There was a time when the steam pipes would bang awake before sunrise, rattling through a little country cheese factory in a place called Farmers Grove — a rural spot west of New Glarus where County Highways H and J meet. Milk cans clanged on the metal tracks, farmers chatted before the school bus arrived, and a young boy learned the rhythm of the cheesemaking life. That boy was Steve Stettler.
Today, he’s one of Wisconsin’s most celebrated Master Cheesemakers and the guiding force behind Decatur Dairy in Brodhead. But long before the awards and expansions, before the beer-infused cheeses and industry recognition, he was just a kid from New Glarus who was handed a shovel and told to keep the coal-fired boiler running.