Fun Facts
- WI cows: over 1,000,000
- WI milk production: >25 billion gallons per year
- WI cheese production 2.5 billion lbs per year
- Milk: 87 % water, 3.1 protein, 4.9% lactose, 3.5% fat, 0.2% minerals
- Ice cream was invented by the Chinese over 3000 years ago
- Babcock processes over 2 million lbs of milk per year
- On average, a Wisconsin dairy farm has about 127 cows
- Chocolate milk is Babcock’s top selling milk variety
- Milk must be held at 161.5° F for 15 seconds to be considered legally pasteurized
- There are about 18,000 dairy farms in Wisconsin
- An average dairy cow weighs 1,400 pounds
- UW–Madison established the nation’s first dairy school
- The dairy industry contributes over $25 billion to Wisconsin’s economy annually
- Babcock Hall’s Dairy Plant was built in 1951
- Wisconsin is responsible for 26% of the U.S.’s cheese production
- Juustoleipä cheese (above) is a baked, non-aged cheese from Finland
- Cheese curds, also referred to as “squeaky cheese”, are the freshest form of cheddar. When cheese is made, the curds separate from the whey. Once the whey is drained from the vats, the cheese curds are what remain
- On average, a cow produces 7 gallons of milk each day
- The average American consumes 27 pounds of cheese per year
- Americans’ favorite way of consuming cheese is in Mac & Cheese
- In the United States, Wisconsin is #1 in cheese production and California leads in overall milk production.
- The addition of annatto color to the milk is the only difference between white and yellow cheddar
- Cows do not have 4 stomachs, they have four different digestive compartments in 1 stomach
- The active cultures in yogurt provide health benefits. Scientists found that yogurt with active, pro-biotic cultures help fight infection, aid digestion, boost immunity, and protect against certain cancers