Events & Education
Upcoming Events, Courses and Workshops:
CONNECT U by Dairy Connection | Online Courses: Ongoing
Created, produced, and hosted by Dairy Connection, CONNECT U is an online educational resource featuring presentations on a variety of dairy science topics. This easily-accessible, low-cost (often free) education and technical information platform is geared to assist cheesemakers, cheese retailers, and anyone interested in diving into the science of making cheese, yogurt, and other dairy products. All presentations are available a la carte, and new content and topics are added regularly. Learn more and enroll here: https://connectu.dairyconnection.com
The Science of Yogurt and Cultured Dairy Products: Basic Level | Cornell University | Ithaca, NY: April 28, 2026
A hybrid event with both online and in-person components, this basic workshop will enhance your expertise in yogurt production and cultured dairy products. This course is designed for industry professionals seeking to deepen their understanding of yougrt attributes, culture microbiology, milk quality, and the intricacies of product evaluation and formulation. Learn more here: https://cals.cornell.edu/education/degrees-programs/science-yogurt-and-cultured-dairy-products-basic-level
Vermont Cheese Council (VCC) Artisan Cheesemakers Conference | Rutland, VT: May 1, 2026
Artisan cheesemakers wear many hats. From pasture and herd management, to recipe development, to food safety to affinage — so much has to go right in order to arrive at a delicious piece of cheese. For this year’s in-person conference, VCC is focusing on what happens next. How do we guide cheese from farm to plate? How do we share our story in a compelling way, across a range of audiences? How do we connect the dots with people between flavor and provenance? How do we present our cheese in the wild in a way that does all the hard work behind the wheel justice? Join VCC for a full day focused on the stories, flavors, and flair behind a successful cheese. Learn more here: https://vtcheese.com/conference/
Advanced Cheesemaking: American Varieties | Center for Dairy Research (CDR) | Madison, WI: May 5-7, 2026
This advanced level cheesemaking course takes a deep dive into American-style cheese varieties. Content that was previously a part of CDR's advanced cheese technology short course has been revamped to enhance your cheesemaking knowledge and skills with classroom lectures by CDR content experts, hands-on labs and activities, sensory experiences, and critical thinking exercises. Successful completion of CDR's Cheesemaking Fundamentals short course (or pre-approved work experience) is required prior to taking this course. Learn more here: https://www.cdr.wisc.edu/american-style
International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association (IDDBA) Conference 2026 | Orlando, FL: June 7-9, 2026
IDDBA 2026 brings together today’s leaders and tomorrow’s innovators for the industry’s premier event dedicated to dairy, deli, bakery, and foodservice. Join more than 10,000 attendees and 1,000+ exhibiting companies to explore the latest products, trends, and fresh ideas to help grow your business. Network with influential industry leaders, gain valuable insights from experts, and experience the energy of a community driven by a shared passion for food. Designed for serious buyers, merchandisers, and executives, IDDBA 2026 is the once-a-year opportunity to make meaningful connections and stay ahead in a rapidly evolving industry. For more information, visit https://www.iddba.org/iddba-show
American Cheese Society (ACS) Annual Conference | Louisville, KY: July 7-10, 2026
Learn, connect and celebrate with more than a thousand cheese makers, mongers, producers, retailers and enthusiasts at the annual ACS conference, taking place this year in Louisville, KY. Learn more here: https://cheesesociety.org/conference/2026-conference
Advanced Cheesemaking: Italian Varieties | Center for Dairy Research (CDR) | Madison, WI: September 15-17, 2026
This advanced level cheesemaking course takes a deep dive into Italian-style cheese varieties. Content that was previously a part of CDR's advanced cheese technology short course has been revamped to enhance your cheesemaking knowledge and skills with classroom lectures by CDR content experts, hands-on labs and activities, sensory experiences, and critical thinking exercises. Successful completion of CDR's Cheesemaking Fundamentals short course (or pre-approved work experience) is required prior to taking this course. Learn more here: https://cdr.wisc.edu/new-italian-style
Dairy Ingredient Fundamentals | Center for Dairy Research (CDR) | Madison, WI: October 6, 2026
This fundamentals course will cover the manufacture of dairy ingredients and their many applications in the food, pet, cosmetic, and pharmaceutical industries. The sessions include information on a variety of dairy ingredients including whey, permeate, milk protein, whey protein, and lactose. A tour of CDR’s new 2nd floor pilot plant is included. This course is designed for product developers that work with dairy ingredients or food industry professionals interested in learning more about dairy processing and ingredients. Learn more here: https://cdr.wisc.edu/new-dairy-ingredient-fundamentals
Cheese Grading & Evaluation | Center for Dairy Research (CDR) | Madison, WI: October 20-22, 2026
Join CDR experts for lectures, demonstrations, and lots of hands-on activities with graders from the industry to enhance your cheese grading and evaluation skills. This course is structured around the cheese grading standards covered by Wisconsin Ag chapter 81 and USDA grading standards, as well as informal industry standards for cheeses without Wisconsin standards. Learn more here: https://cdr.wisc.edu/new-cheese-grading
Artisan Food Safety Resource Hub | Online
Dairy products produced on farm, by artisans, and by small companies continue to drive rapid growth with unique cheese, yogurt and ice cream products sold at retail, restaurants or farmers markets around the country. To help these processors and assure the dairy industry continues to provide safe and nutritional products, the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy has developed resources for artisan and farmstead producers to make important food safety information more accessible. Find numerous resources, including several in Spanish, here: https://www.usdairy.com/about-us/innovation-center/food-safety/artisan-and-farmstead-dairy
Science of Farmstead Cheese | Online Course: Ongoing
Understand the fundamentals of cheese and milk chemistry with this self-paced online course. Modules include: Cheese, Culture and the Cheesemaker; Milk Chemistry; 10 Steps of Cheesemaking; Starter Culture Technology; Rennet and Coagulation; Salting and Molding; Cheese Aging Chemistry; Cheese Analysis and Evaluation; Course Summary and Next Steps. Cost of this course is $699 (discount available to Vermont Cheese Council members -- contact VCC for the discount code). Cost ranges from $20 to $135. To learn more about this course, visit: https://vermontcheese.thinkific.com/courses/science-of-farmstead-cheese
UW Center for Dairy Research Shortcourses | Madison, WI: Ongoing
The University of Wisconsin CDR offers a variety of shortcourses throughout the year (often including courses in Spanish). To learn more and view the current schedule, visit: https://www.cdr.wisc.edu/education
Food Safety Basics for Artisan Cheesemakers | Online Course: Ongoing
This online course is intended to equip artisan and farmstead cheesemakers with basic knowledge about food safety concepts and serve as a primer for further training programs, such as how to develop and implement a preventative controls food safety management plan. For a limited time, this $175 course is available at no cost when you use discount code DairyConnection at registration. To learn more, visit: https://www.ifpti.org/resource-catalog/p/artisan-cheesemakers-curriculum
Environmental Monitoring in the Dairy Industry | Online Course: Ongoing
This online course, developed by North Carolina State University, is intended to provide users with the knowledge and skills required to develop and implement an Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP) in the food industry. In this course, users will learn alongside virtual dairy processors in a virtual dairy processing facility to simulate on-the-job training. Fee for this on-demand course is $350. To learn more, visit: https://units.cals.ncsu.edu/foodsafety/environmental-monitoring-in-the-dairy-industry/
Dairy Science and Sanitation | Online Course: Ongoing
Available from Cornell University in either Spanish or English, this online self-paced Dairy Science and Sanitation workshop is tailored to dairy processing personnel and is designed to help participants understand the basic principles of dairy science and safety, as well as emphasize dairy processing establishment needs related to dairy sanitation to ensure that proper programs are conducted in their establishments. To learn more, visit: https://dairyextension.foodscience.cornell.edu/programs/certificate-program/basic-dairy-science-and-sanitation/