by Heather Schlesser

For most adults (79.3%), consuming some dairy is part of their way of life. However, for most, little thought is paid to how that dairy product was created or the cow that produced it. Cow appreciation day occurs annually on the second Tuesday of July. That means that July 11th, 2023, is cow appreciation day. 

Throughout history, many notable cows have helped to shape the dairy industry. One particular cow was a Brown Swiss named Illini Nellie. Illini Nellie began giving milk in April 1930. Over the next ten years, her average daily output was 93.5 pints of milk and her average lifetime production was 194,665.8 pounds. This may not seem like a lot in today’s day and age; however, in her day when dairy nutrition was not carefully defined, Illini Nellie smashed both milk and butterfat world records. More recently, in 1987, UW-Fleta Sexation-OC, a product of the UW-Madison herd, won grand champion honors at the Wisconsin Championship Show and Minnesota State Fair. UW-Fleta went on to be a 94-point cow and a three-time All-Wisconsin winner.

On this Cow Appreciation Day, we should all take a moment to thank these notable cows and their descendants for producing the milk we consume and the fabulous dairy products we make from it.

Heather Schlesser is a Dairy Agent with the Division of Extension, University of Wisconsin – Madison Division of Extension, Marathon County

Looking to take those first steps toward reducing stress? Listen to the "Simple Tips to Help with Farm Stress & Relationships" podcast episode on Rural Realities. Spring and summer can be a very stressful time for farmers and this year, the weather and markets have given us plenty to worry about. Monica McConkey, a rural mental health specialist, shares three simple tips to help you manage stress, and three things you can do to benefit your relationships on your family farm, with Farm Center’s Karen Endres. We need to be intentional about improving our emotional health and relationships and this conversation gives listeners tools that you can start implementing immediately. 

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Resilient Farms & Families Advisory board meeting
July 18, 2023
12:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Wisconsin Riverside Resort (S13220 Shifflet Rd, Spring Green, WI 53588)

You are invited to join the Resilient Farms & Families Advisory board meeting on July 18th in Spring Green. This meeting will bring together academic, industry, farming, and healthcare professionals to review the work done to address farmer stress over the past year and set priorities for next year. If you attend, you can share your efforts to address farmer stress in Wisconsin. The board meeting is free; RSVPs are required. Lunch will be provided.

Forty Acres Deep - An Evening with Michael Perry
July  18, 2023
6:30 PM - 8:00 PM
Octagon Barn (E4350 Horseshoe Rd, Spring Green, WI 53588)

We hope you will also join us for an Evening with Michael Perry, where he will discuss his new book: Forty Acres Deep, which is the brief, unrelenting tale of one person's attempt to make sense of a world he no longer recognizes while pitilessly calling himself into account. Seamed with grim humor and earthy revelations, it is an unforgiving story...and yet leaves open the idea that we might surrender to hope. The evening will include a panel of farmers, moderated by Joy Kirkpatrick, responding to the story and sharing their experiences about what it means to farm today.

For questions about either of these events, reach out to Alex Walters at alexandra.walters@wisc.edu.