Check out these fun, family-friendly activities this summer as you enjoy all the dairy our marvelous state of Wisconsin has to offer!
- Visit a fun June Dairy event!
- Watch the Milk Bottling Process Live at Lamers Dairy.
- Take a selfie with Bernice the giant fiberglass cow at Cedar Crest Ice Cream Parlor.
- See a calf be born at the Land O’ Lakes Birthing barn and spend the day learning about farming, agriculture and cows at Farm Wisconsin Discovery Center!
- Check out vintage farm equipment at the Historic Farm Museum.
- Learn how to milk a cow at Mulberry Lane.
- Observe the cheese-making process at Marieke Gouda and Scray Cheese.
- Attend the Great Wisconsin Cheese Festival.
- Whip up your own butter or make homemade ice cream.
- Eat at a Breakfast on the Farm!
- Take a virtual Wisconsin farm tour with Alice in Dairyland.
- Visit a Fox Valley petting zoo or farm.
- Wind your way through the Cow Path at Plamann Park.
- Enjoy 50¢ soft serve cones for the month of June at Lamers Dairy.
- Create a fun-themed craft!
- Lick your way through the Ultimate Ice Cream Lovers Bucket list!
- Thank a farmer for their hard work! To learn more about farmers and the work they do, check out Wisconsin Dairy: From the Farm to the Table.
Farm Themed Stories & Toys
Engage the kiddos with farm, cow and dairy-themed toys.
- Chuck’s Ice Cream Wish (Tales of the Dairy Godmother) by Viola Butler
- I’ll Love You Till The Cows Come Home by Kathryn Cristaldi
- That’s Not My Cow by Fiona Watt
- Night Night Farm by Roger Priddy
- Moo: Peak-a-Flap by Jaye Garnett
- Scoop & Stack Ice Cream Playset by Melissa & Doug
- Farm-Opoly by Late for the Sky
- Hopping Ride-on Cow by iPlay, iLearn
15 Fun Facts About Our Dairy State
Wisconsin may be the top cheese producer in the dairy industry but there is a lot to learn about our state!
- Jersey cows produce the richest milk with an average of 5% butterfat and 4% protein.
- Mozzarella cheese is the top-produced cheese in Wisconsin (34%) followed by cheddar (20%).
- The most expensive cheese is a 20-year-old aged cheddar from Hook’s Cheese Co. in Mineral Point which sells on special occasions for $209 per pound!
- As of 2020, it is estimated that Wisconsin has 64,793 farms that span over 14 million acres.
- The largest dairy farm in Wisconsin is Rosendale Dairy in Pickett, which can be toured, is home to 8,400 cows that produce 78,000 gallons of milk per day!
- 90% of Wisconsin’s milk supply is used to make more than two billion pounds of cheese each year!
- The first official Wisconsin cheese was created by a woman named Anne Pickett from Lake Mills in 1841.
- Colby cheese was first crafted in Colby, Wisconsin, hence its namesake, in 1885.
- It takes 12 pounds of milk to make one gallon of ice cream, 21 pounds of milk to make one pound of butter and 10 pounds of milk to make one pound of cheese! Our cows work hard!
- Cheese curds are the freshest form of cheddar… you’ll know by the iconic squeak!
- Ice cream is delicious and Wisconsin boasts over 300 unique flavors!
- The last cow to graze the White House lawn was a Wisconsin dairy cow during the Taft presidency.
- So cheesy! Wisconsin produces over 600 varieties of cheese annually.
- Chatty Belle in Neillsville is a 16-foot tall fiberglass statue referred to as the “World’s Largest Talking Cow.”
- Cows can milk themselves and do on Knigge Farm in Omro, one of the first Wisconsin dairy farm to use automated cow milkers and calf feeders!
