Notes from day one in Madison

Day one of the ICF Annual Conference is in the books, and if you weren't able to make the trip to Madison this year, here's the short version of what you missed — and what's still ahead over the next two days.

The trade panel ran long, in a good way, and the judging room got crowded

The Thursday trade panel we'd flagged in an earlier post actually happened Tuesday afternoon this year, and the "short remarks, long open floor" format did exactly what we hoped. Members with direct export relationships spent most of the hour comparing notes on shifting tariff schedules and buyer behavior, and more than one first-time attendee told us afterward it was the single most useful hour of their conference so far. If you missed it, the Education Committee is already discussing turning the panel discussion into a members-only recap webinar later this summer.

The competition floor opened for its first round of judging Tuesday evening, with accredited judges working through entries category by category. Early word from the judging room is that the soft-ripened category drew an unusually deep field this year — enough that judges asked for an extra hour to get through it properly rather than rush the scoring. That kind of growth is exactly what several members told us they'd expect this year, given how many new producers have joined the soft-ripened lane in the past two seasons alone. We won't have results until the closing session, but if you have an entry in that category, the wait is apparently worth it.

What Wednesday and Thursday still hold

The workshop tracks pick up in earnest Wednesday morning, including the washed-rind troubleshooting session and the hands-on affinage clinic that filled up fastest in registration. Thursday closes with the awards presentation and the general session, which — fair warning, again — runs cold even in July.

For members who couldn't travel this year: we'll post a full recap with competition results once the closing session wraps, and several workshop presenters have already agreed to turn their sessions into standalone webinars this fall for anyone who wants the content without the travel. If there's a specific session you wish you could have attended, tell us in a note to the Events Committee — that's exactly the feedback that shapes which ones get a second life online.

One practical note for anyone still on-site: this has been, by several independent measures, one of the hottest months recorded globally, with an extended heat wave sitting over a wide stretch of the country for more than a week now. The tasting tent's shade panels are doing their job and the outdoor sessions have stayed put, but bring water with you between sessions regardless, and if you're transporting product to the competition tables, use the cold room check-in rather than leaving a cooler in a parking lot. Madison in mid-July is no gentler than anywhere else this summer.

More from us once the closing session and awards are official. Safe travels to everyone heading home over the next two days, and good luck to everyone still waiting on a category result.

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The International Cheese Federation (ICF) and More Cheese are entirely fictional. This post is demonstration content created for MemberJunction. All people, organizations, events, courses, certifications, figures, and quotations in it are invented, and nothing here represents a real association, a real business, a real person, or real professional advice.