Wisconsin lawmakers unconvinced about Colby as official state cheese
(The Center Square) – There are just too many cheeses in Wisconsin to name one as the “official” state cheese.
Lawmakers spent over an hour Wednesday at the Capitol in Madison defending their own regional cheeses as supporters tried once again to declare Colby cheese as Wisconsin’s official cheese.
“There’s like 100 cheese factories in the state of Wisconsin, and 25 of them sit in my Assembly district. So I consider myself the cheese-guru,” Rep. Todd Novak, R-Dodgeville said. “I like Colby, but I also like a lot of other cheeses.”
Rep. Donna Rozar, R-Marshfield, and Sen. Kathy Bernier, R-Chippewa Falls, are pushing a plan to declare Colby as Wisconsin’s official cheese because it was first made in Colby, Wisconsin.
“We have a cheese that kinda put Wisconsin on the map,” Rep. Rozar explained. “It produced our name as the dairy state.”
Lawmakers said there are lots of cheeses in Wisconsin that have made Wisconsin the dairy state, and they said it would be unfair to single out just one.
“Up by us, we got a bunch of Italian guys,” Rep. John Macco, R-Ledgeview said Wednesday. “So we’ve got all the Italian cheeses.”
“I just have an issue with making one cheese the state cheese,” Rep. Gundrum, R-Slinger said. “We have a wide variety of stores and shops in my district that have a wide selection of Wisconsin cheese varieties that they sell. Cheese is very popular here in Wisconsin. As is beer, and sausage.”
This is not the first time Colby supporters have tried to get it declared Wisconsin’s official state cheese. Last year’s attempt failed.
Wednesday’s public hearing didn’t end with a vote, but it was clear that most lawmakers don’t support the idea.
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