Tuesday, December 21, 2021

Wisconsin is known as the Dairy State, but do you know about technology’s role in the growth of this vital industry?

Learn more about “A History of Dairy Technology and Its Influence on Wisconsin Communities” on Thursday, Jan. 20 at 6 p.m. during History at Home. This program, presented in partnership between the Fond du Lac Public Library and Badger Talks Live, will be held in the McLane Room at the library, and also may be viewed on Facebook Live. To join the program in person, register at calendar.fdlpl.org.

Douglas Reinemann, chair of the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s College of Agricultural & Life Sciences, will explain how Wisconsin became America's dairyland because of its unique natural environment with the climate and land well suited to growing dairy feed and nurturing dairy cows. 

Technology has been the third leg of the milking stool. Mechanization of dairy feed production and storage and especially the milking process have shaped the size, look, and makeup of dairy farms and rural communities in Wisconsin. The trend has been increased labor efficiency resulting in a steady decline in the worker-to-cow ratio over the last 100 years. 

This talk will provide a tour of the development of dairy technology from hand milking to robotic milking and discuss the changes in the structure of Wisconsin dairy farms and rural communities.

History at Home focuses on stories about the area's past every month. The programs are free. Many History at Home programs are captured on video and shared on the library's YouTube channel or Facebook page. That link can be found at fdlpl.org/miss-program.