Made Simple | How Soil, Ecology, and Heritage Shaped Wisconsin’s Dairy Dynasty

Since the mid-1800s, Wisconsin has been a dairy-producing state, currently producing roughly 25% of the entire country’s cheese and butter supply. Like many things in history, the cause for this is not a single event, but a series of geological, ecological, and historical developments dating back to the last ice age and continuing through the modern era. This is a topic so broad and vast that entire books could be written about it, but this article aims to abridge the information into a digestible format that can be read in just a few minutes.

Wisconsin’s unique attributes predispose the state to excellent cheese production. Any cheesemaker in Wisconsin will tell you that the state has an exceptional infrastructure for producing cheese. Since 1915, it has been the only state that requires education and certification to become a cheesemaker, maintaining best practices and quality standards. However, this certification came about 45 years after dairy production became a major part of Wisconsin agriculture. What brought us to this point? It really all comes down to location, location, location—and the culture behind the cheese.

Let’s go back.

Thousands of years ago, the majority of the state was covered by glaciers—massive, mile-high sheets of ice that drifted over the landscape, grinding up sediment, organic matter, rocks, and anything unfortunate enough to be in their path. This massive restructuring of the ancient Wisconsin landscape led to the formation of different geologic regions, which revealed themselves once the glaciers retreated.

Wikipedia Geographical Region Map of Wisconsin overlaid with Dairy Link Curd and Cone Map

Soil Regions of Wisconsin from Wisconsin Geological and Natural History Survey overlaid with Dairy Link Curd and Cone Map

The two maps above show the relationship between the glaciated regions of the state and soil attributes, overlaid with the locations of Wisconsin dairy manufacturers in the year 2025. The Western Uplands, an unglaciated region of Wisconsin, provides excellent silty soil for growing animal feed and is therefore a region of heavy dairy production as well as other forms of agriculture.

The Eastern Ridges and Lowlands and the Lake Superior Lowlands are rich in organic, silty soil that retains moisture much like the Western Uplands. These regions were heavily glaciated, which led to the formation of moraines (hills of glacial till) that collected silt from the retreating glaciers, along with the accumulation of plant growth and biological matter due to excellent water retention.

The Northern Highlands and Central Plains have very few opportunities for dairy production because these regions are filled with sandy soils and moors that make farming difficult. Sandy soils retain water poorly, and moors are essentially swamps. The boundary between the Northern Highlands and Central Plains does have pockets of silty soils ideal for farming, but there is also significant forest cover, which is why this landscape is called the Forest Transition Region.

Ecological Landscapes of Wisconsin Map from Wisconsin Green Fire Conservation overlaid with Dairy Link Curd and Cone Map

The above ecological map illustrates the importance of farming capability and its correlation to milk production and milk processing. Both the Central Sand Plains and the North Central Forest are nearly completely devoid of dairy processing due to the lack of dairy farms in those regions. Even though in modern times milk can be transported over long distances without risk of spoilage, in the past it was transported in cans and often needed same-day processing to preserve quality, so the dairy processing infrastructure was tied directly to the farm or within a few miles of where it was produced. Many of the processing facilities that exist today are built from remnants of these old facilities, which kept the manufacturing infrastructure in these locations over the last 150 years even with modern technology. In a nutshell, and historically speaking, dairy processors need to be close to dairy farms, which need to be close to where the feed is grown, which needs to come from fertile soil to be both high-quality and economically viable.

One of the other most important factors in farming and dairy production is the accessibility of water, which Wisconsin has in abundance. Lactating dairy cows can consume up to 30 to 50 gallons of water per day to produce 12 gallons of milk. Lactating sheep and goats also drink three times the weight of their dry feed consumption per day, which can be anywhere from 2 gallons a day for goats to 3 or 4 gallons a day for sheep. Wisconsin’s hydrology consists of a vast network of lakes, rivers, groundwater sources, and springs, and is completely surrounded by water to the west (Mississippi), north (Lake Superior and Menominee River), and Lake Michigan to the east. The state also lies in a “Goldilocks zone” with regard to annual rainfall, meaning flooding is less rampant than in southern states, for example, which can wipe out crops and livestock, and drought, which has its own obvious problems—looking at you, California. Crops and livestock love consistency and repeatability in climate and weather patterns.

The other half of the equation in Wisconsin’s historical cheese and dairy industry is the people who brought dairy production and cheesemaking to the state. This dates back to the 1800s, where German and Scandinavian settlers first began settling in the region, followed by Italians later on. The map below shows how the heavy German population that was present in the 1900s is highly correlated with the cheese production in the state, even into the 21st century.

Wisconsin’s European Ancestry Map from Dane County Library Service overlaid with Dairy Link Curd and Cone Map

Wisconsin’s dominance in dairy production is the result of a long chain of natural and historical factors. Its fertile glaciated soils, abundant water supply, and favorable climate provided a strong foundation for sustainable agriculture. These physical advantages were met with cultural contributions from immigrant communities that brought dairy-making knowledge and traditions. Infrastructure grew around these early successes, and many of today’s dairy processors are built on the same sites that served farms over a century ago. Together, geography and heritage made Wisconsin’s dairy industry what it is today.