Feb Meeting — Spring Day Creamery

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Springs' welcoming fireSarah Spring invited the Guild to visit her at her micro-creamery in Durham for our February meeting. Her house sits on a sunny rise on a back road and ably accommodate the large group that met there to discuss efforts to get Maine cheesemakers to participate in the ACS conference, info about current and future workshops, the importance of the upcoming Sanitation Workshop, and especially the fate of legally making raw milk cheeses while the state of Maine is trying to allow unregulated cheeses into the marketplace, and the Feds are thinking about scrapping any tolerance of unpasteurized dairy products. Needless to say there was much to talk about, and much to act on. Stay tuned.

Raw Deal?

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What is the future of being able to legally make and sell raw milk cheeses in the wake of the new Federal Food Safety bill passed last December? Although there is nothing specific in the bill about new rules guiding its production, the New York Times has published an article speculating that new proposals from the FDA may alter the existing 60 day rule, perhaps significantly.

In that vein, Caitlin has learned through the Southeastern Cheesemakers Guild listserve that a recommendation from Dr. Cathy Donnelly (of the Vermont Institute of Artisanal Cheese) may be one of those being considered:

Mandatory pasteurization for bloomy rind, washed rind, Hispanic and Tomme style cheeses. 90 day aging above 35F for raw milk cheeses. Mandatory technical training for cheesemakers. Mandatory risk reduction plan. Mandatory pathogen testing for finished product.

I’m sure this will be a topic for conversation at the next MCG meeting, and probably in future meetings. But there’s no need to hold your tongue until then: post your comments on this topic here to begin the conversation.

Dairy Farm Requirements — An Overview

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Rembrant painting of Moses holding the CommandmentsBelow is a link to a PDF document outlining the basics for setting up a small scale dairy operation and then getting your Maine Dairy Processors license to allow you to sell your products. It was put together by the Maine Micro-Dairy Cooperative which, sadly, is no longer an on-going operation

In addition to the basic regulations, it’s also important to be on top of all the sanitation needs for a small scale milking dairy, something that the Guild and/or the University of Maine Cooperative Extension can help you with. Join the Guild, attend our meetings, and together we can make great cheese together!

From the introduction:

The purpose of this document is to provide a basic overview of the requirements and standards that must be met for the production and sale of milk and dairy products in the state of Maine. It is not intended to replace nor supersede the official Department of Agriculture publication (Chapter 329: Rules Governing Maine Milk and Milk Products) from which it is derived, nor should it seem to take precedence over the judgment and advice of the State Dairy Inspectors who oversee the regulatory compliance of each producer and processor. It should be used as a guide only, in combination with on-site consultation and Department of Agriculture recommendations.

MMDC Summary of Dairy Farm Regs as of May 8, 2007