, which in turn means that we have a market for our milk and we can stay viable in the state,” Flick explained.
Sweeney said they have high hopes that the committee will invest in this initiative.
“The best consumers might be in the U.S.A. right now, but in the future, they might be abroad. It’s important that we have programs like this that are forward thinking and support processors and farmers,” Sweeney added.
“We really create a great cheese and milk and that’s known internationally,” said Flick. “To be able to say that I am a Wisconsin Dairy farmer is special.”
She is among many farmers who are working to keep the Wisconsin name known worldwide and keeping Wisconsin America’s Dairyland.
The Wisconsin Agriculture Coalition has also called on the state to include certain programs in the next budget. They include support for rural infrastructure, farm resilience, innovation and the workforce.
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