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Cheese has long been a source of great pride for the state of Wisconsin-- but now it’s law.
On Thursday, Gov. Scott Walker signed a bill making cheese the state’s official dairy product.
"We are so pleased to give Wisconsin cheese the recognition it deserves by declaring it the official state dairy product," Gov. Walker declared at the bill’s signing.
"Today we celebrate the efforts of Wisconsin's hard-working dairy farmers and cheesemakers who make us all proud to live in America's Dairyland."
Each year, the state produces 3.1 billion pounds of cheese at nearly 150 cheese making plants. The dairy cow is already the state’s official domestic animal (that distinction was bestowed upon the cow in 1971) and milk has been the official state beverage since 1987.
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The designation of cheese as the official dairy product, however, was itiallity proposed by a group of fourth grade students from Mineral Point Elementary in Mineral Point, Wisc.
Those children were on hand Thursday to watch their suggestion become law. The children who attended the signing wore T-shirts that showed a piece of yellow cheese inside the borders of Wisconsin for the bill signing. Someone in a cow costume also paraded around the room.
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"The students are absolutely thrilled that their voices have been heard," said Livia Doyle, 4th Grade Teacher at Mineral Point Elementary School, according to a press release.
"Being a part of this legislative process has been more meaningful and educational than ever imagined! The students have experienced firsthand what it means to have an idea and to share it with our representatives."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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