Wisconsin
Wisconsin Democrats make udder mistake with National Dairy Month post
How to milk a cow as seen at the Wisconsin State Fair
There’s more to milking a cow than you might think. In this archived video at the Wisconsin State Fair, a Journal Sentinel reporter gave it a try.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel files
Wisconsin Republicans had a field day when the state Democratic Party celebrated the start of National Dairy Month with a post featuring male cattle that don’t produce milk.
The Democratic Party of Wisconsin initially posted a “Happy Dairy Month” graphic on Facebook, Instagram and X showing two brown and white cattle with horns and no visible udders.
The party later posted a corrected version, featuring two black-and-white spotted Holstein cows. T-bone steaks with halos and wings floated above them – presumably, where the male cattle had gone.
“We regret that our Dairy Month tweet contained an error. We have ‘taken care’ of the issue, if you catch our drift,” the party wrote June 1.
Side note: Many dairy cattle, including females, naturally have horns. In most cases, they’re removed to prevent injuries to farmers and cattle themselves. But udders are visible only on female cattle, a.k.a. cows.
Tom Tiffany, the leading Republican candidate for governor, jumped on the mistake, posting a video touting his experience growing up on a Wisconsin dairy farm.
Tiffany and other Republicans also criticized Democrats for celebrating the start of Pride Month, which recognizes LGBTQ+ communities and begins June 1 alongside National Dairy Month.
“I regret to inform [Wisconsin Democrats] that you cannot milk a bull. But considering they think men can get pregnant, I guess thinking you can milk a bull tracks too,” Tiffany wrote on X.
Tiffany also said June 1 that, if elected governor, he would no longer fly the Pride flag over the state Capitol in June – a practice started by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in 2019.
Evers also celebrated June Dairy Month with a video message, in part criticizing President Donald Trump’s tariff policies and cuts to federal programs supporting farmers.
Wisconsin is home to about 5,000 dairy farms – more than any other state – and has about 1.27 million cows. National Dairy Month originally started in 1937 as National Milk Month.
Hope Karnopp can be reached at HKarnopp@usatodayco.com.