Member Services

The focus of the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association is the dairy industry -- to represent, educate and inform its members on matters of interest and concern affecting the industry in Wisconsin.  Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association is committed to relevant, practical service to its members and the growth of the ever-evolving dairy industry.

State Level Representation

WCMA is your respected advocate for state-level regulation, legislation and federal order and dairy policy issues.  WCMA partners with IDFA, producer groups, and is a leader on the Wisconsin Producer Security Council and Dairy Business Innovation Center to create policy instead of merely reacting to regulation.

Communication

WCMA educates and informs its members with its internal Dairy Facts newsletter and external media articles, columns, exclusive workshops, website, member business meeting and more.

Member Directory

A yearly publication which offers detailed data on all WCMA members and is available only to current members.

Wage Survey

Biennial survey results are available only to current members. The next Wage Survey will be conducted in 2009.

Management Skills Program for Dairy Professionals

A certificate program designed to build management and business acumen in dairy industry professionals.
     Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA), in partnership with the Wisconsin School of Business at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, is pleased to announce a new world-class development program for managers and supervisors in dairy and related industries.
     The Management Skills Program for Dairy Professionals targets key people within your business: the managers and supervisors that lead and motivate your employees.
     Participants will 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.

Click here for the latest registration materials

Events

WCMA hosts the United States and World Championship Cheese Contests that break records yearly with number of entries. The International Cheese Technology Exposition and the Wisconsin Cheese Industry Conference, both held biannually, continue to set exhibit and attendance records. All of these events help WCMA pursue its goal of providing the industry with the best education and networking opportunities.

Member Education Initiative

The Member Education Initiative provides financial rebates to members that enroll their employees in dairy workshops and short courses offered by the University of Wisconsin system.

Growing Milk Initiative

WCMA recruits new dairy producer families from other states and nations and helps settle them in Wisconsin.

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.

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, was a 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
  Three supplier member families will each earn $2,000 scholarships from WCMA.
• Norman F. Olson Cheese Research Scholarship
  WCMA instituted the WCMA Norman F. Olson Cheese Research Scholarship to honor the research of Professor Emeritus Norm Olson and to foster continued cheese research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.