How New Glarus Helped Build the World Dairy Expo

Long before World Dairy Expo became a global gathering in Madison, New Glarus farmers, cheesemakers and Swiss traditions were helping shape Wisconsin dairy. One local family would later help create the Expo — and New Glarus never stopped showing up.

Todd Klassy
by Todd Klassy
How New Glarus Helped Build the World Dairy Expo
A young exhibitor leads a cow past the iconic World Dairy Expo globe outside the Alliant Energy Center in Madison. Built for the first Expo in 1967 from two silo roofs, with a motor and axle from a 10-ton truck, the revolving globe has become one of the event’s enduring symbols.

Each fall, tens of thousands of people from across the United States and around the world come to Madison for World Dairy Expo, one of the dairy industry’s largest and most important international gatherings. The event combines a massive trade show with educational programs, youth competitions and some of the most prestigious dairy cattle shows in the world.

For four days, the Alliant Energy Center becomes a meeting place for dairy farmers, cattle breeders, equipment manufacturers, genetics companies and agricultural businesses from around the globe. Thousands of dairy cattle are brought to Madison to compete, while hundreds of companies use the Expo to showcase equipment, technology and services to the dairy industry.

But the World Dairy Expo also has a remarkable connection to New Glarus.

When the Brown Swiss champions circle the show ring, they carry bells and are accompanied by Swiss music and yodeling. For years, some of that sound has come from the New Glarus Jodlerklub, carrying a piece of local culture into one of the best-known dairy cattle shows in the world.

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