SJR53,,112023 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION 53 June 13, 2023 - Introduced by Senators Ballweg, Marklein, Agard, Felzkowski, Hesselbein, Jacque, Knodl, Pfaff, Roys, Spreitzer and Wanggaard, cosponsored by Representatives Tranel, Gustafson, Plumer, Novak, Allen, C. Anderson, Armstrong, Baldeh, Bare, Behnke, Binsfeld, Cabrera, Conley, Considine, Dittrich, Drake, Edming, Goeben, Green, Gundrum, S. Johnson, Kitchens, Kurtz, Magnafici, Michalski, Moses, Murphy, Mursau, Myers, Nedweski, O’Connor, Oldenburg, Ortiz-Velez, Penterman, Petryk, Ratcliff, Rettinger, Rozar, Schmidt, Schraa, Schutt, Shankland, Sinicki, Snyder, Spiros, Steffen, Stubbs, VanderMeer and Wittke. Referred to Committee on Senate Organization.
SJR53,,22Relating to: proclaiming June 2023 as Dairy Month in Wisconsin. SJR53,,33Whereas, since 1937, the observation of Dairy Month in June has given Wisconsinites an opportunity to recognize the special role dairy has played in the state’s agricultural heritage; and SJR53,,44Whereas, as early as the 1840s, dairy farmers from New York, then the nation’s leading dairy producer, migrated to Wisconsin and established a foothold for the dairy industry; and SJR53,,55Whereas, in 1872, the Wisconsin Dairyman’s Association was founded with the goal of improving methods of making, selling, and marketing dairy products such as cheese and butter; and SJR53,,66Whereas, at the turn of the century, Wisconsin’s own Stephen Babcock developed a means to test the butterfat content of milk, which revolutionized the dairy industry by enabling standards of quality that could be used to establish milk prices; and SJR53,,77Whereas, by the onset of World War I, Wisconsin surpassed all other states in dairy production; and SJR53,,88Whereas, starting in 1940, Wisconsin cemented its reputation as “America’s Dairyland” by placing this slogan on license plates; and SJR53,,99Whereas, today, over 1.28 million cows across nearly 6,000 dairy farms call Wisconsin home; and SJR53,,1010Whereas, the dairy industry contributes about $45.6 billion to the state economy annually; and SJR53,,1111Whereas, as a key part of this industry, Wisconsin cheesemakers produce over 600 kinds of cheese and together produce over a quarter of the nation’s cheese; and SJR53,,1212Whereas, because it has touched so many Wisconsinites’ lives, past and present, the dairy industry comprises a central component of Wisconsin heritage and identity; and SJR53,,1313Whereas, in the month of June, the people of Wisconsin acknowledge the contributions of the state’s hard-working dairy farmers, who have made dairy a pillar of the state’s success; and SJR53,,1414Whereas, these dairy farmers’ unwavering dedication to the highest standards of quality have consistently moved Wisconsin forward; now, therefore, be it SJR53,,1515Resolved by the senate, the assembly concurring, That the legislature hereby proclaims June 2023 as Dairy Month in Wisconsin.
