Eighteen of the 26 businesses are receiving a DBIA grant for the first time, and 12 are farmsteads.  

Awards honor efforts to support and advance the dairy processing industry.

As president, Omer will lead an executive team that includes Doug Wilke of Valley Queen Cheese as First Vice President, Mike Sipple of Agropur as Second Vice President, Kim Heiman of Nasonville Dairy as Treasurer, and Chris Renard of Renard’s Cheese as Secretary. 

Dairy processors, marketers, and suppliers raised a record $339,835 for dairy education at the 2023 Chr. Hansen Championship Cheese Auction, taking place at CheeseCon in Madison, Wis.

Dunn inherits business operations responsibilities from Sara Schmidt, who will now serve as the association’s member engagement manager, leading membership development and driving engagement in WCMA trainings and programs.

Over 26 years, WCMA has awarded the Myron P. “Mike” Dean Cheese Industry Student Scholarship to 46 students affiliated with dairy manufacturers and processors. In 2023, this scholarship will be awarded to Lizzette Lopez and Tyler Schroepfer.

April event to feature education seminars, special events and networking opportunities.

Businesses in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin may apply for the funding, which is administered by the Center for Dairy Research (CDR) and the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA).

The series is currently available in English, with Hmong and Spanish versions set to be released in February.

Kerry Henning of Henning Cheese and Myron Olson of Chalet Cheese Cooperative named Life Award winners.