Keeping cheesehead nation proud Wisconsin extends cheese lead

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Wisconsin has extended its lead as the nation’s No. 1 cheese maker.

The Badger State produced 1.5 percent more cheese in June than it did a year ago.

That’s higher than the national increase of 1.3 percent.

No. 2 California, meanwhile, saw its cheese production drop 8.8 percent from the year before.

Wisconsin produced 206 million pounds of cheese – more than a quarter of the national total.

About a third of Wisconsin’s output was American cheese, and that was more than 6 percent more than last June.

Idaho is the country’s third-top cheese maker, followed by New York and Minnesota.

Butter production was up 9 percent nationally from a year ago.

Wisconsin’s increase was 0.7 percent, at 25.5 million pounds.

Tags: wisconsin news, cheese, making, lead