Events & Education
Upcoming Events, Courses and Workshops:
CONNECT U by Dairy Connection | Online Courses: Ongoing
Created, produced, and hosted by Dairy Connection, CONNECT U is an online educational resource featuring presentations on a variety of dairy science topics. This easily-accessible, low-cost (often free) education and technical information platform is geared to assist cheesemakers, cheese retailers, and anyone interested in diving into the science of making cheese, yogurt, and other dairy products. All presentations are available a la carte, and new content and topics are added regularly. Learn more and enroll here: https://connectu.dairyconnection.com
Cheesemaking Short Course | University of Wisconsin at River Falls (Falcon Creamery) | River Falls, WI: Oct. 19-23, 2026
This five-day hands-on course offers instruction on basic dairy chemistry and composition, milk microbiology, starter cultures and the manufacture of a variety of cheeses. This course is suitable for apprentice cheesemakers, or anyone interested in gaining more knowledge in cheesemaking technology. Completion of this course fulfills one of the prerequisite qualifications for a Wisconsin cheesemakers license. Topics will include basic cheesemaking process, milk composition, microbiology, dairy cultures, regulations, sanitation, and more. Learn more here: https://continuinged.uwrf.edu/searchResults.cfm?couID=183
Cheese Grading & Evaluation | Center for Dairy Research (CDR) | Madison, WI: Oct. 20-22, 2026
Join CDR experts for lectures, demonstrations, and lots of hands-on activities with graders from the industry to enhance your cheese grading and evaluation skills. This course is structured around the cheese grading standards covered by Wisconsin Ag chapter 81 and USDA grading standards, as well as informal industry standards for cheeses without Wisconsin standards. Learn more here: https://cdr.wisc.edu/new-cheese-grading
Artisan Cheesemaking Short Course | Michigan Cheese & Dairy Guild | Ann Arbor, MI: Oct. 23-24, 2026
The Michigan Cheese & Dairy Guild is proud to present a hands-on, two-day Artisan Cheesemaking Short Course designed to equip aspiring and early-stage cheesemakers with the technical knowledge and practical skills to produce high-quality artisan cheeses. This immersive program combines expert-led lectures with real-time laboratory sessions, giving participants a comprehensive grounding in every stage of the cheesemaking process. Learn more here: https://www.dairyguildofmichigan.com/products/artisan-cheesemaking-short-course-fall-2026
Cave Dwellers: Date vs. Vibes Affinage Online Panel Discussion | DZTE | Online event: Oct. 26, 2026 @ 7PM Central Time
The world of affinage is often kept behind closed doors, with few people truly understanding how it works. The Daphne Zepos Teaching Endowment (DZTE) gathered some of today's top affineurs in the U.S. to talk all things aging cheese. Eric Meredith (Jimbo's Specialty Foods) and Josh Windsor (Murray's) team up to talk affinage, from data to vibes. This virtual presentation will be moderated by Olivia Haver (Von Trapp Farmstead Cheese). Have you ever wondered how an affieneur makes the decisions they do when aging cheeese? This group will discuss how they determine what is best for the cheese in front of them. Tickets are $10 + tax/processing fee. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/4sb0dSK
Cheesemaking Fundamentals | Center for Dairy Research (CDR) | Madison, WI: Multiple Dates, next open session Oct. 27-28, 2026
Build a strong cheesemaking foundation and learn the basics of cheese science from Center for Dairy Research experts. This course will cover basic cheese manufacturing science and principles. This course qualifies as a prerequisite for CDR's advanced cheesemaking courses. Additional future dates include March 16-17, 2027 and April 13-14, 2027. Learn more here: https://cdr.wisc.edu/cheesemaking-fundamentals
United States Championship Cheese Contest | Green Bay, WI: Entry window Nov. 11, 2026 - Feb. 5, 2027
The entry window for the 2027 United States Championship Cheese Contest® opens November 11, 2026 and closes on February 5, 2027. Held biennially since 1981, 2027 marks the 23rd edition of the contest, hosted by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association. Makers of quality cheeses, butter, cultured products, and dry dairy ingredients in the U.S. are invited to enter the contest for expert technical evaluation and to compete for prestigious awards. Entries are evaluated by a team of skilled technical judges nationwide. The 2027 United States Championship Cheese Contest will be held March 9-11, 2027, in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Learn more here: https://uschampioncheese.org/
Dairy Sheep Association of North America 2026 Symposium | Ontario, Canada: Nov. 12-14, 2026
For 30 years, dairy sheep producers from U.S. & Canada, Mexico, Europe, Central & South America, New Zealand & Austrailia have attended DSANA's annual symposium. It is the major annual event of the dairy sheep industry in North America, providing education and connection. The event is geared for established sheep dairies, those considering sheep dairying, those who milk sheep on homesteads, cheesemakers who work with sheep's milk, veterinarians interested in small ruminant dairy animals, small ruminant nutritionists, and businesses that serve the sheep dairy industry. Learn more here: https://www.dsana.org/2026-symposium
CheeseCon 2027 | Madison, WI: April 20-22, 2027
CheeseCon is a biennial event that connects attendees with the industry's leading experts at thought-provoking educational sessions specifically tailored to the world of dairy processing. Co-produced and hosted by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association and the UW Center for Dairy Research, the event also offers valuable networking opportunities with a 75,000-square-foot trade show floor with hundreds of tabletop exhibits from trusted industy suppliers. Register by February 2, 2027 to save 20% on registration. Learn more here: https://cheesecon.org/
Artisan Food Safety Resource Hub | Online
Dairy products produced on farm, by artisans, and by small companies continue to drive rapid growth with unique cheese, yogurt and ice cream products sold at retail, restaurants or farmers markets around the country. To help these processors and assure the dairy industry continues to provide safe and nutritional products, the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy has developed resources for artisan and farmstead producers to make important food safety information more accessible. Find numerous resources, including several in Spanish, here: https://www.usdairy.com/about-us/innovation-center/food-safety/artisan-and-farmstead-dairy
Science of Farmstead Cheese | Online Course: Ongoing
Understand the fundamentals of cheese and milk chemistry with this self-paced online course. Modules include: Cheese, Culture and the Cheesemaker; Milk Chemistry; 10 Steps of Cheesemaking; Starter Culture Technology; Rennet and Coagulation; Salting and Molding; Cheese Aging Chemistry; Cheese Analysis and Evaluation; Course Summary and Next Steps. Cost of this course is $699 (discount available to Vermont Cheese Council members -- contact VCC for the discount code). Cost ranges from $20 to $135. To learn more about this course, visit: https://vermontcheese.thinkific.com/courses/science-of-farmstead-cheese
UW Center for Dairy Research Shortcourses | Madison, WI: Ongoing
The University of Wisconsin CDR offers a variety of shortcourses throughout the year (often including courses in Spanish). To learn more and view the current schedule, visit: https://www.cdr.wisc.edu/education
Food Safety Basics for Artisan Cheesemakers | Online Course: Ongoing
This online course is intended to equip artisan and farmstead cheesemakers with basic knowledge about food safety concepts and serve as a primer for further training programs, such as how to develop and implement a preventative controls food safety management plan. For a limited time, this $175 course is available at no cost when you use discount code DairyConnection at registration. To learn more, visit: https://www.ifpti.org/resource-catalog/p/artisan-cheesemakers-curriculum
Environmental Monitoring in the Dairy Industry | Online Course: Ongoing
This online course, developed by North Carolina State University, is intended to provide users with the knowledge and skills required to develop and implement an Environmental Monitoring Program (EMP) in the food industry. In this course, users will learn alongside virtual dairy processors in a virtual dairy processing facility to simulate on-the-job training. Fee for this on-demand course is $350. To learn more, visit: https://units.cals.ncsu.edu/foodsafety/environmental-monitoring-in-the-dairy-industry/
Dairy Science and Sanitation | Online Course: Ongoing
Available from Cornell University in either Spanish or English, this online self-paced Dairy Science and Sanitation workshop is tailored to dairy processing personnel and is designed to help participants understand the basic principles of dairy science and safety, as well as emphasize dairy processing establishment needs related to dairy sanitation to ensure that proper programs are conducted in their establishments. To learn more, visit: https://dairyextension.foodscience.cornell.edu/programs/certificate-program/basic-dairy-science-and-sanitation/