milk quality – Maine Cheese Guild

Milk Quality Workshop with Gary Anderson – Thursday, October 30th at State of Maine Cheese Company – 9am to 5pm

Register for workshop here.

We will spend the day reviewing the biosynthesis of milk and udder anatomy. We will go over managed milking guidelines, milk storage, transport and evaluating milk quality. Specifically, we will cover the handling of milk from the animal to the container to maintain high quality. We will go over different milking systems and the tenets of cleaning and sanitizing milk handling equipment highlighting equipment areas for special consideration. We will finish the day reviewing lab reports, what they mean and goals for bacteria, somatic cells and adulterants. This will be a very full day of interactive discussions. Please bring a pot-luck dish to share for lunch Workshop

Sate of Maine Cheese Company, 461 Commercial Street
Rockport, ME 04846

Fee:

$35 for Maine Cheese Guild Members
$60 for non members (includes cheeseEnthusiast membership)
$105 for non-members (includes Principal/cheese producer membership)

Register for workshop here.

Monday, April 25th
9:00am to 5:00pm
Governor’s Restaurant Capitol Room
Waterville, Maine
Fee: (includes all materials and a buffet lunch)
$50 for 2016 Guild Members
$75 for non-members (includes 2016 Guild membership)

The Maine Cheese Guild will sponsor a workshop focused on helping small dairies create the best possible milk for their own use, and/or for sale to the growing number of Maine cheese makers. Gary Anderson, Maine’s long-time dairy agent at Cooperative Extension, will cover these topics:

What do we mean when we say “milk quality”
Maine resources
Milk components and characteristics
Milk quality of different dairy animals and breeds
Quality variation dependent on the end use of milk (fluid, cheese, yogurt, etc.)
Animal health
Good decisions during the milking process
Comparison of milking systems, the challenges and benefits of each
Sanitation process and tools
The challenges of the organic dairy
Proper milk storage, affects on quality
Proper milk transport
On-farm testing options for dairies
Questions, individual troubleshooting

To sign up please send the full workshop fee with your name, phone number, and email address to:

Maine Cheese Guild
c/o Mary Belding, Treasurer
250 Walker Mills Rd.
Harrison, Maine 04040

The Maine Cheese Guild needs to finalize the lunch count ahead of the workshop so we must receive your payment at least 1 week ahead of time to guarantee access to the buffet lunch.