Overview

All traditional cheeses are made from some type of milk, whether it is from a cow, goat, sheep or even a water buffalo, camel or horse. In the United States, more than 300 varieties of cheese are produced, largely from cow's milk. In fact, the growing demand for cheese has been one of the most significant factors influencing the dairy industry. U.S. cheese production has set new record highs for 16 straight years.
 
Total U.S. cheese production in 2007, excluding cottage cheese, was 9.67 billion pounds, up 1.4 percent from 2006. Of that production, American-type cheese totaled 3.87 billion pounds, down 1.0 percent from 2006, and Italian-type cheese totaled a record-high 4.1 billion pounds, up 3.1 percent from 2006. 

Wisconsin continues to lead the nation in cheese production with 2.35 billion pounds or 26.4 percent of total U.S. cheese production. The state retains its majority share of American cheese production, especially cheddar. Likewise, California continues to rank second, producing 2.29 billion pounds of cheese in 2007 and surpassing Wisconsin in the production of Italian cheese, especially mozzarella. The latter cheese is now the most popular type in the United States.  February 2008 . . . Cheese

Marketing

• American Cheese Society - The Society's membership is listed by profession (cheesemaker, distributor, broker, supplier), by company name and by last name.
• Australian Specialist Cheesemakers' Association - Created in 1982, this association promotes the manufacture of specialty cheeses in Australia. They define speciality as all types of cheese other than Cheddar-type cheese.
• Cheese Information, Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board - Resources include how cheese is made, served and can be paired with other foods and beverages.
• Dairy (domestic production and international trade information), FSAonline, USDA.
• Dairy, Briefing Room, Economic Research Service, USDA.
• Dairy Foods magazine - This industry publication offers the latest news on trends.
• Dairy Product Prices, Economic Research Service, USDA - Annual data is compiled on cheese production and prices.
• Facts About Cheese, Dairy Management Inc. - Organized in 1995, this organization is funded by dairy checkoff dollars and manages the American Dairy Association®, the National Dairy Council® and the U.S. Dairy Export Council®. 
• The Marketing Potential of Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) in Cheese - A Market Scan, Wisconsin Initiative for Value-Added Development and the North Central Initiative for Small Farm Profitability, 2002.
• The Specialty Cheese Market, Food Processing Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2001 - This research study provides an overview of the specialty cheese market and includes opportunities and barriers associated with the market.
• World Cheese Exchange Database, Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison - Includes information on over 1,400 cheeses and can be sorted by name or nationality.

Processing/Manufacturing

• Cheese Processing Feasibility Study, "A Catalyst for Thought," Kansas Department of Commerce, 2003 -  Included in this study are an overview of the Kansas dairy industry, the current trends and the process of cheese processing. Fundamental issues of Federal Milk Marketing Orders, seasonality of production and demand are also addressed.
• Cheese Product Specifications, U.S. Dairy Export Council.
• Dairy Grading, Ag Marketing Service, USDA.
• Fine Tuning the Role of Cultures in Today’s Cheesemaking, Innovations in Dairy, Dairy Industry Technology Review, 2002.
• General Specifications for Dairy Plants Approved for USDA Inspection and Grading Service, Ag Marketing Service, USDA, 2002.
• Got Milk? Make Sure It's Pasteurized, FDA Consumer magazine, 2004. 
• Milk for Manufacturing Purposes and its Production and Processing, Ag Marketing Service, USDA, 2002.
• Returns to Investment in Whey Protein Research, Agricultural Issues Center, University of California, 2002 - Researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed new uses for whey protein. A model of the U.S. dairy industry traces the likely effects on the markets for milk and dairy products from commercial adoption of these new uses. 
• The Small Dairy Resource Book, 2000 - Information sources for farmstead producers and processors.

Production

• China Agricultural Data, Agricultural Issues Center, University of California, 2001 - Information on production, cost of production and trade.
• Making Soft Cheeses, Colorado State University Extension, reviewed 2007.
• Manual on the Production of Traditional Buffalo Mozzarella Cheese, FAO.
• Milking the Benefit from Camels, BBC News, 2006.
• Producing Sheep Milk Cheese, Oregon State University Extension Service, 2006. 
• Specialty Cheese Spurs Growth for Family Cheese-making Business, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, 2004 - Specialty cheese production has enabled Meister Cheese Company to expand. 

Businesses/Case Studies

• Adirondack Cheese Company, Yorkville, N.Y. - This third-generation family farm business takes orders for its old-fashioned cheddar cheese by mail, phone and fax.
• Andrulis Farmers Cheese, Fountain, Michigan - This cheese business is dedicated to making traditional Baltic-style farmer's cheese. The farm offers eight varieties of cheese and markets them online.
• Becoming the Big Cheese, Conde Nast Portfolio, 2007 - The Kehler brothers of Greensboro, Vermont, want to be all things to all artisanal cheesemakers, offering everything from starter recipes to sales and marketing expertise to a facility for finishing cheeses.
• Buttering Up your Customers: Direct-market Dairy Products Keep Profits on the Farm, North Central Initiative for Small Farm Profitability, 2002 -  A group of grass-based dairy farmers in Southeast Minnesota decide to set their price by marketing and distributing premium quality specialty dairy products themselves.   
• Crave Brothers Farmstead Classics - This Wisconsin family farm constructed a cheese factory in 2001 to produce their own specialty cheeses.
• Dairy Cooperative Gives Producers Options, Market to Market, Iowa Public Television, 2003 - Cabot Creamery Cooperative merged with Agri-Mark to form a successful and profitable business for producers in the northeastern United States.
• Green Pastures Dairy Inc., Carlton, Minnesota - A  family-owned business that specializes in the manufacture of aged Gouda cheese using natural, unpasteurized milk.
• Neighborly Farms, Agricultural Marketing Resource Center, Iowa State University - In the hills of Randolph Center, Vermont, the owners of this farm have established an organic dairy and cheese-processing facility on the farm. Visitors can watch the cows being milked and see cheese being made.
• Organic Cheese Producer Profiles, PCC Natural Markets, Seattle, Washington. 
• Strykly Texas Cheese Company, Schulenburg, Texas - This company makes cheese from its registered Jersey dairy herd. The cheese products include Texas-shaped cheddar cheese and several gift packs.
• Sweetwater Valley Farm, Philadelphia, Tennessee - This farm is the only on-farm cheese plant in the state. It features a cheese factory and retail store. Milk from the herd is processed into 15 different cheeses that are sold under the Tennessee Cheddar label.
• Tillamook County Creamery Association- This farmer-owned cooperative was established in 1909. The cooperative markets cheese and dairy products to retail outlets throughout the United States.
• Uplands Cheese Company, Dodgeville, Wisconsin - This cheese company is owned and operated by two families. The company produces a farmstead cheese made from nonpasteurized milk, using techniques similar to those used in southeastern France.
• Winchester Cheese Company, Winchester, California - Using the milk of their 500 cows, this farm makes seven varieties of homemade cheese and markets it from a Web site.
  

Links checked February 2008.