Specialty Cheese Production Up 7 Percent
Secretary: More Than 600 Varieties Make Up 17 Percent Of Production
Updated: 9:13 am CDT June 22, 2009
MADISON, Wis. -- Production of specialty cheeses in Wisconsin rose 7 percent in 2008 and the state is poised to set an all-time milk production record, according to the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.The agency said the state's 138 cheese plants produced 429 million pounds of specialty cheeses last year.Agriculture Secretary Rod Nilsestuen said the more than 600 varieties now account for 17 percent of Wisconsin's total cheese production.He said feta continues to be the most popular specialty cheese.The department said Wisconsin dairy farmers produced 24.7 billion pounds of milk in 2008, up 2.5 percent from 2007 and just shy of the all-time record of 25 billion pounds set in 1988.
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