Category Archives: Learning

Guild Workshop

Beginner Cheesemaking Workshop

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Beginner Cheesemaking Workshop with Arlene Brokaw and Beth Calder.  Come join us to learn the basics of safe  sanitation in the home kitchen and how to make boursin and feta style cheeses at home. This class will feature a hands-on cheese making demonstration for all participants. No prior cheese making knowledge necessary!

Milk TempLocation: University of Maine, Orono Campus School of Food & Agriculture’s Commercial Kitchen, Hitchner Hall, Rm 160 (look for signs for the Pilot Plant) Date: Friday, June 27, 2014 Time: 9:00am-4:00pm Cost: $60.00 Please bring your lunch and coffee/tea will be provided.

Space is limited to the first 12 people.

Please tie back long hair, wear comfortable clothing and shoes, and bring along an apron.  We will be standing for most of the workshop.

To register, please contact Melissa Libby at 207.581.2788 or 1.800.287.7170 (in Maine) or melissa.libby1@maine.edu.

 Parking Passes: Parking is located near Hitchner Hall. Melissa will be either e-mailing or mailing parking passes. Participants will need to park in the designated Black Commuter Student Parking Lots. The closest Black Lot is behind Nutting Hall, which is the building next to Hitchner.

Driving Directions: https://umaine.edu/about/driving-directions/

Campus map: http://www.umaine.edu/locator/printable-campus-maps/ If you are a person with a disability and need an accommodation to participate in this program, please contact Melissa Libby (UMaine Cooperative Extension, Rm 134 Hitchner Hall, UMaine) at 207.581.2788 or 1.800.287.7170 (in Maine) to discuss your needs. Receiving requests for accommodations 10 days before the program provides a reasonable amount of time to meet the request, however, all requests will be considered. 

June 6 Artisan Cheesemaker Food Safety Workshop in Conn

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On June 6, 2014, the New England Dairy Promotion Board will be sponsoring the Artisan/Farmstead Cheese Maker Food Safety Workshop from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. at the University of Connecticut.

This hands-on workshop will help cheese makers understand best practices and techniques for pathogen control in their facilities to assure a continued safe and nutritional end product, while addressing the stringent regulations coming from the FSMA. The workshop will include topics such as GMPs, sanitation, preventative and microbial controls, environmental monitoring, and ingredient and product pathogen testing.

Food safety is an important issue, and we recognize that you work with many individuals who may find this workshop valuable including cheese makers and manufacturers, extension and industry professionals, and retail and foodservice cheese buyers. We’d greatly appreciate it if you would share the attached flier with your colleagues and other individuals who may be interested in attending this workshop.

For more information see this brochure (PDF).

To register visit: www.dairyevents.com

Have a great day!

Madeline Magin
UMass Extension CDLE Team
201 Natural Resources Way
305 Bowditch Hall
Amherst MA, 01003
P: (413) 545-5221

Request For Dairy Production Photos from Gary Anderson

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Many of you attended one of the three raw milk meetings we had across the state the last couple months. We are currently planning to have a meeting of all licensed processors at the Dept of Ag with a tentative date of April 16. We hope that this meeting can answer questions about what testing is done in Augusta (and that is the reason why we are having the meeting in Augusta so that Linda Stahlnecker is able to be with us to answer questions), what type of testing is available in Orono for mastitis and sanitation issues, updated information on food safety issues, open discussion with the milk inspectors and a chance to talk with the person responsible for the milk program. A key part of the day is devoted to answering questions that you have.

My request to you is that I am looking for pictures of animal housing, milking parlors, milking stands, stanchion setups, bulk tank rooms, milk cans, milk storage, cheeserooms, vats and cold storage to answer questions about licensed facilities and how they carry on their milking and processing. If you are willing to provide pictures from your operation and can email me photos from your phone, camera, etc. I would appreciate it very much. I can visit farms, but I am trying to reduce travel costs.

If you have questions/concerns, please let me know.

–Gary Anderson
University of Maine Cooperative Extension