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.
What the cheesemonger credential covers that tasting doesn't
Members often assume the Certified Cheesemonger credential is mostly a palate test. Here's what the rest of it actually covers, and why the customer-facing half matters just as…
Read postMember spotlight: the counter that started talking protein
A specialty cheese counter noticed its youngest customers were asking about protein content, not provenance. The cheesemonger running it told us how she rebuilt her pitch without changing…
Read postThe aging rule and the avian flu study
A widely cited study on avian flu in raw-milk cheese is still shaping this year's aging-rule debate. Here's what it found, what it doesn't prove, and what we're…
Read postThe petition behind your interstate pallet
A long-running federation petition on interstate raw-milk cheese shipment is back in front of members this spring, and the ask is smaller than it sounds.
Read postWhat the sensory credential teaches early
The sensory credential is usually described as the route onto a judging panel, but most members who finish it say the bigger payoff shows up on their own…
Read postCheese output and price move together
Federal forecasters raised both the Class III price and the milk production outlook this month, and members are asking whether that combination can actually hold.
Read postWhat a margin course covers now
Firmer wholesale cheese prices this spring don't automatically fix your margins. Here's what our Pricing & Margin for Specialty Cheese course actually walks through, and why now is…
Read postMember spotlight: an early handoff
A farmstead creamery's founder handed the vat over to her daughter two years earlier than either of them planned. She told us what she wishes someone had told…
Read postThe milk moving toward your vat
Nonfat dry milk prices hit their highest levels in over a decade this spring, and the reason is milk moving toward cheese and protein products instead. Here's what…
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