North American cheese and butter makers are invited to showcase their all-Jersey milk products in the first North American Jersey Cheese Awards, set for July 2 in Syracuse, N.Y. Awards will be announced July 3 during the “Jersey Worlds Combine” festivities at Sycamore Hill Gardens, Marcellus, N.Y.

Judges will provide an objective assessment of all entries, which must be made from exclusively Jersey cow milk. Gold, Silver and Bronze awards will be given in 17 classes for cheeses, and a single class for Jersey cream butters.
 
There is no fee to enter the contest, or a limit on the number of varieties that a cheese maker can enter. Entries will be accepted through Monday, June 15, and products must be received at the contest location on or before July 1.
 
Heading the judging team will be maitre fromager Kathy Guidi, dean of Cheese Education Guild and the founder and president of Artisan Cheese Marketing, Toronto, Ontario. With more than 35 years of experience working with cheese mongers and producers across Europe, Canada and the United States, Guidi is known as a cheese industry leader and innovator. Her work includes business development consulting for numerous cheese producers and cheese agricultural agencies. Before establishing her company, she held top positions in sales and marketing for Ault Foods Limited, Balderson Cheese Company and Jewel Food Stores.
 
Contest Rules
1.      The contest is open to any cheese or butter maker located in a World Jersey Cattle Bureau North American region country. The organizers will seek verification that the products entered are made using 100% Jersey milk.
2.      Each entry may be entered in the name of a person or group directly involved in making the product. A person or group may enter more than one class. A person or group may be named on more than one entry within a class if the entries are of different varieties.
3.      Each product must be entered in its original form, uncut, as whole wheels, loaves or blocks. Any cheeses and butter under one pound of weight will require one retail case of samples (minimum of 6 pieces). Product is to be sent in normal company packaging. Exceptions are made for cheeses normally cut during manufacture (e.g., feta, Swiss), or when fully formed pieces are blocks larger than 40 lbs. Contact contest superintendent for information on the amount of cheese required for judging.
4.      Contest organizers reserve the right to place entries into the class deemed most appropriate by the head judge.
5.      All products entered in the competition become the property of the American Jersey Cattle Association. They will be showcased at a tasting during the “Jersey Worlds Combine” festivities on July 3 at Sycamore Hill Gardens.

Classes
1.      Fresh and cream cheese, plain
2.      Mold ripened soft or unpressed cheese, plain
3.      Soft or unpressed cheese, ripened, plain
4.      Blue vein cheese, any variety, uncut
5.      Continental style hard cheese, style to be indicated
6.      British style hard cheese, style to be indicated
7.      Continental style semi-hard cheese, style to be indicated
8.      British style semi-hard cheese, style to be indicated
9.      Very hard cheese
10.    Rind washed cheese
11.    Smoked cheese
12.    Flavored cheese, sweet
13.    Flavored cheese, savory
14.    Reduced fat cheese, fat percentage reduction to be indicated
15.    Hard cheese produced on farm/dairy with a total output not exceeding a weekly average of two metric tons (4,400 lbs.), i.e., farmstead produced
16.    Semi-hard cheese, farmstead produced
17.    Soft cheese, farmstead produced
18.    Jersey cream butter, any style

Detailed instructions for shipping will be provided after entries are made. Products must be received at the judging location on or before July 1.

For more information on the Awards competition and festival and to submit entries, contact Dr. Cherie L. Bayer, North American Vice-President for the World Jersey Cattle Bureau, at (614) 861-3636; Russell Gammon, Executive Secretary of Jersey Canada, at (519) 821-1020; or contest superintendent Sarah Mullen, Customer Service Coordinator with National All-Jersey Inc., at (614) 266-6916 or email smullen@usjersey.com.