- Announcer: The following program is
a PBS Wisconsin original production.
[fire crackling]
[upbeat folksy music]
- Welcome to the farm.
Today, we're celebrating America's Dairyland.
First, we're gonna be taking a trip down
to World Dairy Expo, which happens every year,
right here in Wisconsin.
And then it's over to Sassy Cow Creamery
to find out what sweet treats they're turning
their milk into.
But first, I wanted to show you a little bit
about what's happening here on the farm,
and then I'll meet you back in the dining room,
where we're serving our favorite farmers
some delicious fondue.
Gather with us, Around the Farm Table !
I'm your host, Inga Witscher.
Good morning, girls!
I'm Inga, and I love everything about farming.
[upbeat folksy music]
Midwestern farms are a bounty
of good food made by good people.
I love being able to travel to search out good ingredients.
Cooking is all about what's seasonal, what's fresh.
Every day can be filled with good food, good friends,
and a beautiful herd of cows.
Welcome to the farm.
- Inga to cow: Good girl.
- Announcer: Around the Farm Table is funded in part by
Wisconsin Farmers Union:
United to Grow Family Agriculture,
Heartland Credit Union,
a gift in Memory of Wendy Bladorn,
Focus Fund for Wisconsin Programming,
and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television.
- About a year ago, Chance and I lost our barn
to a horrible barn fire.
We woke up, and the whole thing was just engulfed in flames.
[flames roaring]
It was one of the hardest days of being a farmer.
We lost all of our young stock.
The fire was too great by the time we could get out here,
we couldn't get the calves out, so we lost them.
Luckily, all the milk cows were outside on pasture,
so we still have the cows.
We lost so much, we lost all of--
that was where we had our first date.
That was where I've made so many memories
over the last 14 years of milking cows
alongside of our friends.
Chance and I got married inside there.
- Officiant: I now pronounce you husband and wife.
You may kiss the bride.
[crowd cheering]
And I'm sure a lot of you have come along
with us inside when we've been milking cows,
and doing all the wonderful things we did on the farm.
[gentle acoustic music]
But over the last year, we've done a lot of cleanup.
We got rid of our silo,
[metal crashing]
we cleaned up all the debris from the fire,
and now, almost a year later,
we finally got the barn back up,
we're ready for business,
we're feeling more optimistic every day.
So we have the shell of the barn up,
we're finishing with those details inside,
and soon, we'll have a full creamery inside,
so I can't wait for next summer
when we'll be back up milking cows and making cheese.
But now, it's time for me to go take care
of those little cows and feed 'em a bale of hay.
[skidsteer engine roaring]
[upbeat folksy music]
I love the summer and the springtime
when I'm grazing every day, switching those cows
to different paddocks every 12 hours.
In the wintertime, I can still kind of graze by bale grazing,
so the cows are still out on the pasture.
I'll bring 'em in once there's too much snow out here
for me to get here with my skidsteer,
but in the meantime, I can feed their hay out here,
this saves a lot of labor.
I don't have to haul manure every day,
I don't have to scrape manure every day,
and the best part is I can pick those spots
on my farm where I might need
that extra nutrients from the manure.
That's where I'm gonna put that bale of hay.
The cows are gonna stand around that,
they're gonna eat that hay bale,
and then they're gonna put their manure
everywhere where I need it.
And then you can take your bale feeder and your bales of hay
and go wherever it is on your farm that you might need it.
It's also great to do maybe on hillsides
where you don't want to take that tractor
and the manure spreader.
I love farming this way, [chuckling]
and I wanna check out some more farming.
So why don't you head down with me to Dairy Expo?
Every year, dairy farmers from around the world come
to Madison, Wisconsin for the World Dairy Expo.
[upbeat folksy music]
Here, you can see the best cows from all seven major breeds
on display and in competition.
The World Dairy Expo is part trade show,
part cow competition, and most importantly,
a place where farmers from all over come together
to celebrate dairy farming.
Katie, thank you so much for taking some time out today
to talk with me about Dairy Expo.
For those folks who have never been here before,
can you explain what World Dairy Expo is?
- So World Dairy Expo is the meeting place
of the global dairy industry.
So for five days, we bring together the top dairy cattle
in North America to compete on the colored shavings.
We have 859 companies that serve the dairy industry
in our trade show this year.
And then we also provide educational resources
for our attendees.
And over the course of five days,
we welcome nearly 65,000 guests to Madison, Wisconsin.
So really, it serves as this giant education forum
and business opportunity for our dairy community.
- Cattle showing is a really big deal here at Expo.
And can you talk a little bit about...
These are the-- some of the top cows
and how does that work out?
- Yeah, so a lot of times, there's a family tradition
in our dairy cattle show, and we love it.
Some of the founding members, their families still show here
at World's Dairy Expo, so it's really a family piece
a lot of times.
There's also a business aspect to dairy cattle showing.
The top genetics are competing,
so they can put those genetics to the test,
and then also hopefully be rewarded for them
in a sale either of the cow of herself or of her offspring.
- So why is this a great place for folks
to come who are dairy farmers?
Is it just really the learning and the networking?
- That's a large part of it; so we provide some really great
educational opportunities for dairy producers
or just people in the dairy community or enthusiasts.
So we have expo seminars that feature
some of the top researchers across the country,
we have industry representatives that help us figure out
what topics are impacting dairy producers,
and we try to build our schedule around those topics.
So all of those pieces come together,
and then they're all connected through the trade show
and through the dairy cattle show,
and really just the people
that come together for World Dairy Expo.
And even if it is just to network and get together
with old friends or meet new ones,
there's always just such a comradery
about the World Dairy Expo.
- Well, it's funny, as farmers,
people are really really busy, and it's fun to come here
and I can see some friends here and there,
and "I haven't seen you since last year
"when we were at World Dairy Expo."
It's pretty fun. - That happens a lot,
yeah it is.
- What's your favorite part about the expo?
- I really enjoy the people, I'm one of those
that I see them once a year.
So I spend my week helping out our media partners
at World Dairy Expo, and they're amazing people,
and I love helping them tell our exhibitors' stories,
but I just love being out in the barns
and talking with friends
that I only see once a year when they're here.
So it's really incredible, the group of individuals
that come together while we're having World Dairy Expo.
- Well, Katie, thank you so much for taking some time today,
and I'm gonna go check out some more of the cows.
- Have fun! [laughing]
- One of the highlights of World Dairy Expo
is the Future Farmers of America cattle judging competition.
Future farmers from around the state of Wisconsin
come to Madison to test their skills.
I was especially interested in the competition this year
because it gives me a chance
to see my nephew Ethan in action.
A teenager from Cumberland, Ethan is the 2019
Hoard's Dairyman magazine International Youth Dairy
Cattle Judging champion.
If you grew up on a dairy farm, there's a good chance
that you grew up with Hoard's Dairyman magazine.
It's been a part of our kitchen table
ever since I can remember, and that's why I'm so excited
and proud of my nephew Ethan,
that he won the International Hoard's Dairyman
Youth Cow Judging Competition.
Ethan, how many different countries participated
in this event?
- There is 10 countries, 48 states, and 12,727 applicants.
- That is a huge accomplishment; I'm so proud of you.
What is it about dairy judging that you like?
- I just like to be around the cows
and then to meet new people, go to new places.
- Absolutely, well it's fun, 'cause you can do it
with your classmates too, right?
So what do you look for in a cow?
- I look at four different traits.
The first thing I look for is the udder,
and I want to find a high and wide udder,
because that's the most points out of the 100 score.
And then I want to look for the dairy strength,
which is like the breed characteristics,
like which one fits the breed most and has the best breeding.
And then I look for the frame and the feet and legs.
- And the frame is just their whole body, right?
- Yeah. - Okay.
I heard earlier when you were judging, they said
they also had some questions that they were asking you
on your sheet of paper, what were the questions?
- It's just questions about the whole group,
like "Which cow has the best udder?" is a question,
or "Which cow stands the best on their pasterns?"
- So what do you think about Naomi?
She's the Wisconsin Cow of the Year.
What would you say about her?
- Yeah, she's really nice, she has a really strong front end
and a lot of good ribbing.
- How did you learn how to do this?
I know it wasn't me that taught you.
- Well, we have practices, and then we go to different farms
and then we just have like five different classes
of four cows and then we judge them,
and then our instructor gives us the actual answer
and how we can improve.
- What's your one of your favorite parts
of being in 4-H and FFA?
- Probably just meeting a bunch of new people
and going to places like World Dairy Expo.
- So do you think that dairy might be in your future?
- Maybe, I'm not sure what I wanna do yet.
- Well, I hope we can make this a tradition
of coming down to Dairy Expo together.
Well, I'm gonna let Ethan go explore with his classmates.
And then why don't you and I go do
a little exploring as well?
I took a short break from World Dairy Expo
and traveled down the road to Columbus,
to visit the Sassy Cow Creamery.
Where the Baerwolf family has found a way to turn the milk
from their family dairy farm into sweet treats.
James, thank you so much for having me out
to Sassy Cow Creamery.
So tell me a little bit about your family history.
- Yeah, we appreciate you visiting us.
We have been here quite a while.
Our grandparents started here in the 40s,
then dad, and raised us kids and that,
so now it's my brother Rob and myself, our families.
We've been doing that since we got out of school.
Sassy Cow now is just turned 12,
but we've been around cows our whole life.
- How did you decide to get into the business
of making products out of your milk?
- Well, we had been thinking about it for quite a while.
The farm is our first love, like we don't want to do
a career change; we're dairy farmers.
But now with doing it this way, it just allows us to take
that one step farther and actually make products
that will reach customers of our own.
- Yeah, and that's gotta be pretty satisfying too,
when you're drinking your own milk
and you're able to make ice cream with your own milk.
I like seeing farms having products coming from one farm.
I think it's nice.
- Yeah, one sentiment we get a lot,
people like to see the work they've done.
Farming is very good at that, and so one of those rewards
about the fruits of your labor a little more evident.
- Yeah, I know when I take my milk
and I make it into something at my house,
whether that's ice cream
or if I'm making a sauce or whatever,
I always feel like it makes the food taste better
'cause I know exactly where it came from,
from the beginning till the end.
- Absolutely.
- Well, speaking of that end product, I'd love to see
the creamery where all the ice cream is made,
and find out about that process,
and then taste some ice cream if that's all right?
- Absolutely, but the cows don't make ice cream,
so we got to go to the plant next.
- Okay.
[upbeat folksy music]
So how did your family know that you guys wanted
to start with making ice cream and bottled milk
and all sorts of wonderful things?
- Yeah, definitely, we've always been here,
just outside of Dane County,
and Madison's kind of our home turf,
and farming is what we've always done.
But also getting a little farther down the chain
and actually making products like ice cream and milk,
it was a good time in our farming operation to do that.
- Sure, and it's great now in the farming climate
that we have now,
it must be nice knowing that you have a place
for your milk to go all the time and having that product.
- Yeah, it's a kind of a mixed blessing.
We're fortunate that we have some stability in that,
but also a lot of busyness and a lot of just swapping out
one set of worries for another.
- I'm really familiar with the process of making cheese,
all that goes into it.
But I have never made ice cream on this scale.
Can you walk me through that process?
- Yes, ice cream really, it's not such a big mystery.
We start with milk, cream, and sugar,
so that's our ice cream mix,
and that's the base of everything.
Then from vanilla to chocolate and everything in between
starts with that base, and we're adding the ingredients.
Well, we have a couple of small-batch freezers,
put everything together, and then it comes out like
a thick shake, and from there we'll put it in a container
and put it in a cold hardening freezer
so that by the next day, then it's ready to ship out.
- So I have to ask you,
do you have a favorite ice cream flavor?
- Actually, I get asked that a lot, usually my favorite one
is the one that the girls have made the most recent,
like the newest thing is always like the most exciting.
So I'll stay on that for a while, and then they come up
with another new one, and then that'll be my new favorite.
- Well, do you mind if we go try some
so I can see what's my favorite?
- We wouldn't have you leave without.
- Good.
[upbeat folksy music]
Well, this is my favorite part of any creamery tour,
is trying the final product.
Can I try the salted caramel?
- Sure can.
- Thank you so much.
- You're welcome.
- Well, I'm gonna finish this ice cream
and then I'll see you back at Dairy Expo.
Mm, delicious.
Back at the World Dairy Expo, Bryan's family is working
with a professional cattle groomer to get their cows
for ready for the show.
Bryan's family has been raising Brown Swiss cattle
on their farm in New Glarus for generations.
And his father was part of the group of farmers responsible
for establishing the World Dairy Expo in Madison.
Bryan, thank you so much for taking a little time
out of showing today to chat with me.
Can you tell me about the history of your family farm?
- Okay, the history actually started back in 1854.
Our family came over with the Swiss immigrants,
165 years ago near the village of New Glarus.
- Where you guys are still farming now?
- Where we still farm now.
We're between a little town called Monticello
and New Glarus.
We were a dairy farm with the native cattle
and then in 1895, we got our first registered Brown Swiss,
and for the last 125 years, we've had Brown Swiss.
- Wow, you guys must be one of the oldest Swiss farms.
- I think there's probably older,
but we're certainly one of the older ones, yes.
- And your dad helped found World Dairy Expo?
- Yeah, there was a core of a few dairymen
that, they got together, and my father happened
to be one of the four or five of the nucleus that,
that helped format and formulate this,
and now it's actually considered the...
The last I heard, it was like
the number 37 largest trade show in the United States.
- Wow.
- I don't think any of those gentlemen,
as great as they were, could have ever thought
that it would turn into something like this.
- And people are coming from all over the world.
- That's a part that absolutely blows my mind.
There's every year they...
We do a count of how many different countries,
and we are always knocking on the door
of 100 different countries that people come to visit.
And it's mind-blowing, I mean,
it's the U.N. of the dairy industry.
- I remember when I was a little girl,
I grew up on a dairy farm in Washington state,
and my brother came here for his FFA judging team,
and it was like a really big deal.
And now we're just two hours away, it's just really fun.
- Yeah, I mean, it's kind of funny,
we're 30 minutes away which...
It's incredible the amount of work it takes just for us,
and there's people that travel days to come,
I mean from Canada and California, East coast.
- What does it take to bring a cow here to show?
Do you have to qualify?
- You don't have to qualify, but I mean,
this is, the best of the best come here.
I mean, it is probably considered one of the...
It is the elite show
in the world because of all the great cattle,
the trade show, the foreign visitors.
So I mean, this is probably considered one of the most
of the elite shows in the world.
But you don't have to necessarily qualify,
but for the expense, all the work it takes.
- You want to make sure.
Yeah, I hope maybe one day I can bring a cow down to Expo.
[both laughing]
- Bring a good one.
I mean it's absolutely incredible, the coolest thing
for me is that I did this with my grandfather,
I did it with my father, I'm doing it with my kids,
it's four generations now.
And as I'm in the barn working with my kids,
I just go, "This is the coolest thing."
My daughter's a nurse, she takes a week off to come here
and work 18 hours a day, working with cattle,
and it's absolutely a great...
I couldn't think of anything more unique to do.
And they love it and it's a great bonding experience,
so it's been fun that way.
- That is lovely.
- And again, great people that come here from all over,
people that you meet year to year.
It's really a unique event.
- Well, I know you're busy and I'm gonna let you get back
in the show ring, and then I'm gonna come see
how you guys are doing.
- All right, no guarantees, but we're there participating
and hopefully we do all right.
- Well, good luck.
- Thank you so much. Thanks.
[upbeat accordion music]
- So since we're celebrating everything about dairy today
and we're living in Wisconsin, what better way to celebrate
than making the star of our dish cheese.
And I don't think there's a better way to make
the star of the dish cheese than by doing fondue.
Fondue translates as a French word for melted.
And what I love about fondue
is you can be a little bit creative with it,
use whatever you can, whatever cheeses you have on hand
or whatever cheeses are your favorite,
as long as they're hard, sturdy cheeses.
And I love a farmstead cheese, and I can't wait to be done
with my creamery so that eventually,
I can be making fondue
with our own cheese here on the farm.
It's very simple; we're gonna grate all of our cheese,
and then I'm gonna heat up some dry white wine,
a little bit of lemon juice,
and then I'll toss the cheese
with the cornstarch, and that's gonna help
stabilize everything, and it helps the cheese
sort of melt evenly.
And one of the most important things is,
you don't wanna start with pre-shredded cheese.
That already has different things going on in it
in different solutions so that it doesn't stick together.
You wanna start with good quality cheese,
and you wanna grate it yourself.
After we've melted the cheese down a little bit,
I'm gonna finish it off with a little bit of kirsch
and some nutmeg and some fresh cracked pepper,
and then we'll be ready for lunch.
To start out, we're gonna start grating the cheese,
and I have three different cheeses here.
This is an Emmentaler, which is a Swiss-style cheese.
Fondue was invented in the Swiss Alps,
and where it was very cold in the wintertime,
and a lot of the folks that dairy farmed,
they would make cheese during the seasons,
so from spring till fall, and then they had
to have their cheese carry them through the wintertime.
And so as winter got going longer and longer,
they had less and less cheese,
and they would take each individual little bits of cheese
that they had left over, throw it in a pot
with a little bit of wine
and some stale bread that they had left over,
and mix everything together and made fondue.
I love these peasant-style dishes.
They're really lovely.
[upbeat polka music]
Now that I have all this beautiful cheese grated,
I'm gonna add it to my bowl, toss it with the corn starch
to coat it, and that's what's going to help
keep it thick when I'm cooking it.
And then I'm gonna heat up my wine
and my lemon juice, and then I'll start melting the cheese.
And now I'm just gonna add all the cheese to a bowl,
most of it anyway, and then I'm gonna coat that
with a little over a tablespoon of cornstarch
and get everything nice and coated, really work it.
One thing I love about fondue is that
you can find these retro fondue pots sometimes
at thrift sales or antique stores,
and I love the way they look.
I think it really adds something to the meal.
Before I put the pot on the heat,
I'm gonna crush one clove of garlic,
and then I'll use that to wipe on the inside
of my fondue pot, and that'll impart a little bit more
flavor to the fondue.
Now, I'm gonna add about a half a cup of dry wine,
white wine.
I suppose you could use beer if you wanted to,
but I'm gonna add some wine,
and a little bit of lemon, fresh-squeezed,
and then once that heats up a little bit,
I'm gonna start adding the cheese.
Add the cheese a little bit at a time,
and constantly stir the cheese.
This is a time when you don't wanna leave the stove.
You really wanna concentrate on this cheese.
And if you're doing this for a party, which is kind of fun,
just have everybody in the kitchen making their own pots
of fondue, and it can be a celebration,
and you just have to really commit to staying at the stove,
watching the cheese so that you're not gonna overcook it.
If you overcook it, it can get really stringy,
which is not really what you want for fondue.
[upbeat polka music]
Now that the cheese is beautifully melted,
I'm gonna top this off with some freshly grated nutmeg.
Smells so good in here, the nutmeg especially.
And then a little bit of kirsch.
Kirsch is just a clear, cherry-flavored brandy.
And this is made right here in Wisconsin up in Door County.
And now I'm gonna serve this on the table,
over some flames that it keeps the fondue nice and melted.
And I love serving this kind of thing to a group of people
because when you're eating communally like this,
it really brings you together.
[upbeat folksy music]
Serve the fondue with cubes of bread, cornichons,
cherry tomatoes, and roasted potatoes.
They say not to drink water when eating fondue,
because it will coagulate in your tummy.
So toast with a nice cold beer.
Well, I hope this has inspired you to make fondue
for your farming friends,
and I hope you'll gather with us next time,
- In unison: Around the Farm Table !
- I'm your host, Inga Witscher.
Thanks for coming guys.
[upbeat folksy music]
- Announcer: Around the Farm Table is funded in part by
Wisconsin Farmers Union:
United to Grow Family Agriculture,
Heartland Credit Union,
a gift in Memory of Wendy Bladorn,
Focus Fund for Wisconsin Programming,
and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television.