Posted on 03/06/2025 8:27:49 AM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
MADISON, Wis. - 'Fromagination' Cheese Shop has sat across the street from the Capitol for 17 years. But the owner says this year, with executive orders and federal policies, he's concerned about the future of his business and the dairy industry.
“We want to showcase Wisconsin's rich treasure, and that's cheese,” owner and founder Ken Monteleone said.
And for 17 years, Ken Monteleone has been the final stop in that treasure's long journey.
“You know, from our dairy farmers, from our cheesemakers to the people that sell the cheese, it's a big industry that's not only important in Wisconsin, but across the country,” Monteleone said.
Roughly 80% of Fromagination’s inventory is from Wisconsin producers.
But now Monteleone thinks the future is not looking so "gouda," and needs to be fought for.
“It's a lot of chaos,” Monteleone said. “A lot of our cheesemakers have been coming to us with concerns.”
Monteleone felt he needed to take those concerns to the top, writing a letter to President Donald Trump.
“So, we're just keeping our ‘sharp’ eye on it and just letting our voices be heard,” he said.
He says what's been worrying him and his business partners are the Trump administration's handling of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the quote "demonization" and crackdown of immigrant labor, and USDA funding, which is already impacting some of his Wisconsin suppliers.
“A couple of them had grants pulled from them unexpectedly and unfortunately, a lot of the money had already been in motion being spent to improve their business model and structure. And just out of the blue, they no longer have those funds,” Monteleone said.
He also sees other agricultural initiatives in the area taking a hit.
“The CFA Coalition in Wisconsin, which is an organization with 80 local small-scale farmers, just lost a huge grant that was $500,000 that was unexpectedly taken from them,” Monteleone said.
He hopes others will join him in making their voices heard.
“You know, we want to hold our politicians and our government accountable,” Monteleone said. “95% of all the dairy farmers in Wisconsin are local, small, family-owned businesses, even though it represents $43 billion of our economy. We all pull together, so regardless of our political views, we are really here to bring to life the industry.”
Because while Wisconsin's treasure is cheese, for him, “it's the people. It's the hardworking people in our state that really bring to life the fruits of their labor.”
A whole lot more people on the left want to close down all the dairy farms then you will ever find on the right.
The guy is full of Fromundacheese.
Farm subsidies have always been a double edged sword. Farmers, like Clark Griswold, have come to depend on their yearly government check.
If these “Cheese producers” are upset about a “crackdown of immigrant labor” they need to be arrested today
Hiring illegals has been a crime for decades in the USA
So you make cheese and you are somehow impacted by halting corrupt spending? Your cheddar doesn’t taste as good without some money from USAID?
I saw a video from some Wisconsin Cheese Co-op on YouTube claiming that Canada has a 200% tariff on American cheese and dairy products already.
How much worse can it be for American businesses there?
We need to take all farm subsidies (yeah, I know, that’s a lot!) and still pay them in full—as long as the farmer agrees to convert a certain percentage of land each year to organic, regenerative agriculture.
We’ve got to shift from massive soybean exports to higher-margin, healthy produce for domestic production.
It will take some time, but we can bring the soil back.
What’s the problem? Wisconsin has good cheese. They can do well. Why do they need federal grants to make cheese?
If he can’t figure out how to operate without illegal labor he should be declared Persona Non Graten.
YAY! Best skit ever, right behind their dead parrot sketch!
This Monteleone guy doesn’t sound like he voted for Donald Trump with him being from Madison and all.
Wisconsin cheese stinks. (No pun intended.) Vermont and California cheeses are better. (Why is it that the most fouled-up states have the best cheese?)
Farmers need to learn to make their jobs appealing in both conditions and compensation—like the rest of the world.
Make the conditions appealing enough and you can get close to volunteer labor: https://wwoof.net/
“We’ve got to shift from massive soybean exports to higher-margin, healthy produce for domestic production.”
My thoughts, exactly. America could be much more self-sufficient in SO many ways! Our talents have been sold off, piece-meal, by ‘our betters’ for WAY too long!
In the meantime, grow your own! And soft cheeses are VERY easy to make at home. ;)
I do and I do!
They’re upset at losing their cheap labor, for sure. And, good! Bring back Child Labor. There are plenty of do-nothings glued to their phones that could be put to work. ;)
‘We’ll have to go vegan’: Dairy farmers rattled about finding workers amid Trump immigrant sweeps
Prison labor, too! Monks make great cheese, wine and bread to sell with no outside labor. Just sayin’! ;)
Real cheese involves a lot of cow poop, so this speech coming from Wisconsin does not surprise. But my ultra-liberal BIL, who is originally from Illinois and now lives in Florida, lectured me recently about the plight of illegals who pick radishes in Wisconsin, so does that mean cow poop can be used to fertilize the radish farms there?
University of Wisconsin- Madison alumni, gone from student loans, to Covid loans, to SBA loans, to Grants. That’s just about every franchise in Madison, WI.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.