Blog
Certification, education, advocacy, events, industry news and the members behind them — written by the Federation, for the people who make, age, sell and buy the cheese.
A standard-of-identity comment period
The federal food-safety regulator has reopened comments on how much ultrafiltered milk certain cheese categories can contain, and the Standards Committee wants member input before it closes.
Read postProduction climbed, cow numbers didn't
July's federal data show cheese output rising and the milk-to-feed margin holding well above last year, even as the national herd keeps shrinking a little each month.
Read postThe week after the badge comes off
One farmstead cheesemaker's honest account of the week after Des Moines: three days of notes, a cave that didn't wait for her, and a shortlist of what actually…
Read postTuning a cave for July heat
Late July is when a marginal cooling system finally shows its limits. A look at what Humidity & Airflow Control covers and why this is the week most…
Read postJuly's margin and export numbers
July's federal dairy figures showed farm margins well above feed costs and cheese exports climbing. Here's what the numbers mean for members on either side of the vat.
Read postThe cave nobody's watching this week
While conference attendees are watching the forecast for their flights home, a lot of members' caves are fighting the same heat wave without anyone in the building to…
Read postThe buyer skipping conference week on purpose
Not every member is in Des Moines this week. A specialty cheese buyer explains why summer, not conference season, is her busiest stretch of the year.
Read postDes Moines week is finally here
The ICF Annual Conference opens in Des Moines this week. Here's what to know before you land, from badge pickup to the one session worth rearranging a flight…
Read postA good month for the export column
Cheese exports and farm margins both moved in members' favor this summer, even as block and barrel prices climbed. We look at what's actually driving the numbers.
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