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.
The recall plan you write before you need it
A soft-paste cheese recall in Canada this month is a reminder that listeria risk in soft cheese is real and mostly invisible, and that a written recall plan…
Read postA webinar for the smallest caves
This month's free webinar covers small-room affinage, aimed at members aging cheese in a closet or a converted basement rather than a purpose-built cave.
Read postThe buyer who checks the directory first
One of our members buys specialty cheese for a regional retail chain rather than making it. We asked what federation membership actually does for someone on the sourcing…
Read postWhat the judge accreditation actually tests
Competition Judge Accreditation is one of our smaller credential cohorts, but interest is climbing as this year's competition calendar fills in. Here's what it actually covers.
Read postWhat we tell regulators about the 60-day rule
Raw-milk aging rules come up in nearly every comment period we file. Here's the plain version of what the rule actually requires, and what the federation is asking…
Read postThe specialty case is still growing, so is the competition in it
Specialty cheese demand kept climbing through last year, but member surveys point to a quieter trend underneath the growth: makers are narrowing their lineups, not expanding them.
Read postA workshop built for alpine-style questions
Today's Willow Alpine Styles workshop in Vermont takes on the question we hear most about tomme and gruyère-style wheels: why does the same recipe age so differently from…
Read postAn Alpine styles workshop opens next week in Greensboro
The Willow cohort's Alpine styles workshop runs Monday in Greensboro, timed to a specialty cheese market that trade press keeps describing as unusually strong for early 2023.
Read postReading your herd before the lab does
Somatic cell counts tend to run lower in winter than summer, which makes February the wrong month to get complacent about udder health. A look at what the…
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