Page 6 - DairyOnThePrairie

4 Dairy on the Prairie
try incorporating methods of scientific management
and industrialized production was fostered by new
regulations regarding cleanliness and sanitation.
However, practices such as testing the acidity of the
cream, pasteurization, and the use of commercial start- been present throughout the state, were now concen-
ers were slow to be implemented.
Creamery management had likewise been re-
formed, and even local managers of small creameries
had to become experts in modern methods of opera-
tion in order to compete successfully with the larger
plants and comply with government regulations. By
World War I, butter-making in Iowa had completed
the transition from producing butter of uneven qual-
ity into a modern, regulated industry with enforced
standards of production. By 1921, the number of
creameries was less than half the number that existed
in 1900; however, production had increased by 40%
from about 61.5 million pounds in 1900 to almost 86
million pounds in 1920. Along with Wisconsin and
Minnesota, Iowa formed part of the "tri-state butter
region" that produced much of the nation's butter.
Iowa alone was producing one-tenth of the nation's
butter by 1900.8
Butter boxes.9
Much of Iowa's butter was produced in northeast not located in northeastern Iowa, being instead situ-
Iowa, the state's butter district. Iowa's dairy industry ated in the northwestern section of the state.
increasingly concentrated in this section of the state.
In 1921, the state's cheese factories, which had once By World War II, Iowa creameries were manufac-
turing more than 200 million pounds of butter a year.
trated in just three northeastern Iowa counties: The state ranked third nationally in butter produc-
Howard, Winneshiek and Allamakee.10 Of the 21 tion and would continue to do so until the 1960s. By
counties (including Jones County) with average herds that time, a fundamental shift had taken place among
larger than 20 cows in 1920, only Osceola County was dairy farmers that would transform the state's dairy
industry.11
IOWA STATE FAIR BUTTER COW
Since 1911, the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines has featured a butter sculpture to pro-
mote the state's dairy and livestock industries. Norma "Duffy" Lyon has been the butter
artist at the fair since 1960. Previous artists included Frank Dutt, J.E. Wallace, and Charles
Umlauf. Through the years, sculptures have included figures made from lard and butter
and have ranged from dancing pigs to dairy cows to political candidates to Elvis to a
Harley-Davidson motorcycle. In 2004 the butter sculptures included a cake celebrating
the State Fair's 150th birthday, a Jersey cow (one of six dairy breeds in Lyon's repertoire),
and a small dairy barn. Duffy Lyon, who lives on a dairy farm near Toledo, Iowa, noted
that "we dairy farmers, know what it takes to create quality products. It takes passion,
time and dedication to create the best products, and butter sculptures are no different.
We love our cows and take pride in producing quality dairy products." Duffy and her
butter sculptures have gotten nationwide exposure including appearances on the Today
Show, the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and the Late Show with David Letterman and
have helped create media exposure for both the State Fair and the state's dairy industry
besides being just plain fun!
The Beatrice Creamery Company, a local Nebraska-based dairy, began the butter sculp-
ture promotion at the Iowa State Fair. The company later became part of ConAgra. Lard
sculptures were often sponsored by the National Live Stock and Meat Board. Today,
both the American Dairy Association and the Iowa State Fair Board sponsor the butter
sculpture creations of Duffy Lyon, with Associated Milk Producers, Inc., supplying the
butter. Lyon uses about 600 pounds of butter for a typical cow sculpture, with the butter
reused for five years after which the consistency changes.12