MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - Wisconsin cheesemakers ended a busy year by increasing their production almost six percent in December.

New federal figures show that the Badger State made almost 245 million pounds of cheese in December – 5.7 percent more than the same month in 2011.

The increase was almost three times the national growth of 2 percent.

Wisconsin is the nation’s top cheese producer. Second-place California saw its output go down by a half-percent in December, to about 195 million pounds.

National cheese production for December was 949 million-pounds.

Wisconsin’s output of American cheese grew by 4.4 percent. The state also made 4.1 percent more Cheddar, and 2.3 percent more Italian cheeses.