CheeseExpo Global Online Announces 12 New Seminars Designed to Build Your Dairy Business

Build your business with expert information delivered April 6-8, 2021 at CheeseExpo Global Online. A dozen seminars, newly announced, offer the latest in dairy processing technology and food science, insights on opportunities in market sectors and sales abroad, practical guidance for crisis management and workforce development, and much more!  Register at CheeseExpoGO.org by February 1 to save $100 on an all-access pass to CheeseExpo Global Online’s exclusive educational opportunities. 

“CheeseExpo Global Online is focused on delivering unparalleled expertise to support business growth and increased profitability throughout the dairy processing industry,” said John Umhoefer, Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association Executive Director.  “We’re offering concise, valuable topics for everyone, from the artisan cheesemaker to the plant managers, marketers and CEOs.”

CheeseExpo Global Online’s concurrent seminars kick off each day at 1:30 p.m. (CDT), with four different offerings. On Tuesday, April 6, choose from any of the following options, live - and access others on-demand!

Optimizing Cheese Yield & Mass Balance

Are you trying to find the sweet spot between optimal efficiency and optimal quality? Learn how to develop a formula to help you identify where you may be having issues and then the techniques for overcoming those yield stealers. Hosted by the Center for Dairy Research (CDR), this seminar will be moderated by Dean Sommer, Cheese & Food Technologist at CDR. Featured speakers include CDR experts Dr. Mark Johnson, PhD, Distinguished Scientist and John Jaeggi, Cheese Industry & Applications Coordinator.

Negative PPDs and Positive Change for Federal Milk Marketing Orders

A job that’s never finished – imposing a regulated milk pricing structure on a free market system – will begin anew in 2021 as unprecedented market disruptions in the last year revealed the complexity, the inflexibility, and possibly even the irrelevance of classified milk pricing. Key thinkers in the order reform discussion will highlight potential changes for these controversial milk price formulas. Hosted by WCMA, speakers include Mark Stephenson, Professor and Director of Dairy Policy Analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Mike McCully, President of The McCully Group and John Newton, PhD, Chief Economist at the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Data Debut: Cheese Usage in Foodservice Channels 2020 

Join us for the debut of new Technomic research on cheese usage in the foodservice channel in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin (DFW) hosts this unique research annually to illuminate the future of this crucial market segment for the cheese industry, featuring speakers Jen Walsh, Chief Operating Officer at DFW and David Henkes, Senior Principal at Technomic. 

Crisis Preparedness and Crisis Management: National FARM Program Solutions

No one likes to think about an animal care crisis. The National Dairy FARM Program’s resources can help ensure that you and your teams are prepared in the event that a crisis does hit. This session will not only give attendees the tools needed to prepare for a crisis but will also outline the steps taken by all stakeholders during a crisis, to illustrate the most positive pathway forward for all involved. Hosted by the National Dairy FARM Program, speakers include Emily Yeiser Stepp, VP of the National Dairy FARM Program and Angela Anderson, VP of the Food Chain Outreach at the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy. 

On Wednesday, April 7, choose from concurrent seminars about data automation, dairy exports, cave-aged cheeses and sustainability initiatives. 

Practical Application of Process Data in Dairy Plants

Data automation, linking every phase of your operation from raw milk intake and testing through packaging and distribution, holds the promise of paperless reporting, shared data, and analysis to improve safety, traceability and productivity at dairy plants of any size. To take on this broad topic, our expert panel will focus their recommendations on a hypothetical dairy plant taking in one million pounds of milk per day and seeking automation on a limited budget. Learn from a leader in equipment installation, a cheese manufacturer who has made a successful migration to data automation, and a leading service provider in the industry. Hosted by CDR and WCMA, hear from moderator Dean Sommer, Cheese & Food Technologist at CDR and speakers Steve Ejnik, VP Cheese Equipment at RELCO, a Koch Separation Solutions Company, Larry Harris, Director of Operations at Meister Cheese Company and John Fingerson, Software Engineer at Meister Cheese Company and Joe Gardner, Practice Lead for Data Analytics at Wonderware.

Export Market Outlook in a Recovering Global Economy

This year will mark a return to more typical use of dairy foods and dry dairy ingredients in global foodservice, retail and industrial food categories. A disruptive 2020 surprised the industry with strong international interest in U.S. dairy foods and dairy ingredients, and now the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) is forecasting how a new normal will impact your export opportunities. Meanwhile, a new administration in Washington D.C. will bring a shift in multinational and bilateral trade deals, with a need to keep a focus on USMCA and the protection of common cheese names. USDEC hosts Shawna Morris, VP Trade Policy, Jaime Castaneda, Senior VP of Trade Policy, and William Loux, Director of Global Trade Analysis share their expert insights. 

Artisan Focus: Surface Microflora in Cave-Aged Cheeses & CDR’s New Affinage Capabilities

Learn about different rind microflora and their impact on cave-aged cheeses, plus catch a glimpse of CDR’s newest resource: nine specialty cheese caves in the new CDR building. Hosted by CDR, speakers include Dr. Ben Wolfe, Associate Professor of Biology at Tufts University and Andy Johnson, Assistant Coordinator of Cheese & Industry Applications at CDR.

Dairy 2050 Environmental Goals and the Net Zero Initiative for Carbon Emissions

In the spring of 2020, the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy set new environmental stewardship goals and a vision that U.S. dairy can be a part of environmental solutions. These voluntary, collective goals include becoming carbon-neutral or better, optimizing water use while maximizing recycling and improving water quality by optimizing the utilization of manure and nutrients by 2050.

Learn how the dairy industry’s Net Zero Initiative is collaborating on sustainability projects to expand research, data, and on-farm projects to close knowledge gaps, improve analysis and demonstrate progress. Discover how dairy supply chain partners can engage in collective impact projects. Insights will focus on assessing and advancing economically viable practices and technologies to help move the needle to reduce dairy’s environmental impact. Hosted by the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, learn from speaker Karen Scanlon, Senior VP of Environmental Stewardship at the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy.

During the final day of CheeseExpo Global Online on Thursday, April 8 explore concurrent seminars about microbial food science, workforce recruitment strategies, online dairy sales and food safety.

Microbes that Negatively Impact Cheese Quality and Advances in their Identification

There are more culprits out there than just lactose fermentation which are causing gas formers in cheese. Learn what they are and how to identify them. Hosted by CDR, this seminar is moderated by Dean Sommer, Cheese & Food Technologist at CDR. Learn from speaker Dr. Rodrigo Ibáñez Alfaro, a CDR scientist.

Peer Learning: Strategies to Recruit and Motivate Your Workforce

How are your peer companies innovating in building and motivating their workforce – especially with the challenges of COVID-19? Join a panel of our industry’s human resources leaders as they discuss solutions to workforce challenges of COVID-19, as well as their best strategies to find and develop great talent and build employee loyalty. Hosted by WCMA, this seminar is moderated by Rebekah Sweeney, Director of Communications, Education and Policy at WCMA. Hear from speakers Mara Kamat, Vice President of Human Resources at Great Lakes Cheese, Brian Sandvig, Vice President of Operations & Human Resources at Valley Queen Cheese and Denise Lofquist, Vice President of Human Resources at Emmi Roth USA.

Succeeding with Online Dairy Product Sales

Sales of natural cheese online increased $743 million in 2020, a 104 percent increase over the previous year. Our expert panel will explore the future for dairy in e-commerce, with an emphasis on three market channels: retail sales, online direct sales and food banks.  

Learn about a major initiative to create a permanent online marketplace where food manufacturers offer goods for food banks to purchase in secure, online transactions. Hosted by DFW and WCMA, this seminar is moderated by Paul Ziemnisky, Executive Vice President of Global Innovation Partnerships at Dairy Management Inc. Hear from speakers Claudia Knowlton-Chike, Lead of the Google Food Supply Chain Coalition at Google Global Logistics, Andy Hatch, Owner of Uplands Cheese and a retail grocery representative.

Whey and Dairy Powder Pathogen Control Best Practices

Whey and other dairy powders have grown to become a significant portion of dairy production, but they also pose a unique set of food safety challenges. Controls and mitigation programs need to be tailored for dry dairy operations to minimize the risk of pathogen contamination. An industry panel of experts will share food safety best practices and answer your questions on controls, tools and approaches to minimize the risks. Hosted by the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, this seminar is moderated by Chad Galer, the organization’s VP of Food Safety. Hear from speakers Dan Belina, Senior Scientist at Land O’ Lakes, Inc., Dave Cook, President of Commercial Quality & Food Safety Solutions, David Kedzierski, Executive Leader of Food Safety, QA and Regulatory Affairs at Agri-Mark Inc. and Ron Thompson, Director of Food Safety at Continental Dairy Facilities, LLC.

CheeseExpo Global Online’s full slate of events also includes engaging keynotes, spotlight celebrations, informative Ideas Showcase presentations, and expansive exhibits. Check out CheeseExpoGO.org for a look at all the event offers, and save $100 on full registration now through Monday, February 1.