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Dairy Farmers Request More Money For Whey, Judges Opposed
Due to the recent health craze surrounding whey protein, dairy farmers want a larger cut of the profits. After petitioning the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the farmers were initially opposed by judges who said cheesemakers would get the short end of the deal:
While some farmers have endured hard times over recent years, dairy has been a top-grossing industry in parts of the San Joaquin Valley for decades. The industry brought in more than $1.8 billion for Merced, Modesto and Fresno counties combined in 2010, according to county crop reports.
"The dairy case in the supermarket is one of the most profitable areas of the grocery store," said Lynne McBride, executive director of the California Dairy Campaign, a chapter of the California Farmers Union. "But dairy producers are partially left out of this profit opportunity."
Possible Ban on Cheese Advertising in Ireland Spawns Debate
Cheese advertising may be banned during children's television shows in the UK due to health concerns. The National Dairy Council wonders whether the concerns for a lack of calcium outweigh the benefits of a low-fat diet.
THE NATIONAL DAIRY Council has said that the planned ban on cheese advertising during children’s programming is based on a ‘fundamentally flawed and inappropriate’ UK model which won’t work in Ireland.
The NDC says that the ban is out of proportion with the actual amount of cheese that children eat, citing research which shows the average daily intake of cheese amongst Irish children and teenagers is 10 grams.
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Must Visit: Fromagination in Madison, Wisconsin
Cristin Nelson at the Boston Globe paid a visit to Ken Monteleone, owner of Madinson Wisconsin's famous cheese shop, Fromagination. In the midst of the anti-Scot Walker protests in the city, Fromagination is a cheesy haven, with an inspiring proprietor:
In a long display sit 100 or so cheeses, many crafted within a 45-mile radius. There’s Dunbarton Blue from Roelli Cheese, a crumbly white cheddar shot with veins of blue mold; generous slices of creamy raw-milk Gouda studded with fenugreek seeds from Holland Family Farms; Bleu Mont Bandaged Cheddar, which cheesemaker Willi Lehner ages in a cave in the hills of Blue Mounds; Pleasant Ridge Reserve, from Uplands Cheese Co., made from seasonal raw milk only when the cows are grazed on pasture. Monteleone unabashedly declares Pleasant Ridge the best cheese in the country.
Navajo Sheep Shearing: A Fading Art
An Arizona farmer is fighting to preserve the ancient Navajo customs of sheep shearing. Arnold Clifford doesn't rely on electric shearers for his wool, but the wisdom of his ancestors, as he explains in this BBC video.
He is trying to keep the shearing skills he learned from his elders alive. By donating his wool to weavers he is also helping that ancient Navajo tradition thrive today.
Wisconsin Boosts Cheese Production
Would you say that 226.3 million pounds is a lot of cheese? That amount of queso just emerged from the Badger State this April. And that is a 3.9% increase in cheese production from April 2011.
Dairy plants throughout Wisconsin continue to produce more cheese than year-ago levels. The USDA reports that the state's dairy plants putout 226.3 million pounds of cheese during the month--which was up 3.9 percent compared to the same month in 2011, but was 4.7 percent less than March 2012
Photographer Michael Korta Documents Traditional Cheesemaking in Tatra Mountains
From the Boston Globe, a stunning photo essay by Photographer Michal Korta, who spent three days in the Tatra Mountains documenting the making of Oscypek, the region's traditional sheep's milk cheese.
Gloucestershire Cheese Chase Rolls On
Forget bulls, in Gloucester England it's the "running" of the cheese to look out for. This annual breakneck event revolves around a wheel of Double Gloucester, which is rolled down an incredibly steep hill and chased by a band of brave souls. The event was not formally organized this year (due to the risk involved), but diehard fans banded together and put on their own cheese chase.
"It involves thrill-seekers chasing a 3.5kg (8lb) wheel if double Gloucester cheese down a steep hill.
An estimated 1,000 people turned out to watch a series of races on the hill near Brockworth, Gloucester.
Chris Anderson, who has won 11 races over the past seven years, said it was important that the local tradition was "kept alive."
It's National Cheese Day!
Happy National Cheese Day! What are you doing to celebrate? How are you honoring your cheese? Here's some basic wine and cheese pairing advice from KETK. Cheese glorious cheese!
Once again, it is upon us - National Cheese Day, June 4. Admittedly, this is one of those tricky holidays. One wouldn't want to confuse it with, say, National Cheese Lovers' Day (January 20), National Cheese Doodle Day (March 5), National Cheese Ball Day (April 17), National Cheese Pizza Day (September 5) or, particularly, International Respect for Chickens Day (May 4), because if there's anything a chicken hates, it's being mistaken for a large wheel of Gouda.
Culture's Will Fertman Married Saturday Afternoon
Will Fertman, Culture's wild and wonderful social media/community manager got hitched on Saturday to the lovely and brilliant Minda Berbeco. The best part is that they got a New York Times announcement!
Minda Rose Berbeco and William Starrett Fertman were married Saturday at the the home of the bridegroom’s parents in Winchester, Mass. Steven M. Berbeco, a brother of the bride who received a one-day solemnization certificate from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, officiated.
Ms. Berbeco, 33, is keeping her name. Until February, she worked as a postdoctoral scholar studying climate change in the vineyards of the University of California, Davis. She graduated from Carnegie Mellon University and received a doctorate in biology from Tufts.
Who Made That Kraft Single?
Charles Wilson of The New York Times Magazine writes on the history of the Kraft Single, and even calls in culture's own editor Elaine Khosrova to comment:
Why were Kraft Singles so popular?
After World War II, food production was going industrial. Cheese was a part of that. If it came from a factory and was standardized, it was considered a high-quality food. I have a soft spot for Kraft Singles. I grew up on them in the 1960s. My mother made me bologna-and-cheese sandwiches.
What is the future of cheese?
You’re always going to need a brick of cheap Cheddar for your kids’ macaroni. But I think the demand for specialty and artisanal cheese will continue to grow steadily, because these foods are losing their elitist reputation; they’re becoming more mainstream.
