... and then Wisconsin said, "Let's put some cheese on it."

Cheese brine – everyone's favorite liquid cheese-making byproduct – will now be used to make many Wisconsin’s roads a little less slippery – and a little stinkier – this season. With the prevalence of vehicular accidents that occurs during winter months, the state’s road crews have sought out this alternative in addition to the normal rock salt distribution. The process, successfully tested in Milwaukee, would entail “pre-wetting,” which involves coating the roads with cheese brine prior to salting.

According to ModernFarmer.com, "Regular salt brine has a freezing point of 6 below zero, but cheese brine doesn’t freeze up until 21 below," cutting down on ice formation. Also, the brine almost completely stops rock salt nuggets from bouncing off the road on impact, which normally wastes about 30% of the stuff annually.

Not only is Wisconsin upping the state pride factor with our abundance of cheese-related living, but we are also positively impacting the planet, as cheese brine is easier on the environment than salt brine. And! The process saves cheese producers money in brine disposal. Cheesey? Yes. But also smart.