Five Ways to Help Wisconsin Dairy Farmers and Cheesemakers

Madison, Wis. (April 21, 2020) – With 3% of the nation's restaurants already permanently shutting their doors and millions of students out of school, the normal markets for dairy are no longer available to farmers. Family farms and local businesses need support more than ever.  

"Not only are dairy farmers and cheesemakers caring for their own their families, but they are still going to work every day to make sure the nation's families have access to fresh and nutritious food," says Suzanne Fanning, Senior Vice President of Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin and Chief Marketing Office for Wisconsin Cheese. "We've had many people asking what they can do to help our state's signature industry, so we’ve rounded up a list of the top ways you can support them." 

Here’s how you can help: 

1. Purchase Wisconsin dairy products when you are buying groceries.
    Whether ordering groceries online for delivery or pickup, or while grabbing essentials at the store, look for the Proudly Wisconsin Cheese™ and Proudly Wisconsin Dairy™ badges to identify the world’s most award-winning cheese and highest quality dairy products.  


2. Buy cheese online at WisconsinCheese.com/order.
   Check out the complete directory of more than 40 Wisconsin cheese companies that will ship cheese directly to your door.  


3. Get cooking with Wisconsin dairy! 
   Find hundreds of recipes and all the inspiration you need to get cooking at WisconsinCheese.com/recipes. Share pictures by using #ProudlyWisconsin. 


4. Share access to high-quality nutrition, including milk, by donating to your favorite local food bank.
    Don’t know where to start? Go to GiveAGallon.com and enter your zip code to ensure that milk gets delivered to a Feeding America member food bank near you.  


5. Support your local restaurants that use Wisconsin dairy products.
    Continue ordering takeout and delivery from your favorite local restaurants, like pizzerias, which account for the largest share (34%) of cheese used at dine-in and quick-serve restaurants. Wisconsin ranks as the nation’s top producer of cheddar and the second largest producer of mozzarella, and these two varieties account for 42% of all cheese used in restaurants.   





 
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About Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin: Funded by Wisconsin dairy farmers, Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin is a non-profit organization that focuses on marketing and promoting Wisconsin’s world-class dairy products. For more information, visit our website at wisconsindairy.org. 

About Wisconsin Cheese: The tradition of cheesemaking excellence began more than 175 years ago, before Wisconsin was recognized as a state. Wisconsin’s 1,200 cheesemakers, many of whom are third- and fourth-generation, continue to pass on old-world traditions while adopting modern innovations in cheesemaking craftsmanship. For more information, visit WisconsinCheese.com or connect on Facebook.