The month of June is just around corner and with it comes June Dairy Month, a time for the celebration of cows, cheese and all dairy products. The whole thing started in the late 1930’s when a national drug store initiated “National Milk Month” as a way to increase their dairy counter business in light of the annual spring milk surplus.
In 1940, Wisconsin Governor Julius P. Heil officially proclaimed “June Dairy Month”. While June Dairy Month has received some token recognition nationally, it remains primarily a Wisconsin tradition and event, with dairy breakfasts on the farm (approximately 50) serving as a key ingredient.
According to late historian and columnist John Oncken, Wisconsin’s June Dairy Breakfast on the Farm tradition dates back to 1970 when the Clever Clovers 4-H Club in Jefferson County was looking for a project for the annual Pure Milk Association (PMA) dairy promotion contest. Somehow, the idea of inviting a few city folks from nearby Fort Atkinson to a breakfast on the farm took hold and Craig and Laura Beane and children Tom and Marcia, offered their Holwis Farm at Fort Atkinson as a possible site. The Fort Atkinson Chamber of Commerce sent their members invitations “to visit a dairy farm and have a free breakfast … limited to the first 100 people that call…