REMINDER DATES:
The Center is closed for season!
No scheduled meetings of members or
Board of Directors in January, 2021
Ramp, railing donors credited
Visitors to our Cheesemaking Center Museum are now assured that they have a secure physical access “Entrance” and “Exit” when they tour our National Historic Cheesemaking Center Museum. With generous donations in memory of loved ones and donor contributions, we now have a beautifully designed ADA exit ramp and railing, ensuring the safety of individuals and groups that we host. We gratefully appreciate the many donations that allows NHCC to continue to make improvements and sustain our future.
Stirring the kettle, With President Jim
It was hard getting my thoughts together for this mid-winter missive. COVID continues to rage here in America’s Dairyland, Vaccines are slow being delivered, immunizations are also not as projected; then there was the mess in our USCapitol. This had Americans glued to the Tv’s once again. One wonders if we will ever see the civility and neighborliness that was the norm when I was growing up. That leads me to use the accompanying depiction of longing for “the good old days.”
I saw somewhere the other day, though, that cheese consumption in the U.S. is continuing to be on the uptick, which bodes well for the industry in general. But the number of family farms in the state continues to diminish. One recent comparison I saw explains why this is happening, comparing milk production from years ago, per cow, with that of modern era cows. The difference was completely astounding! Modern dairy cows are exceptional milk producers.
This issue is a bit different than is the norm, as we have included some “feel good” items to lighten the psyche during these troubling times. And we have combined the January-February issue into one.
The photo to the left is a eudaemonic vision of what most of the state has been under this past week, when freezing fog has blanketed everything in frosty loveliness. I’m a sucker for farm scenes, and this one really struck a nerve.
– Until next time, stay safe in this new year.
Vanguard award to Buholzer, Palubickiv
The Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA) Board of Directors has selected nine individuals to be recognized next year at CheeseExpo Global Online for their outstanding work in the dairy processing industry.
The WCMA Vanguard Award is intended to recognize cheesemakers or cheese manufacturing employees whose work helped to blaze new trails in dairy operations. In 2021, this award will be given to Steve Buholzer and Ray Palubicki.Third-generation cheesemaker Steve Buholzer grew up at Klondike Cheese Company. Along with his brothers Ron and Dave, Buholzer took over the family business in 1972. Buholzer is a Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker, with certifications in feta and muenster. He is credited with bringing Klondike Cheese Company to new levels with state-of-the-art equipment, specially crafted recipes and by honoring the great traditions of cheesemaking.
Ray Palubicki started working in the cheese industry as a teenager in 1950. Less than a decade later, he became the head cheesemaker at the Outagamie Producers Cooperative. Palubicki served as Production Manager from 1967-1990, and as Plant Manager until his retirement in 1999. In addition to creating several award-winning cheese recipes, Palubicki led his plant through an acquisition by Alto Dairy, and transitioned it to fully automated cheddar cheese production, the first facility of its kind in the Midwest.
In 2021, Mark Schleitwiler will receive the Association’s highest honor: the WCMA Life Member Award.
WCMA has offered the Life Member Award since 1918, and Schleitwiler will be the 90th recipient. The award recognizes people who have played a significant role in the success of the Association through leadership, support, and service to the institution and its activities Mark Schleitwiler now serves as an industry consultant, most recently having worked as Director for Wohlt
Cheese, now a division of Ellsworth Cooperative Creamery. From 1988-2017, he worked at BelGioioso Cheese, first as Operations Manager, then Vice President of Operations, Vice President of Finance, and finally as Vice President of External Relations. He launched his career as an accountant and administrator at Churny Company, a cheese manufacturer and importer.
Schleitwiler is a longtime and active member of WCMA, having served several terms on the Association’s Board of Directors, including as President from 2010-2012 and as Treasurer from 2009-10. Mark also participates in WCMA’s Technology and Policy Committees and continues to support WCMA outreach efforts.
John Jeter and Don Menzner will be recognized as the 2021 WCMA Cheese Industry Champions, awards that are given to industry leaders who, through their everyday business decisions, have created tremendous opportunity for others.
John Jeter served as CEO Hilmar Cheese Company for 31 years. From his start in 1984, Hilmar Cheese grew exponentially, with Jeter focusing on research, the latest technology, and staff excellence. Before his retirement in 2015, Jeter completed construction of a second production plant in Texas, and established Hilmar Cheese as a major dairy exporter.
Don Menzner joined Marathon Cheese Corporation in 1960 as a packaging line worker, later advancing to the position of Director of Purchasing. By the early 1980s, Menzner became Vice President of Operations. In 1990, he was named President, and in 1996 accepted the position of CEO. He also served as a Board Member for the National Cheese Institute and National Cheese Exchange.
Before his retirement from Marathon Cheese Corporation in 2001, Menzner received the National Cheese Institute Laureate Award. Menzner is credited with innovative cheese shredding and packaging methods that transformed the way cheese was sold throughout the country.
The WCMA Distinguished Service Award, reserved for respected and highly-valued supplier partners to the cheese manufacturing industry, is unique in that the Association allows members to vote on prospective honorees. Craig Linz and Jerry Lippert have been selected for the honor in 2021.
Prior to his passing in July 2020, Craig Linz was known and respected across the dairy industry for his service and integrity. Linz served the industry in numerous roles, while rising through the ranks at Tetra Pak Inc., and its predecessors Carlisle Process Systems and Scherping Systems. Linz served four years as a member on the WCMA Board of Directors, and was active in the WCMA Recognition and Contest Committees. Linz earned the Eggebrecht Award in 2020 for his service to WCMA’s Championship Cheese Contests.
Jerry Lippert started his 17-year career in paper distribution with roles including sales and purchasing and general management with Great Northern Nekoosa Corporation and Georgia Pacific. Since 1992, Lippert has held several important roles with Nelson-Jameson, Inc. before becoming President in 2002. Lippert continues to focus on growing Nelson-Jameson, and mentoring the next generation of leadership. Lippert is an active member of the WCMA Recognition Committee.
The WCMA Babcock Award, named for Stephen Babcock, the famed agricultural chemist and University of Wisconsin professor, recognizes the contributions of those in education or affiliate organizations partnering with cheesemakers in the pursuit of dairy industry innovation and excellence, and will be given to Dr. Bob Cropp and Marianne Smukowski in 2021.
Dr. Bob Cropp is a Professor Emeritus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics. Prior to retirement, Dr. Cropp was the Dairy Marketing and Policy Extension Specialist and Director of the University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives, and has been with the University of Wisconsin System since August 1966. While retired, he remains active in dairy marketing, dairy policy and cooperative issues.
Marianne Smukowski worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Land O’Lakes, Inc. before creating her own unique position at the Center for Dairy Research at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she was Dairy Safety and Quality Coordinator. A guardian of food safety and quality for the dairy industry, Smukowski worked with producers in Wisconsin and beyond. She is also the technical adviser for the Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker program, and the 2019-20 President of the American Cheese Society. Smukowski has also served as a judge for
the WCMA World and U.S. Championship Cheese Contests.
Awards will be presented to honorees CheeseExpo Global Online in April 2021. 2020 honorees will also be recognized at this time. For more information and to register to attend CheeseExpo Global Online, please visit CheeseExpoGO.org.
Director Donna’s Monthly Report
Welcome 2021! Bye! Bye 2020!
You have heard the old adage of ”When life gives you lemons, make lemonade,” or “Look at the glass as half full “ instead of “half empty,” or “Every cloud has a silver lining.” Do these sayings seem worn-out or over –used to you? Do they really work?
It has carried us through rough times in the past and are backed by the fact that if we look at life with positivity it strengthens us. What opportunities do we see for the coming year 2021?
- Focus on helping one another – focus on the upside of a downside situation
- Look for opportunities and find something positive for the New Year
- Be grateful for what we have
- Be kind to yourself, just as you would your best friend
- Take yourself out of the “chaos of life” and spend time alone
- Phone a friend, send a card, and stay connected
- Volunteer your time and talents to others
- Surround yourself with positive people
- Choosing a positive attitude is one of the most powerful things we can take into the new
year
As I sit in my home office today, typing my monthly contribution to this newsletter, I am grateful for the opportunity to serve our amazing National Historic Cheesemaking Center organization and the Executive Board, NHCC Committees, our members, valuable volunteers, generous donors of monetary gifts, and the many visitors that enter our doors annually. Processing 2021 memberships, correspondence, mailings, press releases, data entry, and purging files keep me busy during the winter months.
A special thank you to my Assistant Director, Deborah Briggs, that supports me and the entire organization throughout the year. Deb has skills that do not duplicate mine, and we work together as a team, for the betterment of NHCC. Note: Deb and I just completed an update on our NHCC brochure and it is now headed for printing.
Your Director, Donna
The National Historic Cheesemaking Center is a tribute to those who have gone before…and is dedicated to the hard work and sacrifices of all those in the dairy industry who have made this area of southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois internationally famous.
The unique center recalls the rich heritage of the area and is illustrative of the lively cheese industry which still flourishes today.
Steve Bechel – Eau Galle Cheese – Durand, WI
A reminder: we invite our readers to join us June 19 if you are available. We are not holding our cheesemaking day again this year due to the pandemic.
