By Martin Wiedmann, Professor, Department of Food Science

Many readers of this newsletter are probably aware of the fact that over the last two years, the Cornell Dairy Foods Extension Team has reorganized its workshop offerings into certificate program tracks. An overview of the program and the workshops that are part of the program is available in a brochure that can be downloaded from this link. Our program provides certificates in four areas, including (i) Yogurt and Fermented Dairy Products; (ii) Fluid Milk Processing; (iii) Membrane, Evaporation and Drying Technology; and (iv) Cheese-making. To achieve a certificate in one of these areas, individuals have to complete a series of four Cornell workshops and pass the final exam for each workshop. In addition, we also offer advanced “Expert Certificates” in (i) Yogurt and Fermented Dairy Products and (ii) Cheese Making.  These expert certificates require completion of an additional 3-day advanced course in a given area (e.g., Advanced Expert Yogurt & Fermented Dairy Products – next offered in 2015) at least 3 years of practical work experience, and successful completion of a comprehensive oral exam.

While the main efforts of the Cornell Dairy Foods Extension Program focus on the certificate program and the workshops that are part of the certificate program, our team will infrequently offer or host stand alone classes or courses at Cornell that are not part of our certificate program and that cannot be used towards the certificates we offer.  For example, this summer, Cornell will co-host a 1-day class entitled “Artisan/farmstead cheesemaker food safety workshop”, which is sponsored by American Dairy Association and Dairy Council. This class is instructed by University of Connecticut Assistant Professor Dennis D’Amico and targeted towards providing individuals with an appreciation of food safety challenges faced by artisan cheese makers. We expect that this class will further clarify the importance of in-depth training such as the certificate programs and workshops offered by the Cornell Dairy Foods Extension Program.  Cornell staff will be available at this class to provide further information on the Cornell Dairy Foods Certificate Program and to discuss attendees’ needs for training related to any aspects of dairy food safety and dairy processing and to also introduce attendees to the dairy extension resources available at Cornell. This will help us facilitate the best possible training in dairy processing and dairy food safety. Whether at the Cornell workshops or visits to Cornell, our dairy team values the opportunity to interact with anyone affiliated with the dairy industry to constantly improve our training offerings and services. If you have any questions about the Cornell Dairy Foods Certificate Program please contact myself, Janene Lucia, Kim Bukowski or Tristan Zuber.