Celebrate Dairy’s Next Generation at Championship Cheese Auction

Make plans now to join an energetic crowd of friends and colleagues and bid on the nation’s best cheeses at the exciting Novonesis Reception & Championship Cheese Auction, set for Wednesday evening, April 15, 2026, during CheeseExpo in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

"The inspiring energy of the Championship Cheese Auction is one-of-a-kind. We’re thrilled to host this impactful opportunity to honor excellent craftsmanship and build a strong future for our industry,” said WCMA Executive Director John Umhoefer.

This year’s Championship Cheese Auction features gold medal cheeses from the 2026 World Championship Cheese Contest®. View the complete bid sheet at bit.ly/cheeseauction26 to gear up for a friendly competition with fellow dairy processors and supplier partners to raise funds for the industry’s future.

Each year, bidders’ generosity fuels amazing investments in the dairy industry:

• In 2026, WCMA will make its second $30,000 payment on its $90,000 pledge to support dairy operations, training staff, and research at the new dairy pilot plant – the Wuethrich Family/Grassland Dairy Center of Excellence – at the University of Wisconsin-Rivers Falls.
• Also in 2026, the WCMA Board of Directors has pledged to offer additional Auction proceeds to educational industry programming at U.S. universities.
• In 2025, WCMA’s five student scholarships for dairy processors’ and supplier members’ families were enhanced to $5,000 per student.
• Also in 2025, WCMA invested $100,000 in Auction funds to kick off a new fund supporting research, equipment, graduate students and other goals at the Center for Dairy Research.

This exciting new giving joins a three-decade tradition of Champion Cheese Auction support for the future of the dairy industry. Auction funds also fuel improvements in our Championship Cheese Contests; growth of WCMA’s popular training programs for dairy manufacturers and suppliers; support for the Collegiate Dairy Products Evaluation Contest; and the original donations that sparked construction of the world-class Center for Dairy Research facility in Madison, the Wuethrich Family/Grassland Dairy Center for Excellence at UW-River Falls and the South Dakota State University dairy pilot plant. Altogether, WCMA has invested $1.84 million in the industry’s future, thanks to our generous bidders.

Full registration for CheeseExpo, set for April 14-16, includes access to the show’s largest-ever exhibit floor, two full days of cutting-edge educational seminars led by dairy processing experts, ample networking opportunities, and celebrations of cheese industry excellence. Advance registration is open now through April 6 at CheeseExpo.org. After April 6, all registrations will take place on-site.