Wisconsin will remain America’s Dairyland.
State Representative Scott Allen is backing away from a bill he introduced earlier this year that would have had high school students redesign the state’s license plate and potentially drop the iconic slogan. The decision comes after the proposal faced harsh criticism, with many defending the role agriculture has played in shaping the state’s history.
The Waukesha Republican says the proposal sparked a lot of conversations, several of which showed him the slogan should stay in place. “I came to the realization that ‘America’s Dairyland’ is a great example of how industrious we are, how innovative we are, how committed to quality we are as a state,” he says. “I became convinced that it’s a good slogan, because it’s a very specific example and no other state can provide that.”
The bill was introduced after the head of Wisconsin Manufacturer’s and Commerce suggested earlier this year that the state should reconsider using the Dairyland slogan, in favor of something that reflects the diverse industries that exist here. However, Allen says his conversations have shown him the dairy industry is a part of many aspects of the state’s economy, and he thinks more people need to be made aware of that fact. “I challenge the dairy industry and the Farm Bureau to really start telling that story,” he says.