The 50th edition of World Dairy Expo opened Tuesday morning in Madison, Wis., with the unveiling of ‘Miss Madison,’ a 6,900 lb. carved stone statue representing the seven breeds of dairy exhibited at the show.
The statue, made of Dakota Mahogany granite, took more than five weeks to carve, using robotic cutting machines operating 24 hours per day seven days per week. The work was supervised by artists from Germany and Italy.
World Dairy Expo began in 1967 as the World Food Exposition to connect consumers with farmers. It has since evolved into the largest dairy trade and cattle show in the world with nearly 2,500 cattle, 875 commercial exhibitors and some 3,000 international guests from nearly 100 countries. More than 70,000 visitors are expected at this year’s show which runs from Oct. 4 through Oct. 8.
“The founders of World Dairy Expo would be shedding tears to see this. They had no idea then that dream would turn out like it is today,” says Wisconsin Secretary of Agriculture Ben Brancel who spoke at the opening ceremony.
