Member Services

The Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association represents, educates and informs its members on matters of interest and concern affecting this crucial U.S. industry.  Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association is committed to relevant, practical service to its members and to the growth of the ever-evolving dairy industry.

Management Skills Program for Dairy Professionals

Year 5 begins September 2013.  Click here for a brochure.

WCMA's exclusive partnership with the University of Wisconsin School of Business is a certificate education program designed to build management and business acumen in dairy industry professionals.
      Management Skills for Dairy Professionals is a new, world-class development program for targeted at managers and supervisors in dairy and related industries.
     Participants spend a total of eight days (four, two-day modules) immersed in thought-provoking and pragmatic training, with group discussion, case studies and action learning components built into each module.
     Each participant will receive an intense, interactive, world-class education culminating in a Management Skills Certificate from the Wisconsin School of Business.

Scholarships

The WCMA family of student scholarships provides $10,000 annually to promising college students of member families planning careers in the dairy and food industries.  The student scholarship program is supported by the Championship Cheese Auction.  Each year, the auction of gold medal cheeses from WCMA's Championship Cheese Contests provides income for a permanent, reserved scholarship fund within Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association.

WCMA's Mike Dean Scholarship
WCMA annually awards two scholarships to families in the cheese industry in the name of Mike Dean.  WCMA initiated this scholarship in 1997 and in 1999, named the scholarship in honor of Mike Dean, dairy extension specialist at the University of Wisconsin.  Mr. Dean, a WCMA Life Member, trained Wisconsin cheesemaker for over 30 years and led cheese quality efforts at the University of Wisconsin.  He passed away March 25, 1999.

Supplier Member Scholarships
Each year, three supplier member families each earn $2,000 scholarships from WCMA. WCMA initiated this scholarship series in 2001 to recongnized the key role our supplier partners play in the success of the U.S. dairy industry.

Norman F. Olson Cheese Research Scholarship
In 1997, WCMA instituted a permanent endowment to create the WCMA Norman F. Olson Cheese Research Scholarship, honoring the research of Professor Emeritus Norm Olson and to foster continued cheese research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Today, this $2,000 annual award is presented to a University of Wisconsin Food Science student in cooperation with the Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research Cheese Industry Team.

 

Representation

WCMA is your respected advocate for state-level regulation and legislation, serving on key advisory committees and councils in state government. WCMA is a respected voice in federal dairy policy and federal milk marketing order issues. WCMA partners with International Dairy Foods Association, key dairy producer organizations, and fellow dairy and food trade associations to create policy and programs rather than reacting to regulation.

Communication

WCMA educates and informs its members through a variety of media, as well as in conferences, committees and workshops.

WCMA Dairy Facts

This newsletter, offered exclusively to WCMA members, provides unique industry news and information, updates on WCMA representation and advanced news on WCMA workshops, contest and events.

WCMA Media Columns

WCMA is represented in external media sources with a monthly column advancing the interests of dairy processors.

WCMA Member Directory

Each year, WCMA publishes detailed data on all WCMA members.  This Directory is offered only to current members.

WCMA Wage Survey

Biennial survey results are available only to current members. The next WCMA Wage Survey will be conducted in 2013.

 

Events

Championship Cheese Contests

In alternating years, WCMA hosts the United States and World Championship Cheese Contests.  These internationally-known cheese competitions are the largest technical evaluations of cheese and butter in the world. The Championship Cheese Contests of WCMA have advanced the quality and consistency of dairy products for more than a century.

2013 United States Championship Cheese Contest Website

Annual Conference and Expo

The International Cheese Technology Exposition and the Wisconsin Cheese Industry Conference, held in alternating years, have set exhibit and attendance records for more than two decades. These annual April events, hosted by WCMA in cooperation with Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research, are the largest gatherings in the U.S. cheese industry.

2013 Wisconsin Cheese Industry Conference Website

 

Cheese Technology Tours

WCMA arranges cheese plant and equipment manufacturer tours throughout the world.  Each tour is a unique adventure, with access to cheese manufacturers and sites that no ordinary tour could deliver.