Bio: Hoernke, Lawrence (Colby Cheese Factory 1983)

Contact: Kathleen E. Englebretson

Email: kathy@wiclarkcountyhistory.org

Surnames: Hoernke

---Source: Marshfield News-Herald (5 May 1983)

COLBY -- Lawrence "Jake" Hoernke works at a slower pace now in the historic cheese factory where Colby was first made.

His equipment is shut down, the long vats are empty. Hoernke's been doing a little cleaning and repairing and he's sold some cheese in his factory store.

Making cheese was what Hoernke always wanted to do for a living, but he realized a few weeks ago that his small plant could no longer compete with larger plants and government competition.

So on April 15, the Colby Cheese Factory, considered by some to be located on the site of Clark County's first cheese factory, produced its last cheddar, muenster, jack, brick and of course, Colby cheese.

Hoernke's factory, built in 1882 and located a few miles southwest of Colby, closed two months before the centennial celebration for the cheese that bears its name. As people prepare to relive the glory of the good old days, the factory's closing is a glaring reminder of how much times have changed.

When the first Colby cheese was made, the farmers depended on the neighborhood cheese factory. They didn't have dependable storage and cooling facilities, nor reliable means of transportation. A high quality product virtually assured the cheesemaker of a good market.

Advances, however, have given the larger producers the edge and quantity has replaced quality as a goal in cheesemaking as successful producers have had to enter a market dominated by the government, Hoernke said.

"I just couldn't compete with the government," he said.

When he stopped production, the government was paying $1.39 1/2 per pound for cheese and the Green Bay commercial cheese market payed $1.35 1/2. Hoernke didn't produce enough to be able to sell to the government and he couldn't survive in a market with such a large price differential. The private market should pay the same price as the government, he said.

"There is no future if the government's going to run their end like they're running it," he said.

In March, Hoernke and his three sons began to carefully examine their books. The factory was producing 4,000 pounds of cheese daily from 40,000 pounds of milk provided by 30 dairy farmers. The price the received for that cheese didn't warrant continued operation.

The decision was a difficult one for Hoernke, a cheesemaker for 42 years, and his sons who have all been licensed cheesemakers since their teens. Reality, however, left little choice.

"i had been thinking about this because the business hadn't been making any money," he said. "I always said since the day that I went into this that I would never go out with full vats of milk and no money to pay for it. I would go out and my bills will all be paid.Centennial officials hoped Hoernke could keep the factory open until summer when he was supposed to make "the largest Colby cheese ever." The 3-foot by 3-foot slab, however, will be made by Welcome Dairy near Colby.

"They (celebration organizers) said I could have at least kept it open until after the centennial," he said. "I just couldn't see where I could keep this open and then all of a sudden owe a lot of money."

In addition to low market prices, higher energy costs and environmental problems led to the decision. Whey, for example, is no longer spread on fields and a plant like Hoernke's can't justify a dryer or traveling and processing costs if they whey is handled elsewhere. The impending milk assessment hastened the closing, originally set for May 1.

He believes the recently approved milk marketing order, meant to increase dairy product sales, is a waste of the farmer's money.

"You don't have to advertise to sell to Uncle Sam and this where they're selling it. (Farmers) are throwing their money away," Hoernke said.

He agrees that market demand could increase as a result of the program. "But with the government price being this much higher, anybody who's capable of producing this much (is not) going to put it on the open market.

"I'm not against advertising...but it's pretty hard advertising against a 4-cent spread in the market. If it was the other way, we'd have an altogether different situation than we do right now."

If the Green Bay market and the government were paying the same price for cheese, larger operators would still be competing for markets and producers of good cheese would get a good price. Small operators always put quality before quantity, he said, but quantity is more important to large producers. There's still a market for good cheese, but not a satisfactory price.

Hoernke has no plans to sell his cheesemaking equipment, He may occasionally purchase milk to make cheese to sell in his store.

"Someday I might start up," Hoernke said. "I won't say that I'm going to completely shut down. There might come a day when they might need something like this."

If that day comes, Hoernke's sons -- Dale, David and Randy, who are now looking for new jobs-- probably would be the ones in charge. But their dad expects he'd be there helping them.

He also said he'd consider selling the plant if someone offed to buy it. The historic factor alone might make the plant attractive to buyers.

In the meantime, Hoernke will be selling cheese in his store seven days a week. and he expects even more factories like his to close unless conditions change.

"If this thing (the government market) stays the way it is, these smaller factories are going to be gone," he said. "That day, the farmer is going to realize that little factory meant an awful lot to him."