MADISON — Sevie Kenyon: Taking a look at Wisconsin’s strong food and beverage industry we’re visiting today with Paul Mitchell, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Wisconsin-Madison/Extension in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and I’m Sevie Kenyon. Paul, start out by giving us a snapshot of the food and beverage industry in Wisconsin.
Paul Mitchell: There’s a lot of food production in the state that happens, I mean obviously with the cheese and dairy. There’s other industries the same thing I’m thinking of the meat industry, we think of Johnsonville and the bratwurst stuff like that but there’s lots of smaller meats going on there as well as other large companies. Another sector is we’re a major canning and freezing of vegetables and that industry has been going through consolidation and shrinking but, we’re still a major player in that globally there’s certain parts of the world that love our canned sweet corn we ship a lot of it to Japan. The other one is fermentation a lot of the beverages we make, there’s a lot of pickles and pickled food, sauerkraut is another major crop here. People don’t think of those and that’s all what I call after the farm gate processing.
Click here to listen to the podcast.
Sevie Kenyon: And what’s the status of these businesses in the state?
Paul Mitchell: There’s so many specialty cheeses now and that’s a major innovation that’s going on in the dairy sector and we’re seeing the same thing going on in the meat sector as a business operation and even in the vegetable industry struggling with it I think, the canned vegetables that’s just not as popular anymore. We moved much more to fresh and frozen, but especially fresh and I think we can compete in that, we have to figure out how. We need some more work on innovation and these industries are working hard at this cause that’s what they do businesses always have to innovate to survive.
Sevie Kenyon: And our beverages?
Paul Mitchell: Yeah fermentations, I’m thinking of all the micro breweries again that’s another one that we’re doing very well in that. There are issues in all these industries between labor supply, technical skills, import export issues and things like that. These are all important and they can impede or accelerate an industry and help us out tremendously if that sector grows even bigger.
Sevie Kenyon: What are the benefits of going to value-added processing?
Paul Mitchell: When you produce a commodity product you only make a little bit for each unit you produce so each pound of Velveeta cheese you make; you make only a little tiny bit. IF you can make an artisanal cheese and sell the same number of pounds you’re getting a much thicker margin that means more income staying in the state, that means more jobs, it usually takes more people to make that artisanal cheese. The key in all that, that creates that margin that’s more income retained and captured it’s the need for innovation and that takes a lot of thinking and getting a head of the curve on the innovation is very difficult. We’re trying to help industry innovate and that’s the crux of the issue is coming up with these new ideas that work.
Sevie Kenyon: We’ve been visiting with Paul Mitchell, Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, University of Wisconsin-Madison/Extension in the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and I’m Sevie Kenyon.
— Paul Mitchell, and Sevie Kenyon, UW-Extension
For more news from Wisconsin, click here.
RECOMMENDED ARTICLES
MONTPELIER, Vt. — Vermont cheese and butter makers won a total of 40 awards, including multiple firsts, at the American Cheese Society Awards. Congratulations: JASPER HILL FARMS CABOT CREAMERY COOPERATIVE VERMONT CREAMERY MAPLEBROOK FARM GRAFTON VILLAGE CHEESE COMPANY SPRING BROOK FARM SAGE FARM GOAT DAIRY In addition to the ACS awards, both Jasper Hill Farms and Vermont […]
WEST ALLIS, Wis. — Dairy manufacturers from throughout the state submitted over 300 entries for the 2022 Wisconsin State Fair Dairy Products Contest, which took place June 23 at the Wisconsin State Fair Park. The contest featured over 40 classes for cheese, sour cream, butter, yogurt, and milk. The 2022 Grand Master Cheesemaker, Grand Champion Butter, […]
MADISON — National Cheese Curd Day is upon us, and soon cheese lovers near and far will come together to collectively celebrate the irresistible Wisconsin Cheese that is adored around the world. Get in on the fun and celebrate like a Wisconsinite by taking a bite out of the snack that squeaks! “Wisconsinites are truly […]
MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Dairy manufacturers from throughout the state submitted 417 entries for the 2021 Wisconsin State Fair Dairy Products Contest, which took place June 24 at Wisconsin State Fair Park. The contest featured 49 classes, including new classes for cheese curds, custard and edam and gouda. The 2021 Grand Master Cheesemaker, Grand Champion Butter, […]
