UNDATED (WSAU-Wheeler News) Wisconsin cheese-makers are off to a strong start in 2015.
The U-S-D-A said the state produced just over 250-million pounds of cheese in January. That’s 3.3-percent more than the same month a year ago, but it’s a half-percent less than the month before. Wisconsin’s January production was half-percent more than the national increase of 2.8-percent. The Badger State produced just over a quarter of the national total of 980-million pounds for January.
Wisconsin lengthened its lead as the country’s top cheese-maker. Second-place California had a much smaller increase of nine-tenths of one-percent, to almost 207-million pounds. Idaho is third, followed by New York and New Mexico.
Wisconsin’s Cheddar cheese output was 9.4-percent higher than the year before. The state also had a nearly 7-percent increase in American and mozzarella products, and a jump of almost 3-percent for all Italian cheeses.
