Madison small business owner Ken Monteleone, owner of the Fromagination cheese shop, sent a letter to President Donald Trump Wednesday asking him to reconsider three policies that he says are set to damage Wisconsin’s dairy industry.
“I’m very concerned about cuts to USDA grants and staff that affect dairy research and dairy and cheese business improvements,” Monteleone said. “The new administration is also demonizing and threatening non-citizen dairy workers and hamstringing the science of the Centers for Disease Control.
“We’ve heard from several cheese makers who’ve had their previously approved grants suddenly taken away. The sum of these actions will surely negatively impact Wisconsin’s best-known, showcase industry.”
The letter was copied to several federal and state officials, including the chairs of key committees in the Wisconsin Legislature.
“We hope the letter will be considered not only by those who lead federal agencies, but also state leaders who may have a clearer understanding of what’s important to Wisconsin’s farmers, dairy producers, and cheese makers,” Monteleone continued. “We didn’t even mention what this administration’s tariffs will do to our economy. … Stopping these damaging actions to our dairy industry is front and center for me. People in Wisconsin need to be aware of what’s happening.”
The full letter is available here.
