Letter from the Editor: Winter 2023

Dairy has shaped the history of our state with dairy farming starting to replace heavy wheat production in the mid-19th century as depleted soils, pests and cheaper wheat from western states made it a less viable industry. By 1899, over 90 percent of Wisconsin farms were raising dairy cows.

Wisconsin’s dairy industry continued to thrive thanks in part to New Yorkers and Europeans settling in the state, bringing with them commercial dairy skills and a deep love for butter and especially cheese. That love continues to this day with Wisconsin producing over 3.5 billion pounds of cheese annually, making it the number one producer in the U.S. The state also ranks first in the nation for number of dairy farms and dairy goats.

But beyond dairy’s economic and social impact, it also has deep ties in our everyday lives. Whatever Wisconsin weather throws our way, we seem to have a dairy solution for it—a creamy scoop of ice cream during a summer heat wave or a steaming cup of cocoa on a frozen February night. We soothe our babies with a warm bottle of milk and we celebrate with buttercream covered cake—or in my case just the butter!

Forty-eight hours before our wedding, my then-fiancé Tommy, our close friend Mark and I churned heavy cream into butter using the hand-crank butter churn passed down by Mark’s grandmother. Vows needed to be written and suits ironed, but feeding our guests homemade roasted garlic and parsley butter was how we showed our love.

Love, passion and drive flows through all the stories in this winter issue of Edible Madison celebrating dairy in its many forms. Laura Poe Mathes’ enthusiasm for A2 dairy oozes from her column and Qwantese Dourese Winters shares about Landmark Creamery’s devotion to handcrafted products made from locally sourced ingredients.

This winter we’re raising a creamy glass in honor of the farmers, producers, animals and communities that make up America’s Dairyland.

Cheers,

Marissa DeGroot, Managing Editor