Green County is home to more dairy cows than people. With Swiss heritage in the region tracing back several generations, artisan cheesemakers are the real deal here. At international cheese competitions — along with the local county fair — wedges and wheels crafted in Green County are adored by some of the finest chefs worldwide, and routinely earn medals and ribbons. On a visit to this pastoral part of the state, where winding country roads and fields of cows dot the landscape of rolling green hills, sample alpine-style cheeses, witness the ancient art of yodeling, and wake up on the farm.
A considerable part of agritourism is getting your feet dirty on a farm. At DeVoe Family Farm in Monroe — which proudly uses the hashtag #HomeoftheHappyCow — Alan and Yvonne DeVoe, along with their daughter Samantha, welcome visitors to their working dairy farm daily. Home to 100 Holsteins, with some hailing from as far away as Switzerland, there is an abundance of opportunity to experience farm life firsthand. So much so, visitors are allowed the opportunity to milk a cow during the facility tour.
In Monticello, the 1,300-acre Voegeli Farms dates back to 1854, just six years after Wisconsin became a state. As a sixth-generation business opened by Swiss immigrants, cheesemaking at Voegeli is a family affair, run by two brothers Jimmy and Bryan, and Bryan’s son Chris. Milk from their 250 registered Brown Swiss cows is found in products such as Chalet Cheese Cooperative’s cheese and Yodelay Yogurt’s Swiss-style, Wisconsin-made yogurts.
Yodel, polka, and eat cheese at one of the Midwest’s oldest food festival. Green County Cheese Days, held the third weekend of September in even-numbered years, is a festival deeply rooted in the tradition of the region. Here is no shortage of cheese to consume, and cows are the ultimate honorees. Brown Swiss cows lead the parade alongside the official mascot “Wedgie,” whose appearance emulates a giant wedge of Swiss Emmentaler cheese.
At the festival, you can meet farm families through bus tours to local farms and learn the difference between “black and white” cows (Holsteins) and “brown” cows (Jerseys), and how the milk they produce is best used in butter, cheese, or milk. Drink a few award-winning New Glarus Brewing Spotted Cow beers, which are only available in Wisconsin, and you may find yourself taking part in the Cheese Days Cow Milking Contest.
Other udderly delightful, cow-friendly events include the Green County Breakfast on the Farm and the Green County Fair. Held every last Saturday of May, Breakfast on the Farm serves fresh eggs, sausage, cheese, coffee, milk, and ice cream sundaes for breakfast for over 5,000 people. Stick around long enough, and visitors can follow their breakfast with a tour of the farm. At the Green County Fair, visitors can meet the cows and their caretakers as they compete in 4-H and youth showmanship events.
Dig deeper into Green County’s legendary history, and learn about technological advancements in the cheesemaking process at National Historic Cheesemaking Center in Monroe. The museum is one reason Monroe earned the nickname “Cheese Capital of the U.S.A.” Here, visitors can learn about Wisconsin’s historic role in domestic cheese production — a practice that was developed and fine-tuned over centuries by Norwegian, German, and Swiss immigrants. While at NHCC, visitors can also step into the restored 19th century Imobersteg Farmstead Cheese Factory and learn how a farmer made big wheels of Swiss cheese using the milk from his own herd.
Now armed with facts and history about what makes Green County cheese and the farm life so noteworthy, get your palate ready for a treat. Both Maple Leaf Cheese Store in Juda and Alp and Dell Cheese Store in Monroe have a big variety of local favorites to choose from. If you see a guy with a big mustache at Alp and Dell, that’s store owner and Swiss native Tony Zgraggen. He’s also an accomplished yodeler who might be willing to throw out a quick yodel if you ask. While at Alp and Dell, walk into the observation halls to see cheese being made at the adjoining Emmi Roth factory — home to the 2016 World Champion Cheese Grand Cru Surchoix. Unique to Green County is Limburger, known for its distinctive aroma. While Limburger is commonly made in Europe, the only domestic producer of this delicacy is Chalet Cheese Cooperative in Monroe. Brodhead’s Decatur Dairy is another cheesy stop. Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker Steve Stettler is certified in curds (among other cheese varieties) and you’ll find an assortment of flavors of fresh curds to sample. Decatur Dairy is a traditional, old-fashioned cheese store with cheese cut to order. This is also the place to eat an epic — made to order, crispy on the outside, ooey gooey on the inside — grilled cheese.
When you’re ready to hit the hay, there’s nothing like a night on a farm. Several in Green County open their doors for the evening with overnight accommodations. One example of a farm-stay vacation is at The Dairy at the Wegmueller Farm in Monroe, a four-bedroom farmhouse with a wide front porch. When you hear Swiss-style bells clanging as the herd of Brown Swiss makes their way back from the pasture to the barn, you’ll swear you’ve been transported to the Swiss alps. This fourth-generation farm offers the opportunity to help bottle-feed baby calves, milk the cows and hop onto horses for a one-on-one riding experience along farm trails. Green thumbs like to bunk for the night at Bloomin’ Pickets Farm House Stay, a recently modernized 2,100-square-foot, century-old farmhouse in Monroe, owned by a member of the Green County Master Gardeners who grew up on the farm. Bring all your questions about growing flowers as you may pick up some tips!