FORTY-THIRD ANNUAL CONVENTION 13 



south of Green county, Wisconsin, which produces more than 

 half of the Swiss cheese that is produced in the State of Wis- 

 consin. 



I was bom and raised in Stephenson county. At the time I 

 was a boy, Stephenson county was engaged in grain farming, 

 farmers would raise wheat and corn and sell the grain, as I think- 

 most of the farmers do in this vicinity. Gradually, though, 

 creameries came in and the Swiss cheese factories crossed the 

 state line and came into Illinois into our county. Now the north- 

 ern half of the county is covered with cheese factories and there 

 are no creameries in the county, only one in the city of Freeport 

 that is making butter — there are two or three of them outside of 

 Freeport. All the creameries have either been changed to cheese 

 factories making Swiss cheese, or the milk is pasteurized and 

 shipped to Chicago. 



The dairy industry started when 1 was a young man, about 

 25 years ago, in Stephenson county. Before that every farmer 

 kept a few cows and what milk and butter the family could not 

 consume was taken to the grocery store, and I can well remem- 

 ber when my folks used to sell butter for 9 cents and 10 cents a 

 pound — there was no market for it, but after the creameries and 

 cheese factories came in and there was a market, dairying in- 

 creased so rapidly that now the northern half at least of Steph- 

 enson county has become an exclusive dairy country. There is so 

 much dairying and stock raising going on now that we don't pro- 

 duce enough grain to feed the cows and hogs that are raised in 

 Stephenson county. There is a considerable amount of mill feeds 

 and some corn shipped in, at least this year and last year. It used 

 to be that it did not make much difference when each man had a 

 few cows whether they paid or not, whether they were produc- 

 ing enough to pay for their keep, that time is past. We no long- 

 er have com at 18 cents a bushel. I have been farming now for 

 20 years and I bought my first corn delivered for 18 cents a 

 bushel, and my first oats delivered at 15 cents a bushel and that 

 was 2 cents above the market price, and I purchased my first 

 cows for $25 apiece. That day is gone. You know what corn 

 is worth today, barley, oats ,and at a public auction up in the 

 northern part of our county just a common grade Holstein cow 

 will bring $150, so that it is no longer an easy matter to be in 



