Events & Education
Upcoming Events, Courses and Workshops:
Business Miniversity by Vermont Cheese Council | Online Course: May 8 - June 21, 2023 (12 sessions)
Vermont Cheese council is piloting a multi-week program to provide business skills training for cheese producers, farmers, and food producers of all flavors. Examples of topics discussed in this 12-part series include: Recruiting, Onboarding and Culture; Healthcare Options for Producers; Managing Your Team; Sustainability of Producers and Work-Life Balance; Project Management; Creating Brand Awareness; Sales & Marketing Basics; Strategic Planning; Managing and Calculating Margins through a Specialty Supply Chain; Applying for and Implementing Grants and Other Funding Resources; and much more. Presentations will be live and also recorded in case you miss a session. Registration cost for this series is $100. An exclusive discount code is available to Dairy Connection clients -- please contact us to receive a code for 20% off your registration. More information and registration available here: https://vtcheese.com/business-miniversity/
American Dairy Science Association, Annual Discover Conference: Why Cheese From Milk?| Online Event: May 3-4, 2023
The American Dairy Science Association (ADSA) is working in collaboration with the American Cheese Society to inform some of the latest research on the nutritional and health promoting aspects of milk and cheese. Goals of this conference are to provide attendees with opportunities to access the latest science-based information from dairy science experts, engage with production and dairy foods colleagues in the cheese sector, and gain access to evidence-based messaging about dairy. Recommended for various stakeholders in the cheese industry including cheesemakers, dairy famers, cheese retailers, allied organizations, dairy science students, and university and industry scientists. More information and registration available here: https://www.adsa.org/Meetings/44th-Discover-Conference
2023 ACS Annual Conference | Des Moines, IA: July 18-21, 2023
The American Cheese Society (ACS) is a leader in promoting and supporting American cheeses, and the ACS annual conference is an excellent opportunity to gather with other American cheesemakers for education, hands-on training, networking and much more. 2023 marks the organization's 40th conference. Learn more here: https://www.cheesesociety.org/2023-conference/
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). 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. 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 $49 course is available at no cost when you use discount code DC-FREE at registration. To learn more, visit: https://units.cals.ncsu.edu/foodsafety/food-safety-basics-for-artisan-cheesemakers/
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/
Artisan Cheese & Sensory Fundamentals | Online Course: Ongoing, Multiple 4-week sessions in 2023 | University of Vermont
The University of Vermont's Artisan Cheese & Sensory Fundamentals Professional Certificate is a foundational four-week online program for aspiring cheesemakers, cheesemongers and food systems professionals. Ideal training for those new to the cheese industry or those who have some basic knowledge but want a more holistic foundation. Cost of this course is $750; a discount is available for University of Vermont affiliates. To learn more, visit: https://learn.uvm.edu/program/certificate-in-artisan-cheese/
Dairy Science and Sanitation | Online Course: Ongoing
Available from Cornell University, 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/
National Dairy Food Safety Coalition Workshops | Workshops taking place nationwide: Dates vary
The National Dairy Food Safety Coalition's mission is to support artisan dairy producers in their pursuit of reviewing, implementing, and improving their food safety practices. The Coalition provides support for this effort via multiple channels, including workshops designed to help artisans distill food safety regulations and develop specialized food safety plans. To learn more and view the current schedule, visit: http://www.dairyfoodsafetycoalition.com/?fbclid=IwAR2tJBJ2IWrs5uUBPLzIGCxPIx-ET3p_0uSCBhRq_VeaCmKJi_GciyiVZac