Great Lakes Cheese Grand Champion for Dairy

Check out this story about Great Lakes Cheese in Adams at http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/news03/great-lakes-cheese-becomes-grand-champion-in-dairy-contest-20180904 this link.

McCadam, Great Lakes Honored at State Fair Dairy Competition

From the New York State Fair:

When it comes to cheese, McCadam Cheese Co.'s aged cheddar stands alone. 

It not only won its category in the Great New York State Fair's annual Dairy Products Competition, it also earned the Grand Champion award.

McCadam, which was founded in Heuvelton, St. Lawrence County and now is manufactured in Chateaugay, Franklin County, took first and second place in the aged cheddar category, and it also earned first place honors in two other cheddar categories: current cheddar and super-aged cheddar. Great Lakes Cheese Co. of Adams was the runner-up in the current and super-aged categories.

"The high marks across the board for these products reflect not only the great diversity of dairy products available in New York state, but also the incredibly high quality of these products. These are all products that belong in every New Yorker's kitchen," said Acting State Fair Director Troy Waffner.

Among the highlights of the competitions:

• ​ Garelick Farms of Rensselaer earned a perfect score of 100 in the fluid milk category. Stewarts Processing and Upstate Niagara Cooperative tied for second with 96.3 points.
• Upstate Niagara Cooperative's sour cream earned the only other perfect score of the competition, with the product from HP Hood's Arkport plant finishing a single point behind.
• HP Hood swept the gold and silver medals in all three cottage cheese competitions, for full fat, low fat and nonfat cottage cheeses along with two of the three third place "award of excellence" designations.

Dairy products experts gathered recently at Stocking Hall on the Cornell University campus to judge entries in 21 categories, from goat cheese to sour cream to milk.  

Winners of the New York State Fair Dairy Products Competition were announced on Dairy Day at the Great New York State Fair.

New York Companies Win at Largest Cheese Contest in the US

Great Lakes Cheese in Adams won a first place at the 2015 United States Championship Cheese Contest held March 17 through 19 in Milwaukee.

Great Lakes won the gold medal for sharp cheddar with a score of 99.5. Great Lakes also placed third gaining a bronze medal in the cheddar (two years or older) category with a score of 98.75 and placed fifth in the cheddar (one to two years old) category with a score of 98.

Also winning a gold medal was Upstate Niagara Cooperative out of West Seneca for its high protein cow's milk flavored yogurt. It scored 99.5 on its blueberry Greek yogurt. 

Upstate Niagara also placed fifth in lowfat cow's milk plain yogurt with a score of 98.05, third for its lowfat blended cow's milk flavored for its orange cream with a score of 98.4 and fourth place (score 97.85)  with its lowfat blended cow's milk flavored yogurt for its sugar cookie.

The largest cheese, butter and yogurt competition in the United States set a new record with 1,885 entries from 28 states. The 2015 United States Championship Cheese Contest has been hosted by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association for 34 years.

A total of 32 experts in dairy product testing from 18 states worked two days to judge the entries for best cheeses, butter and yogurt. Working in teams of two, they had to sniff, taste and examine each entry before scoring the entries and awarding gold, silver and bronze medals in each category.

The following New York companies won medals:

The participating U.S. states include cheese, butter and yogurt from New York, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Washington and Wisconsin.

The overall best of show was a Swiss wheel from Team Guggisberg, Sugarcreek Guggisberg Cheese, Millersburg, Ohio, with a score of 98.496.  

Other New York winners were:

Provolone: Sorrento, Buffalo, mild provolone, 99.2, third place; Empire Cheese, Cuba, NY, mild provolone, 99.15, fourth place

Aged Provolone -- Empire Cheese, Cuba, 98.5, fourth place

Smoked Provolone -- Sorrento, Buffalo, smoked mild, 98.85, second place; Empire Cheese, Cuba, 98.6, fifth place

String Cheese -- Kraft Foods/Pollio Italian Cheese, Campbell, 99.35. third place

Ricotta -- Sorrento, Buffalo, whole milk based ricotta, 99.2, second place; Sorrento, Buffalo, whole milk deli whey based ricotta, 99, fourth place; and tied for fifth place, Losurdo, Heuvelton, and Sorrento, Buffalo, 98.95.

Unsalted Butter -- OATKA, Batavia, 98.6, fourth place

Mozzarella -- Sorrento, Buffalo, second place, 98.05, whole milk high moisture; Sorrento, Buffalo, third place, 97.7, whole milk low moisture

Cheddar Cheese Fesitval Saturday, July 12

Check this out -- who doesn't like cheese?

June is Dairy Month -- Cornell, Wegmans Join Forces in Cheese Making

Cheese lovers in New York, you're in luck.

An agreement announced Wednesday between Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Wegmans markets will lead to more and more artisan cheeses created right here in New York state and sold at Wegmans.

This is great news not only for the local cheesemakers, but also for cheese lovers, local dairy farmers and the economy, as more local milk will be used to make these artisanal cheeses. three cheese manufacturers

Some cheeses from Goats and Gourmets in Westerlo.

Early participants in the program include Keeley’s Cheese Co. (King Ferry, Cayuga County), Danascara Artisan Cheese (Fonda, Montgomery County), Sprout Creek Farm (Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County), Goats & Gourmets (Westerlo, Albany County) and Old Chatham Sheepherding Co. (Old Chatham, Columbia County).

Some of their cheeses will be featured at Wegmans' Pittsford store, and then rolled out later to other Wegmans locations across the state.

Also Wednesday, Wegmans CEO Danny Wegman announced his store chain is beginning to have its store-brand cheddar made in New York state instead of in Canada. Great Lakes Cheese in Adams, Jefferson County, Yancey's Fancy in Corfu, Genesee County and Beecher's in New York City.

Here is Cornell's news release on the Wednesday event:
 
From a semi-soft washed rind cheese aged in a King Ferry root cellar to a buttery sheep and cow’s milk Camembert created in the Hudson Valley, a host of new New York cheeses will be featured at Wegmans Food Markets.

Products from five artisan cheesemakers were debuted Wednesday at Wegmans Pittsford store, outside Rochester.

The event also highlighted a unique collaboration between Wegmans and Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences that was touted as the first step in the next revolution of New York’s dairy industry.

As part of the partnership, Wegmans is providing $360,000 in funding for a three-year pilot program at Cornell that includes the hire of an artisan cheese extension associate position in the CALS Department of Food Science who will create a training curriculum that is supported by focused standard operating procedures (SOPs) which will serve both entrepreneurs as well as the state’s larger cheese producers.

Dean Kathryn Boor samples some Danascara 

cheese.

It will focus on the skills required for both basic and advanced cheesemaking through hands-on workshops and coursework. Beginners will start with the basics of dairy microbiology and sanitation, while more advanced cheesemakers can train in molding, brining and curing, and quality assurance.

The program will enhance Cornell’s existing strength in dairy development, education and extension, which also includes certificate programs in cheesemaking, fluid milk processing, yogurt and fermented products.

Cornell dairy extension specialist Rob Ralyea said artisan cheesemaking is a growing niche that could have great market potential if given the proper support.

“Making a great, aged artisan cheese is an art that takes practice, science and know-how,” Ralyea said.

Early participants in the program include Keeley’s Cheese Co. (King Ferry), Danascara Artisan Cheese (Fonda), Sprout Creek Farm (Poughkeepsie), Goats & Gourmets (Westerlo) and Old Chatham Sheepherding Co. (Old Chatham), each of which was represented at Wednesday’s event.

A selection of their cheeses will be featured at the Pittsford store, and rolled out later to other Wegmans locations across the state.
Wegmans CEO Danny Wegman also announced that the retailer has begun sourcing its store-branded cheddar cheese from New York cheese makers, after years of marketing cheeses manufactured in Canadian dairies.

Its mild cheddar is now at Great Lakes Cheese in Adams, while its medium cheddar is made by Yancey’s Fancy in Corfu and its intense cheddar hails from New York City’s Flatiron District, where it is made by Beecher’s.

“It is our goal to help grow the artisan cheese business by bringing unique and different cheeses to our customers,” said Cathy Gaffney, Wegmans director of cheese and deli departments. 

“They have asked for more local selections," Gaffney said. "By combining the milk quality produced in New York state, our truly passionate cheesemakers, and Cornell University, we have all the components to take the industry to the next level while listening to our customers’ requests.”

“Our goal is to support the next revolution in New York’s dairy industry,” said Kathryn Boor, dean of Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

“In addition to boosting both large and small-scale cheesemakers, this partnership will provide increased economic opportunity for dairy farmers and cheese manufacturers and new high-quality products for consumers," Boor said. "It will also lead to significant improvements in efficiencies and production costs, which benefits both businesses and consumers.”

Two photos supplied by Cornell University. The Great Lakes logo is from nysenate.gov

June is Dairy Month -- Jefferson County Celebrates in a Big Way

Each year during Dairy Month, Jefferson County does the month and industry proud with its Dairy Festival.

A highlight of the event is the Jefferson County Dairy Parade, this year scheduled for 7 p.m. today.  The theme is Moo Fest Parade, tying in with the Dairy Festival going on all day in the Dulles State Office Building on Washington Street, Watertown.

About 60 groups will take part in the parade, including many farm organizations and displays of many different types of farm equipment used in Jefferson County. The parade begins at Watertown High School and heads down Washington Street.

According to the Greater Watertown-North Country Chamber of Commerce website, the Moo Fest Parade theme was chosen because it portrays the excitement Jefferson County has about the county’s dairy industry.

The festival itself begins at 9 a.m. at the Dulles State Office Building and includes exhibits and demonstrations from many farm groups, including Cornell Cooperative Extension, Jefferson County Soil and Water Conservation District, Great Lakes Cheese and Crowley Foods. The dairy princess and her court also will be on hand. Crafters join the festival beginning at 3 p.m.

Ag officials in the county state Jefferson County boasts more than 200 dairy farms, 30,000 dairy cows and two dairy manufacturers (Great Lakes Cheese in Adams and Crowley Foods. Nearly eight billion eight-ounce glasses of milk are produced in Jefferson County every year.


JeffersonCountydairyfarms.com states Jefferson County is a major milk producing area in the state, ranking fourth in total milk production behind behind Wyoming, Cayuga and St. Lawrence counties.

The website also states about 700 people work on the county's dairy farms and the average hourly rate paid to dairy farm employees was more than $13 per hour plus benefits.

About 200 people work in the county's dairy manufacturing plants and another 200 to 300 people work in farm service businesses and organizations that directly service dairy farms.

Go to http://www.jeffersoncountydairyfarms.com/ for more information about dairy farming in Jefferson County.