Governor Scott Walker says cars licensed in Wisconsin will continue to show they are from “America’s Dairyland.”
The Republican governor told agriculture reporter Pam Jahnke on Tuesday there’s “no way” he would support dropping the slogan that’s been on the state’s license plates for almost 70 years. His comments come amid a renewed push to drop the designation, in favor of something that reflects other aspects of the state.
In October, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce executive director Kurt Bauer suggested that the slogan be dropped from plates in favor of something like the state’s “Forward” motto. State Representative Scott Allen (R-Waukesha) also introduced a bill this fall that would hold a statewide contest for high school students to design a new plate, possibly removing the dairyland designation during that process.
Dairy industry leaders strongly oppose the change — and Walker said that, while Wisconsin has many different industries, agriculture and manufacturing remain the state’s “bread and butter.”