>>>Actually it always sounds to me like an unsavory practice involving sheep ...
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>>Exactly. Or maybe cows.
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>>These days with two daughters in college in Wisconsin I get to do a fair amount of driving there. It really is a beautiful state. Lots of rolling hills and herds of cows. There is one particular place I pass by all the time on the way to Madison with probably a couple hundred cows and one goat. The goat always stands on a little edifice, master of all he sees. It makes me smile every time.
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>>You probably already know this but Wisconsin is no longer the dairy state in terms of milk production. Do you know what state it is? Take your time.
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>>California. There is a weird milk subsidy in the books based on distance from Wisconsin. I think it was originally instituted for Florida's benefit. On this point I fully agree with anyone that the federal government is nuts.
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>California has been number 1 in cows milk production since 1993.
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>http://www.californiadairypressroom.com/Press_Kit/Dairy_Industry_Facts
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>The Irish side of my family since 1849 has been involved with dairy ranching in California. My grandfather grew up on his grandfather's dairy ranch in San Francisco.

Dairy and Ranch. Somehow those two words just don't go together. To me a ranch is a huge area of practically barren ground (a bit like in Bonanza) and dairy is a farm with lush green grass and lots of rain.