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.
Member spotlight: the room she built for the new guidance
A farmstead maker walks us through the aging room she built this spring, sized for records as much as humidity, ahead of federal review of the raw-milk aging…
Read postPacking a wheel so the judges see your cheese, not your box
With entries for Madison due soon, here is what actually trips up first-time competitors: portion size, packaging, and presenting the cheese in the form it's sold.
Read postWhat the June flush report means for your case
USDA's mid-June numbers show the spring flush ending and cheese prices easing slightly. Here is what a softer summer market means for your buying and pricing decisions.
Read postMember Spotlight: a partner for the cave
A farmstead maker who spent 2025 unsure she'd keep her cave open now has a business partner, a second vat, and a story worth telling other members.
Read postThe small-producer exemption question
Federal traceability recordkeeping rules exempted the smallest producers when they took effect. Members want to know whether that line is about to move.
Read postSix weeks out from Madison
The ICF Annual Conference is six weeks away, and the early registration numbers say something about how this year feels different from last.
Read postThe volunteer behind competition check-in
Long before a judge tastes a single wheel, someone has to check every entry in correctly. We spent an afternoon with the member who volunteered to run it.
Read postWhat the new traceability training actually covers
The federal food-safety regulator released a new training curriculum on traceability recordkeeping this week. We break down what it changes and who actually needs it.
Read postThe rebalancing behind your spring milk check
Milk prices are climbing even as production rises. We walk through what federal forecasts and this month's trade data mean for your cost side this summer.
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