Editing Wisconsin (section)

===19th-century development===
[[File:Chase Stone Barn - Green Grass.jpg|thumb|The [[Daniel E. Krause Stone Barn]] in [[Chase, Wisconsin|Chase]] was built in 1903, as dairy farming spread across the state.]]

Wisconsin's economy also diversified during the early years of statehood. While lead mining diminished, agriculture became a principal occupation in the southern half of the state. Railroads were built across the state to help transport grains to market, and industries like [[Case Corporation|J.I. Case & Company]] in Racine were founded to build agricultural equipment. Wisconsin briefly became one of the nation's leading producers of wheat during the 1860s.<ref>{{cite book|last=Nesbit|year=1973|isbn=978-0-299-06370-2|page=[https://archive.org/details/wisconsinhistory0000nesb/page/273 273]|title=Wisconsin: a history|publisher=University of Wisconsin Press |url=https://archive.org/details/wisconsinhistory0000nesb/page/273}}</ref> Meanwhile, the lumber industry dominated in the heavily forested northern sections of Wisconsin, and sawmills sprang up in cities like [[La Crosse]], [[Eau Claire, Wisconsin|Eau Claire]], and [[Wausau, Wisconsin|Wausau]]. These economic activities had dire environmental consequences. By the close of the 19th century, intensive agriculture had devastated soil fertility, and lumbering had deforested most of the state.<ref>{{cite book|last=Nesbit|year=1973|isbn=978-0-299-06370-2|pages=[https://archive.org/details/wisconsinhistory0000nesb/page/281 281, 309]|title=Wisconsin: a history|publisher=University of Wisconsin Press |url=https://archive.org/details/wisconsinhistory0000nesb/page/281}}</ref> These conditions forced both wheat agriculture and the lumber industry into a precipitous decline.

Beginning in the 1890s, farmers in Wisconsin shifted from wheat to dairy production to make more sustainable and profitable use of their land. Many immigrants carried cheese-making traditions that, combined with the state's suitable geography and dairy research led by [[Stephen Babcock]] at the [[University of Wisconsin]], helped the state build a reputation as "America's Dairyland".<ref>{{cite book|title= The Progressive Era, 1893–1914|series=History of Wisconsin|volume=4|first=John|last=Buenker|publisher=State Historical Society of Wisconsin|location=Madison, WI|year=1998|editor-first=William Fletcher|editor-last=Thompson|isbn=978-0-87020-303-9|pages=25, 40–41, 62}}</ref> Meanwhile, conservationists including [[Aldo Leopold]] helped re-establish the state's forests during the early 20th century,<ref>{{cite web|title=Turning Points in Wisconsin History: The Modern Environmental Movement|url=http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/tp-048/?action=more_essay|publisher=[[Wisconsin Historical Society]]|access-date=March 13, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204150526/http://www.wisconsinhistory.org/turningpoints/tp-048/?action=more_essay|archive-date=December 4, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> paving the way for a more renewable lumber and [[paper mill]]ing industry as well as promoting recreational tourism in the northern woodlands. Manufacturing also boomed in Wisconsin during the early 20th century, driven by an immense immigrant workforce arriving from Europe. Industries in cities like Milwaukee ranged from brewing and food processing to heavy machine production and tool-making, leading Wisconsin to rank 8th among U.S. states in total product value by 1910.<ref>{{cite book|title= The Progressive Era, 1893–1914|series=History of Wisconsin|volume=4|first=John|last=Buenker|publisher=State Historical Society of Wisconsin|location=Madison, WI|year=1998|editor-first=William Fletcher|editor-last=Thompson|isbn=978-0-87020-303-9|pages=80–81}}</ref>