Cheese

Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr., baseball’s “Iron Man” who holds the record for most consecutive games played, will be among the featured speakers at Dairy Strong, one of the Midwest’s premiere conferences for the dairy community.

The combination of high interest rates and a strong U.S. dollar is beginning to take a disproportionate toll on rural industries like agriculture, forest products, mining and manufacturing.

A new dairy checkoff growth program with pizza partners is expected to drive an additional 12-plus million pounds of cheese use.

Victor Tsvyk harvested 4,800 tons of wheat this month, but after Russia exited a wartime deal that allowed Ukraine to ship grain to the world, he has no idea where his produce will go, or how his beloved farm will survive.

To commemorate the company’s long-term commitment to the state of Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued a proclamation naming 2023 as the 85th anniversary of Prairie Farms Dairy.

A giant cheese statue created by food artist Nancy Baker and her team of helpers was unveiled at the Indiana State Fair. Over 1,000 pounds of Indiana cheese from Pace Dairy in Crawfordsville was used to create it.

Two Prairie Farms cheese plants were among the top winners of the American Cheese Society Judging and Competition, the largest event of its kind for American-made cheeses.

Thirty Lincoln Land Community College students participated in a 10-day agricultural industry tour in Ireland.

The outlook for farm income fell in most Corn Belt districts on lower commodity prices and increased costs, according to a survey of Federal Reserve districts.

The Dairy Business Innovation Alliance announced the 31 companies and cooperatives that have been selected to receive Dairy Business Builder grants totaling nearly $2.5 million.

U.S. consumers continue to consume more and more cheese each year. “The most substantial growth is American cheese,” said Mark Stephenson, director of dairy policy analysis at the University of Wisconsin.

A collaboration with the Mayo Clinic, adding more cheese to chicken sandwiches and sparking a virtual butter board craze are among the highlights that solidified the dairy checkoff’s mission of growing sales and trust in 2022 on behalf of America’s dairy farmers and importers.

U.S. dairy exports are growing at twice the rate of consumption by American consumers. “In 2021 we had a record year for volume and value of U.S. dairy exports,” said Megan Sheets, senior director of strategic development and strategic insights for the U.S. Dairy Export Council.

The checkoff-funded Dairy Foods Research Centers network — created to provide innovative, science-backed solutions related to consumer demand and business needs and trends — is celebrating its 35-year anniversary.

The University of Idaho wants to build the nation’s largest research dairy and experimental farm in south-central Idaho.