Category Archives: Guild

Info about the Guild

Board of Agriculture Survey

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Beth Calder writes:

“Hello fellow Cheese Guild members:

I was contacted about an important survey that the Board of Agriculture is conducting this summer, please see the email below and attached Word Doc. I realize summer is not the best time because you are all so busy, but your feedback to the Board is important so that your needs are appropriately addressed in their report especially in these trying economic times. I want to thank you in advance for your time and participation. Look forward to seeing everyone soon.

Beth

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Beth Calder, PhD
Extension Food Science Specialist
University of Maine
Department of Food Science & Human Nutrition
5735 Hitchner Hall, Rm #232
Orono, ME. 04469-5735

Dear Beth,

The Board of Agriculture is conducting a survey of research and extension education needs for agricultural organizations in Maine. The survey instrument is linked here. Submissions are due by August.

This survey is important to both UMaine Cooperative Extension and NSFA, so we would like to see a good return rate. The Board of Agriculture advises the University on program and staff needs. The new faculty positions identified as high priority
by the Board based on the last survey were eventually filled. The Board’s formal recommendations provide strong justifications for new position proposals to the University’s upper administration. We appreciate any help you can provide for a
successful survey.

Shannon Johnson
Administrative Assistant II
College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture
Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station
5782 Winslow Hall, Room 106
Orono, ME 04469
207-581-3205 P
207-581-9388 F

Does Cheese Cause Global Warming?

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The methane that cows (and other ruminants) emit while they digest their food is 20 times better at trapping heat in our atmosphere than CO2 — as a result, when Stoneyfield Farms commissioned a study on their company’s carbon footprint, they were shocked to find out that milk made more of an impact on global climate change than transportation, heating, or the energy used to run their plants.

Luckily, scientists are studying whether this must always be the case, and have now found that feeding cows a diet of flax and alfalfa (instead of corn and soy) reduces methane production significantly — and their coats are shiny too!

Maine Cheese Guild

Maine Cheese Guild Quality Statement

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The Maine Cheese Guild believes that cheese of the highest quality can only be made with a thorough and regularly refreshed knowledge of food safety.

The Maine Cheese Guild promotes and sponsors regular opportunities to learn about best practices for cheese making. The Guild also believes that the best way for professional* cheese makers to guarantee the quality of their product is by being appropriately licensed by the Maine Department of Agriculture, as only licensed cheese makers are legally allowed to sell cheese to the public, and only licensed cheese makers receive feedback from the dairy regulatory unit through regular testing for contamination and facility inspections. This feedback is critical, together with on-going education, in maintaining the high quality of award-winning Maine cheese.

* professional = selling cheese to the public