Guest Editorial
Dan Carter: Inspirational leader of the Wisconsin dairy revolution

by Patrick Geoghegan

Patrick Geoghegan is senior vice president, corporate communications for the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board. He is a guest columnist for this week’s issue of Cheese Market News®.

There’s a revolution going on in America’s Dairyland. During the past five years, Wisconsin’s dairy farmers and cheesemakers have reinvested more than $1.5 billion into their farms and processing plants, resulting in an incredible growth in the production of farmstead, artisan and specialty dairy products.

Playing a central role in this transformation is a man whom some might herald as a modern-day George Washington. Instead of leading his troops across the Delaware River to win the American Revolution, Dan Carter has accomplished something perhaps just as noteworthy: inspiring, encouraging and, in many instances, leading Wisconsin cheesemakers to the pinnacle of an international specialty cheese industry.

On Aug. 3, hundreds of national cheese industry leaders will meet in Burlington, Vt., to honor Dan as he accepts the 2007 American Cheese Society Annual Lifetime Achievement Award. Carter was nominated for the award by his fellow team members at the Dairy Business Innovation Center (DBIC), a Wisconsin-based nonprofit group he founded after retiring from his own specialty cheese marketing business in 2003. I am proud to serve on the DBIC board and have personally witnessed Dan’s support and contribution to many small, medium-sized and large Wisconsin dairy businesses.

Dan Carter has served as a staunch advocate of the United States’ cheese business community for more than 50 years. There are few others that match his passion, innovation and commitment to growing Wisconsin dairy. From sales and marketing to assisting artisan and specialty Wisconsin dairy plants to open, Dan has had a hand in helping move Wisconsin’s — as well as the entire country’s — cheese industry forward.

Wisconsin is in the midst of a modern-day specialty cheese renaissance, and our cheesemakers and dairy farmers are leading the way. During the past five years, 23 new Wisconsin dairy plants have opened and another 45 operations expanded. In addition, a booming number of farmstead and artisan dairy start-ups now dot the state, with 21 farmstead cheese, milk bottlers and ice cream makers adding value to their farms. At least six new specialty dairy plants are poised to open their doors in 2007 and 2008.

New farmstead and artisan cheese plants such as Holland’s Family Farm Gouda near Thorp continue to put Wisconsin on the international cheese map of fame. Marieke Penterman recently realized her family’s dream of making authentic Dutch-style Gouda cheese from the milk of the family’s own dairy cow herd. Marieke, who with her husband and family moved from the Netherlands to Wisconsin in 2002 to operate the 480-Holstein dairy farm, won a prestigious Best of Class Gold Medal at the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest in March with her Feonegreek Gouda.

While Wisconsin continues to attract new specialty cheesemakers such as the Pentermans, several of the state’s century-old dairy plants are adding value to their operations as well. For example, Brunkow Cheese in Darlington, Wis., one of Wisconsin’s oldest operating cheese plants, has been making cheeses since 1899. With a long history in traditional varieties, Brunkow recently turned its talents to small-batch, handcrafted artisan originals. It now produces an entire line of English-style cheeses carrying signature Wisconsin names.

Today, Wisconsin is the nation’s leader in the production of signature cheeses: 1,231 licensed Wisconsin cheesemakers craft more than 600 varieties, types and styles of cheese. A staggering 46.5 percent of all specialty cheese produced in the United States comes from Wisconsin. Not only does Wisconsin make more specialty cheeses than any other state, our cheesemakers win more awards than any other state or nation. At the 2007 U.S. Championship Cheese Contest, Wisconsin garnered 89 awards and 60 percent of all Best of Class Awards — six times as many as any other state.

Wisconsin’s heritage and future are directly linked to dairy. With more than 14,000 family-owned dairy farms, 1.24 million dairy cows and 202 dairy plants, our dairy industry serves as the state’s economic backbone — contributing $20.6 billion annually to our local and state economy.

For more than 100 years, the words “America’s Dairyland” have been Wisconsin’s claim to fame. It’s a title Wisconsinites take seriously: we wear it on our license plates and our T-shirts. Even the official state quarter bears the image of a dairy cow and a piece of cheese. The words, “America’s Dairyland” ring as true today as they did 100 years ago. And they will ring true for another 100 years, with our dairy farmers, cheesemakers and revolutionaries like Dan Carter leading the way.

CMN

The views expressed by CMN’s guest columnists are their own opinions and do not necessarily reflect those of Cheese Market News®.