Save the Dates for ACS 2013 in Madison, Wisconsin! 

ACS is pleased to announce that our 30th Annual Conference & Competition will take place July 31-August 3, 2013 in Madison, Wisconsin!

We're thrilled to return to Wisconsin for this important anniversary year, and we're looking forward to working with co-chairs Jeanne Carpenter of Wisconsin Cheese Originals, Sara Hill of the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, and Bob Wills of Cedar Grove Cheese.  

Would you like to get involved in planning the 2013 Conference?  

• Submit a presentation proposal 
• Consider applying to be an Official Conference Cheesemonger 
• Volunteer to join the planning committee 
• Volunteer to help on-site 
• Share your ideas and thoughts for 2013  

Watch the ACS 2013 video!

Call for Presentations: Submit a Proposal for an Educational Session in 2013  

The Call for Presentations for members and the general public who are interested in submitting educational session ideas for our 2013 Conference is now open!

ACS invites proposals from experts who meet our criteria for educating cheesemakers, retailers, and other industry professionals about best practices, new trends, research, and improving products and processes.

Proposals are due soon: Submit yours by September 4 in order to be considered for the 30th Annual ACS Conference in Madison! 

Still nursing that Raleigh hangover? No, not the head-pounding kind that results from that extra glass of pinot in the lobby bar, or even the belt-busting feeling of having indulged in too many hush puppies at the local culinary hotspots. I'm referring to that lingering feeling of hope, accomplishment, and invigoration that comes from an intense, collaborative, and productive annual gathering of our vibrant industry.

For those unable to join, suffice to say that this year's conference was one for the books, with co-chairs Dr. MaryAnne Drake and Dick Roe and their planning committee delivering on-point content and opportunities to learn, network and grow! Our ACS staff, led by Nora Weiser, was simply amazing. Please all take a bow!

There were a number of firsts at this conference, with the most obvious being that it was our first conference held in the Southeast Region. North Carolina gave us so much reason for optimism with its burgeoning dairy industry which produces award-winning cheeses and an increasing number of retail and restaurant venues from which to enjoy them. Thanks to the City of Raleigh for the extraordinary welcome, which we all experienced in shops, restaurants, and farmers markets.

One cannot mention firsts without acknowledging the successful launch (at long last!) of our industry's Certified Cheese Professional™ Exam, which was sold out with a waiting list, and significant enough to be featured on the front page of the Wall Street Journal! Sue Sturman, Sasha Davies, and their team of so many of ACS's finest made this a first we will long cherish and appreciate. The commitment of so many individual and corporate donors/sponsors enabled this dream to become a reality, with special thanks to Emmi Roth K�se USA for stepping up in a big way! And who could forget the brave 150 who signed up to be first and test their own mettle? The names of those individuals who passed the exam and earned their ACS CCP™ credentials will be announced in September.   

Other firsts include a gathering of representatives of American cheese guilds, with a commitment to work together to create value for our members both at the ACS conference and all year long! Twelve regional or state guilds with a lot of energy gathered around a cobbled-together group of tables while enjoying a "Breakfast of Champions" featuring our freshest ACS Judging & Competition entries (another first!). Additionally, we announced a strategic alliance with the UK's Specialist Cheesemakers Association and we held our first meeting of the newly formed ACS Past President's Advisory Council, where some of our industry's most respected luminaries came together to serve as ambassadors on critical issues that we collectively face. Special thanks to David Gremmels and Allison Hooper, who will co-lead this body in their ongoing service to ACS.  

One last (but not least) notable first was the remarkably little waste that resulted from this year's conference due to the extremely successful cheese sale and the Animal Welfare Approved pig farmers who gladly took the unsellable remains for their livestock. Let's repeat this going forward!

There were great celebrations of service and contribution to our industry, for stars past, present, and future. As our terrific keynote speaker, Temple Grandin, alluded to in her remarks, there is much hope for ACS's future, with so many youth in attendance amongst the more seasoned members -- something that is not always the case in other agriculturally-related industries. We have many challenges and opportunities to face in the not-so-distant future, as we work together to bolster/establish best practices in food safety and product quality, and create awareness and appreciation among consumers of American cheeses, both here and abroad. Start planning now for our 2nd annual American Cheese Month!

I wish to warmly thank my predecessor Christine Hyatt and the other outgoing board members who have helped ACS come such a long way over the past years. I also look forward to working closely with the amazing board, committees, and staff that we have assembled to take us into 2013 and beyond!

Enjoy the rest of your summer,

Greg O'Neill

ACS President 

Serving on the ACS Board for the last six years, the last two as President, has been an incredible experience. At the outset, I was not exactly sure just how I would balance my consulting work, creative endeavors and family life alongside a time and energy-intensive volunteer role, but I knew it was important, that my life path led me to this opportunity for growth and challenge.

I've always been a creative seeker, looking for those of like-minded energy and goodwill. For as long as I can remember, I longed to be part of something bigger than myself, working with others to create real and positive change in the world.

I see ACS as an organization that is doing just that. From its visionary beginnings focused on helping people make better cheese to the hard work and dedication of building an industry, ACS has been bringing together the cheese community for nearly 3 decades to celebrate and face challenges, learning and growing together.

In the short time that I have been involved, we transformed from an organization focused on creating a great annual conference to expand our focus to year-round programs that promote and support American cheeses, while being an advocate and clearing house for vital industry information.

ACS Board, staff and volunteers have worked on refining our message, delivering more quality educational programs, and providing resources and higher visibility for members through successful partnerships and events. Our membership is vital and alive and, even, cool. En route to our New Member Reception in Raleigh, I ran into Ricki Carroll, a founding leader of ACS and one of my cheese heroes. She joined me for the gathering and was amazed, noting: "There are more people in this room tonight than were at our first conference. And, they're young."

That simple observation bodes well for our industry and our association as we prepare for our 30th anniversary and the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. We are vital. We are growing. We're up to good things and we're excited to share what is special, unique and important about the American cheese scene with a growing legion of fans.    

Peace, Love & Cheese,

Christine Hyatt 

ACS Chairman and Past President  

While we are all still reeling from a great conference in Raleigh, we are also gearing up for what promises to be another hectic and busy year for ACS and our members. In Raleigh, FDA representative Dr. Obianuju Nsofor announced that the FDA has budgeted for  246 inspections of small cheesemakers in their coming fiscal year, which starts October 1, 2012. ACS will need to keep abreast of what is happening on this front, and is already gearing up to provide information to assist members with tips on what to expect during an inspection, your rights and responsibilities, and to share information as it comes to us. Members will rely on us, but we will also be relying on you to let us know what's happening on the ground in your part of the country and at your facilities. Only through the open sharing of information can ACS truly help members create a framework that prioritizes food safety, traceability, and best practices.

We will be e-mailing a survey to cheesemakers this fall with a view to gathering as much information as possible about your interactions with the FDA and other regulatory bodies. We strongly encourage you to take part so that ACS has the much-needed data and statistics required to represent our members in discussions with these organizations. It is only with these data that we can build a picture of the areas of need in our industry, and respond swiftly and positively on your behalf. 

Education will be front and center in the year leading up to our 30th anniversary conference in Madison next year (Save the dates! July 31-August 3, 2013). I urge all members to consider submitting a proposal to present a session in Madison -- you may not realize it, but each and every one of you has specialized knowledge, a unique perspective, and personal experiences to share that can benefit your peers in the industry. Sharing and transparency are two of the greatest tools we have to build our industry and secure its future.

Sincerely,

Nora Weiser

ACS Executive Director  

A Judging & Competition for the Record Books

We are back from a successful Judging & Competition in Raleigh, NC, with the largest number of entries ever seen in ACS history (1,711). I would like to congratulate all of our award winners, especially our Best of Show: 1st Place to Beecher's Handmade Cheese (Flagsheep), 2nd Place to Valley Shepherd Creamery (Crema de Blue), and 3rd Place to Emmi Roth USA (Roth Grand Cru Surchoix).

As a committee, we have had many successes this year, and I'd like to take this opportunity to share these with you, and to thank all of the people who helped make this year a tremendous success:

For the first time in ACS history, most of the entering cheesemakers were able to log on to the ACS website to enter their cheeses via our new online entry database. Of the 254 companies entered, only 15 sent in paper entries. This new database is designed to allow cheesemakers easy access to their entries when they enter the Judging & Competition again next year.

Via our first-ever judges' training webinars, we were able to welcome judges from all across the country and around the world and prepare them for their role as an aesthetic or technical judge, which helped save time on-site. These webinars started out as a mere thought on one of our regular calls, and then, through the work of Jane Bauer and Michelle Lee at the ACS office, this thought became a reality. We are looking forward to improving the process for next year, and we appreciate the judges' participation in this revolutionary approach to training.

Also this year, Tom Kooiman, ACS J&C Committee Vice Chair, and Sasha Davies worked to develop an educational video to help cheesemakers with proper shipping and handling techniques. This video, along with another member-produced video, will be posted on the ACS web site throughout the year, and we believe these videos were a major reason why we saw fewer cheeses in triage this year. Despite the hot weather, only a handful of entries required evaluation upon arrival.

For the first time in our history, ACS made it possible for cheesemaker members to volunteer during the Judging & Competition. The J&C Committee worked to develop a proposal for the Board, which outlined the roles cheesemakers could fill. We appreciate the Board's open and thoughtful consideration of our proposal, and we look forward to having more cheesemakers involved in the receiving and back-of-house roles next year in Madison.

I can't stress enough how much I enjoy working with this committee and watching it grow. Without the help of our dedicated volunteers, this event would not be possible. I thank each of them for their dedication to and passion for the Judging & Competition...(continue reading this piece on the ACS website)

Todd Druhot

ACS Judging & Competition Committee Chair

Download 2012 Conference Presentations &

Watch Temple Grandin's Opening Keynote 

As speakers make them available, ACS is posting presentations from our 2012 Conference on our website for members to view. If you missed a session, or if there is a session you enjoyed and would like to revisit, check out the link below. Please note that we will be adding more presentations to the site in the coming weeks; if your desired session isn't posted yet, please check back again soon.

• 2012 Conference Presentations  

We are also excited to share video from the Opening Keynote by Temple Grandin, Bridging the Gap Between Agriculture and the Public. Temple's remarks were well-received by conference attendees, and we're pleased to make them available for those who weren't able to attend. To watch the Opening Keynote by Temple Grandin, simply click the link above or click on the image below.  

Temple Grandin in Raleigh (photo by Uriah Carpenter)

First Certified Cheese Professional™ Exam Administered to 150 Candidates in Raleigh 

Ask Dr. Cheese: Another Look at Bloomies