June 13, 2012
Common Ground Tour: June Dairy Month Edition
Pointing out that neither jobs nor cows are partisan, Sen. Tim Cullen and Sen. Dale Schultz will visit cheesemakers and other dairy producers in Lafayette and Green counties on Tuesday, June 19 as part of their Common Ground Tour.
Under the newly drawn legislative boundaries, Cullen will represent a portion of eastern Green County that includes Albany and Brodhead.
“June is Dairy Month, and our dairy producers, big and small, contribute tremendously to our state economy,” Cullen said. “Cheese plants dot our towns and countrysides, and I look forward to highlighting a few of them.”
The tour begins Tuesday morning at the Roelli Cheese Company east of Shullsburg in southern Lafayette County. Fourth generation cheesemaker Chris Roelli will conduct a tour of his cheese plant, home of the award-winning Dunbarton Blue cheddar.
The senators will then head northeast to Argyle, where they will have lunch at Irma’s Kitchen with Village President Wayne Wilson.
After lunch, the senators will meet with pudding maker Ann Lancaster, owner of Louie’s Specialty Foods in Argyle.
In Green County, the senators will visit Sugar River Dairy northeast of Monticello. Owners Ron and Chris Paris make yogurt in several varieties.
Traveling southwest to Brodhead, the senators will visit the cheesemaking operation at Decatur Dairy near Brodhead. Steve Stettler, one of the state’s most decorated cheesemakers, is the owner.
To close the tour, Senators Schultz and Cullen will head to Baumgartner’s Tavern and Cheese Store on the square in Monroe for a meet-and-greet. Community members, business leaders and elected officials are invited to come together to discuss issues concerning them.
For more information on the dairy businesses that Schultz and Cullen will visit, please see these websites: