Wisconsin Ag Connection - Another Record Year for State's Specialty Cheese Production

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Another Record Year for State's Specialty Cheese Production
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 05/07/2018

Wisconsin not only remained the top state in the nation for cheese production in 2017, but it also churned out more specialty cheeses than ever before.

The state's agriculture department announced that local cheesemakers produced nearly 27 percent of the nation's total production; and that specialty cheese accounted for about a quarter of the state's total output. That's an increase of over 24 percent over 2016.

Of Wisconsin's 132 cheese plants, 99 manufactured at least one type of specialty cheese this past year. Feta accounted for the largest share of specialty cheese, with 12 percent of the total. Blue, Havarti, Hispanic types, specialty Mozzarella and Parmesan Wheel were the other most popular varieties.

According to the Wisconsin Specialty Cheese Institute, Wisconsin is known for both the quality and diversity of its cheeses. A specialty cheese is a value-added product which commands a premium price.

Last week, the USDA confirmed that Wisconsin produced 3.37 billion pounds of all cheese varieties in 2017. That was higher than the previous record of 3.24 billion pounds set in 2016.

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