Cheese folks: Mike Gingrich of Uplands Dairy & John Jaeggi of Center for Dairy Research – “Forward! The Reinvention of the Wisconsin Legend-Dairy Industry Through the Wisconsin Idea”
PowerPoint PDF of this Presentation
artisan cheesemaker
In addition to learning about an amazing cheese, you get the opportunity to meet the artisan who actually makes it, find out how he did it, and even ask him questions. At this week’s lecture you have the chance to meet one of America’s premiere artisan cheesemakers, Mike Gingrich, who crafts Pleasant Ridge Reserve. Learn about his vision and how he made it a reality, by applying the Wisconsin Idea in action.
His cheese was voted Best of Show out of nearly 1,000 cheeses at the 2005 American Cheese Contest, took the same award at ACS in 2001 AND was named the U.S. Champion Cheese in 2003.
All that for a cheese made on a dairy farm right near Madison – in Dodgeville.
John Jaeggi,
Cheese Industry & Applications Coordinator
As the coordinator of the Cheese Industry and Applications Program at CDR, John is responsible for the coordination and execution of trials and application extensions. In addition John lectures and conducts lab sessions for numerous CDR and company contracted short courses. John has a B.S. in Business and Economics. He is a third generation licensed Wisconsin Cheesemaker with over 30 years of experience in the industry. He has also been a technical judge in many contests including the United States and World Championship Cheese Contest
ASSIGNMENTS: Read “Grass-based dairy products: challenges and opportunities” – pdf link here
NOTE: Those taking the course for credit: Written Review of Cronon’s “Only Connect….” due
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1 thought on “Sept. 18, Cheese Folks”
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What an excellent example of how the Wisconsin Idea and University Extension is supposed to function! The back and forth was so instructive: the dairy farmer with a vision to make things better, utilizing the research knowledge from the University to evaluate the science, and then take it back to the fields to apply what the research indicated, and then the repeated feedback culminating in national and international awards! So perfect.
We need to hold this up as an example of what the Wisconsin Idea in action means in concrete, hands-on, personal terms. Sometimes the abstract idea gets fuzzy or misunderstood or is difficult to comprehend. Seeing it in action in the real world solidifies so many of those abstracts.
The beauty of this interaction lies with the vision of Mike Gingrich and what he wanted to do in making the highest quality product, coupled with John Jaeggi’s academic knowledge and research facilities to help fulfill that vision. We definitely need more of these types of successes. And to publicize them more so the public can see that Wisconsin Idea in action in their daily lives.
Plus —- we got fed! Loved the cheese sampler. Thank you. Not just a toss-in, but actually created a discussion about what makes a good cheese and individual’s preferences in flavors. Learning value plus.