[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 18771]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                    JULY 30, 1999, IS TILLAMOOK DAY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 6, 1999, the gentlewoman from Oregon (Ms. Hooley) is recognized 
for 60 minutes.
  Ms. HOOLEY of Oregon. Madam Speaker, imagine a land where cows 
outnumber the people two to one, where the high school football team is 
aptly named the Cheesemakers, and where world famous cheddar cheese is 
produced by a cooperative of dairy farmers, many who have passed that 
skill on from generation to generation.
  Such a place exists in a small Oregon coastal county named Tillamook. 
This 35,000 acre region is peppered with approximately 150 family farms 
that supply fresh milk to the Tillamook County Creamery Association, 
which in turn produces award-winning Tillamook cheese. It also markets 
butter, sour cream, yogurt, and ice cream. It was founded in 1909. The 
Tillamook County Creamery accounts for one-third of Oregon's dairy 
industry.
  Swiss settlers looking for an ideal location to raise dairy cattle 
discovered Tillamook in 1851. The name Tillamook is a native American 
name meaning land of many rivers, which is especially appropriate since 
five rivers feed into the Tillamook Bay.
  The region's climate is cool and wet, averaging 80 inches of rain 
annually, but it is this unique environment that allows cows to graze 
at least 8 months each year on natural grass in open pastures, 
resulting in exceptionally sweet and rich milk, the cornerstone of 
Tillamook cheese.
  Superior milk, combined with Tillamook's unique cheese culture 
recipe, traditional cheddaring method, and natural aging process, 
enables the Tillamook County Creamery to guaranty its benchmark 
standards for its award-winning premium cheese.
  The Tillamook County Creamery association takes pride in producing 
blue ribbon cheese, and firmly believes that quality cheese begins in a 
quality location, a place where cows still roam the open fields.
  Oregon is proud of the excellence and tradition the Tillamook County 
Creamery Association has exemplified over the past 90 years. Tillamook 
has been a leader locally and nationally in enhancing the visibility of 
Oregon's dairy industry.
  The Tillamook County Creamery is one of Oregon's most popular tourist 
destinations, drawing visitors from around the globe; so exemplary that 
Oregon's governor, Governor Kitzhaber, has proclaimed today, July 30, 
1999, to be Tillamook Day.
  I urge all of my colleagues and the Nation to join me in observing 
Tillamook Day. If you are ever in Oregon, be sure to come and visit the 
factory and see how Tillamook's famous cheese is made.
  I am proud to represent Tillamook County and the Tillamook County 
Creamery, and I want to congratulate them for 90 years of operation in 
making America's best cheese.

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