Friday fish fries, Jell-O salads, beer and brats: these are all foods that scream Wisconsin. But is there anything that defines America’s Dairyland better than a squeaky, fresh cheese curd? Travel the state from north to south or east to west, and you’re likely to find half pound bags of fresh cheese curds on the counter of every gas station and grocery store between Madison and Minocqua.

Of the state’s 129 cheese plants, at least 45 factories make and sell fresh squeaky cheese curds at least one day a week. That’s right: only in Wisconsin is it likely the average person knows on which days and at which factories they can buy fresh cheese curds right out of the vat. And perhaps nobody knows fresh curds better than Bob Wills, master cheesemaker and owner of Cedar Grove Cheese in Plain, and Clock Shadow Creamery in Milwaukee. Last week, I sat down with Bob at a picnic table outside his office at the Cedar Grove cheese plant to talk curds.

Today we visit with two Wisconsin dairy farmers, both milking herds of just 40 cows and each with dreams of passing them on to the next generation. We learn why they’ve joined forces with a company called Red Barn Family Farms, an organization started by a veterinarian nine years ago that’s rewarding small, family-owned farms for treating their cows right.

We explore natural sandstone cheese aging caves with cheesemaker Jeff Jirik, the man who brought a Minnesota blue cheese factory back from the brink in 2001, after the previous owner closed and abandoned the caves to make cheese at a more modern facility. We'll also talk with Plant Manager Jill Ellingson and hear what it takes to make award-winning blue cheese.

What happens when a master cheesemaker retires? We find out by talking to Sartori’s Master Cheesemaker (and current U.S. Champion) Mike Matucheski. Mike's training his future replacement, and in a state full of third and fourth generation cheesemakers - the vast majority of whom are men - his replacement is a 34-year old woman.