Wisconsin State Beverage
Milk
(lac vaccum)
Adopted in 1987.
The Wisconsin Legislature designated milk as the official state beverage in 1987 Wisconsin Act 279.
This action recognized Wisconsin's position as the nation's leading milk-producing state and the contribution of milk to the state's economy. World Dairy Expo and various Wisconsin dairy production and dairy cattle associations supported the legislation, which amended Section 1.10 of the statutes.
Did you know that: Milk has been proclaimed the official state beverage or drink in each of the following states:
State Symbol: Milk
Arkansas | Delaware | Louisiana | Minnesota | Mississippi | Nebraska | New York | North Carolina | North Dakota | Oregon | Oklahoma | Pennsylvania | South Carolina | South Dakota | Tennessee | Vermont | Virginia | Wisconsin
Wisconsin State Beverage: Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many diseases in the baby. It also contains many other nutrients
Wisconsin's Dairy Industry
• Number of licensed Wisconsin dairy farms 10,860 dairy farms
• Number of Wisconsin dairy cows 1,271,000 dairy cows
• Average milk production per cow per year in Wisconsin 21,693 lbs. / 2,522 gal.
• Total Wisconsin milk production 27,572,000,000 lbs. / 3,206,000,000 gal.
• Wisconsin milk production (percentage of the U.S. total) 13.7%
• Average number of cows per farm in Wisconsin 117 dairy cows
• Total Wisconsin cheese production 2,842,456,000 lbs.
• Wisconsin cheese production (percentage of the U.S. total) 25.5%
• Total Wisconsin specialty cheese production (2012) 611,162,000 lbs.
• Total Wisconsin Cheddar cheese production 566,883,000 lbs.
• Total Wisconsin other American cheese production 268,320,000 lbs.
• Total Wisconsin Mozzarella cheese production 961,520,000 lbs.
• Total Wisconsin other Italian cheese production 462,824,000 lbs.
• Total Wisconsin Dry Whey (for human consumption) production 306,667,000 lbs.
• Number of cheese plants in Wisconsin 134 plants
• Number of butter plants in Wisconsin 13 plants
• Number of yogurt plants in Wisconsin 12 plants
• Total Wisconsin plants manufacturing one or more dairy products (2012) 211 plants
All statistics are from 2013 data unless noted otherwise.
Where milk comes from and how it's made.
Ever wonder where delicious milk comes from? It all starts with healthy, well-fed cows that live on farms all around America the beautiful.
- All cows are females (males are called bulls).
- A cow can't give milk until she's given birth to a calf.
- Cows provide 90% of the world's milk supply.
- A cow's udder can hold 25-50 pounds of milk at a time - no wonder she's so eager to be milked - and a cow gives nearly 200,000 glasses of milk in her lifetime.
Can You Say, "I'm Full?"
Cows are BIG eaters. Did you know that cows have four stomachs and eat 90 pounds of food a day? That's probably more than you weigh! A cow that chows
on only grass can make 50 glasses of milk a day. But one that eats grass, corn and hay can make 100 glasses of milk a day!
Wisconsin Law
The law designating milk as the official Wisconsin state beverage is found in the Wisconsin Statutes, Chapter 1, Section 1.10(3)(B)
CHAPTER 1. SOVEREIGNTY AND JURISDICTION OF THE STATE.
1.10. State song, state ballad, state waltz, state dance, and state symbols.
1.10(3) The Wisconsin state symbols are as follows:
1.10(3)(a)
(a) The mourning dove (zenaidura macroura corolinensis linnaus) is the symbol of peace.
1.10(3)(b)
(b) Milk is the state beverage.
1.10(3)(c)
(c) The sugar maple (acer saccharum) is the state tree.
1.10(3)(d)
(d) Corn (Zea mays) is the state grain.
1.10(3)(e)
(e) The wood violet (viola papilionacea) is the state flower.
1.10(3)(f)
(f) The robin (turdus migratorius) is the state bird.
1.10(3)(g)
(g) The muskellunge (Esox masquinongy masquinongy Mitchell) is the state fish.
1.10(3)(h)
(h) The badger (taxidea taxus) is the state animal.
1.10(3)(i)
(i) The dairy cow (bos taurus) is the state domestic animal.
1.10(3)(j)
(j) The white-tailed deer (odocoileus virginianus) is the state wildlife animal.
1.10(3)(k)
(k) The American water spaniel is the state dog.
1.10(3)(L)
(L) The honey bee (apis mellifera) is the state insect.
1.10(3)(m)
(m) The trilobite (calymene celebra) is the state fossil.
1.10(3)(n)
(n) Galena (lead sulfide) is the state mineral.
1.10(3)(o)
(o) Red granite is the state rock
1.10(3)(p)
(p) Antigo silt loam (typic glossoboralf) is the state soil.
1.10(3)(r)
(r) The cranberry (vaccinium macrocarpon) is the state fruit.
List Official US State Foods
