The ongoing drought is putting more than enough pressure on our dairy feed producers as it is in California; however, alfalfa weevil also continues to wage war over the state’s alfalfa crop as insecticide resistance for this pest continues to build. Watch this brief interview with Ian Grettenberger from the UC Cooperative Extension as he explains the situation. Read more about it in California Dairy Magazine.
Please thank this video’s sponsor Clean Energy for their industry support.
California dairy producers want top quality hay for their cows, but they also want to maximize yields in their alfalfa fields. Watch this interview with Dan Putnam from the UC Cooperative Extension as he shares that the key to finding a happy balance between quality and quantity is in determining the best cutting schedule. Read more about it in California Dairy Magazine.
Please thank this video’s sponsor Clean Energy for their industry support.
The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) today announced six chef finalists for the Cal-Mex Invitational, a new foodservice competition that celebrates the fusion of California and Mexican cuisines and spotlights recipes featuring California cheese and dairy products.
The six finalists will compete in a head-to-head cook-off event at the Culinary Institute of America at Copia in Napa, California on August 3, 2022, for more than $22,000 in cash prizes and recognition as a Cal-Mex culinary pioneer. The event will be judged by an elite team of chefs and live-streamed so viewers can watch as chefs prepare Cal-Mex dishes in three categories: Appetizer, Entrée, and Dessert. The event will be hosted by award-winning author, speaker, and national food television personality Leslie Sbrocco.
“The Cal-Mex category is growing and offers a tremendous opportunity to highlight California cheese and dairy. The addition of the Cal-Mex Invitational to our foodservice competition program recognizes the influence of chefs who are showcasing the fusion of California and Mexican flavors in their own unique way,” said Mike Gallagher, Business and Market Development Consultant for the CMAB. “We look forward to collaborating with this team of chefs and exploring how they interpret Cal-Mex.”
The finalists for the 2022 Cal-Mex Invitational are:
Appetizer
Entrée
Dessert
Cal-Mex Invitational finalists were selected from a group of professional chefs from across the U.S. A panel of expert judges scored the best two recipes in each category from each chef to select finalists to participate in the cook-off event in Napa.
Three nationally known chefs will judge the cook-off event: Ben Diaz, Executive Chef of Leoness Cellars, Hugo Ortega, Executive Chef/Owner H Town Restaurant Group, and Claudette Zepeda, San Diego-based Chef and Culinary Entrepreneur.
A native Angelino, Ben Diaz puts his passion into every dish at Leoness Cellars. Ben trained at the California School of Culinary Arts and the L’Académie Culinaire de France. He developed Tacos El Chapin, a popular pop-up taqueria, and is the Chief Culinary Officer at CBD Cuisine Consulting Services & Catering Division, which works with restaurants around the world. Ben previously served as top toque at some of Southern California’s best hotels and restaurants. He wrote the reference book, From a Cook to a Professional Chef, and has appeared on Food Network’s Chef Wanted and Cutthroat Kitchen, and The Cooking Channel’s Farmers Market Flip, where he won.
Hugo Ortega, winner of 2017 James Beard Foundation Best Chef: Southwest, started as busboy at the Backstreet Café in Houston and following culinary school became its executive chef and co-owner with his wife Tracy Vaught. Hugo later became executive chef and opened Hugo’s, Caracol, Xochi, and URBE. He received the 2017 Craig Claiborne Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southern Foodways Alliance. In 2019, Vaught established the Chef Hugo Ortega Endowment at Houston Community College’s Culinary Arts Program to provide scholarships for culinary students. Hugo published two cookbooks: Hugo Ortega’s Street Food of Mexico and Backstreet Kitchen: Seasonal Recipes from Our Neighborhood Cafe.
Claudette Zepeda oversees the creative vision at VAGA restaurant in San Diego’s North County. Previously, she gained national acclaim as the executive chef and partner at El Jardín, also in San Diego. Claudette won both Eater San Diego and the San Diego Union Tribune’s Chef of the Year in 2018 and was a James Beard Best Chef West semifinalist in 2019. She competed on Top Chef Season 15 and Top Chef Mexico and won Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend. In 2019 Claudette founded Viva La Vida, LLC., which starts micro businesses with single mothers in Mexico.
Judges will evaluate dishes by criteria including the inventive use of Hispanic-style Real California cheeses and dairy products, taste, texture and presentation, and creativity. Based on scoring, each category winner will receive a trophy and $5,000 prize. Category runners-up each receive a certificate and $1,500. Non-finalists received $500 each.
For additional details and updates about the inaugural Cal-Mex Invitational, competitors and competing dishes visit calmex.realcaliforniamilk.com.
California is a reliable, consistent source of sustainable dairy products used by chefs throughout the world. As the nation’s largest dairy state, California boasts an impressive lineup of award-winning cheesemakers and dairy processors who are helping to drive dining innovation. California is the leading producer of fluid milk, butter and ice cream as well as Hispanic-style cheese and dairy products for Cal-Mex creations.
About Real California Milk/the California Milk Advisory Board
The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), an instrumentality of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is funded by the state’s dairy farm families who lead the nation in sustainable dairy farming practices. With a vision to nourish the world with the wholesome goodness of Real California Milk, the CMAB’s programs focus on increasing demand for California’s sustainable dairy products in the state, across the U.S. and around the world through advertising, public relations, research, and retail and foodservice promotional programs.
The Foodservice Division of the CMAB supports foodservice operators and distributors that use Real California dairy products. The CMAB offers marketing and promotional support for foodservice operators that purchase dairy products with the Real California Milk seal, which means they are made with 100 percent milk from California’s more than 1,100 family dairy farms, using some of the most sustainable dairy practices in the nation.
For more information on sourcing cheese from California, contact the foodservice team at 209.883.6455 (MILK), businessdevelopment@cmab.net or RealCaliforniaMilk.com/Foodservice, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
The California Dairy Innovation Center (CDIC), the dairy innovation partner to the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), has announced the availability of first round of grants through Pacific Coast Coalition’s Dairy Business Innovation Initiative (DBII). Producers and processors can apply through August 30th for a maximum of $50,000 per application for initiatives supporting dairy businesses in the development, production, marketing, and distribution of dairy products.
Funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service, DBII program funded initiatives focus on product, process and packaging innovation and serve to:
The grants are the first in the $1.8 million DBII award from the USDA that created the Pacific Coast Coalition to support dairy businesses in California, Oregon and Washington in the development, production, marketing, and distribution of dairy products.
John Talbot, CEO of the California Milk Advisory Board said, “These grants offer a tremendous opportunity for producers and processors to think outside the box to prepare and launch bold innovation-focused projects that can have a transformative impact on our industry. And we’re just getting started. This is just the first set of grants and will be complimented with additional opportunities in the near future.”
Grants are available to anyone operating a dairy farm or dairy processing plant in California but focus on product, process, packaging innovation for dairy manufacturing. This includes feasibility studies and workforce training. Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives must focus on one or more of the following areas:
Proposals can include requests for funding for qualified equipment, feasibility studies, innovation in packaging as well as training of the workforce.1 This is a reimbursement program with applicants reimbursed upon presentation of invoices/receipts for approved projects. Grants are available to applicants throughout California, Oregon, and Washington.
Applications must be submitted by 12:00 noon on August 30, 2022. The Request for Applications document is available online here at: Application Materials – Google Drive and includes all required forms and templates. Additional questions can be directed to dairypacificcoast@mail.fresnostate.edu or vlagrange@cmab.net.
The CDIC is a partner of the Pacific Coast Coalition/Fresno State and serves as advisor in the grants review process. CDIC, and its Steering Committee, also guides and support the implementation of DBII programs that deliver hands-on technical assistance to dairy businesses, provide access to pilot plant and lab space/ equipment for product trials and innovation, offer practical training, fund research, and communicate innovation opportunities. Collaborators of the Fresno State-hosted DBII include Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly Humboldt, UC Davis, and Oregon State. The Pacific Coast Coalition is led by host California State University, Fresno and implements programs in partnership with CDIC and its collaborators.
The USDA Dairy Business Innovation (DBI) Initiative supports dairy businesses in the development, production, marketing, and distribution of dairy products. DBI Initiatives provide direct technical assistance and grants to dairy businesses, including niche dairy products, such as specialty cheese, or dairy products derived from the milk of a dairy animal, including cow, sheep, and goat milk.
California leads the nation in milk production and milk is the number one agricultural product in the state. California also is a leading exporter of dairy products. The Pacific Coast region is home to hundreds of dairy businesses that are well-positioned to serve the needs of growing markets in Asia and Latin America.
1Additional information on the (a) program and (b) allowable expenses is available at: (a) https://www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/dbi (b) https://www.ams.usda.gov/sites/default/files/media/DBISpecificTermsandConditions.pdf
About the California Dairy Innovation Center
The California Dairy Innovation Center (CDIC) coordinates pre-competitive research and educational training in collaboration with industry, check-off programs, and research/academic institutions in support of a common set of innovation and productivity goals. The CDIC is guided by a Steering Committee that includes California Dairies Inc., California Dairy Research Foundation, California Milk Advisory Board, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Dairy Management Inc., Fresno State University, Hilmar Cheese, Leprino Foods, and UC Davis.
UC Cooperative Extension and UC Davis will host a Healthy Soils Program field meeting on compost on Thursday, July 28th from 10:00am to 11:30am. The meeting will take place off of S. Landi Road, on Roberts Island in the Delta. Presentation topics include how to acquire compost, different types of compost, how compost can improve soil health and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, and how to apply for cost-share funding. The meeting location is where we are trialing different rates of green waste compost application for potential soil health and alfalfa yield benefits. Preliminary results will be described. Attendance is free, and registration is not required. Continuing education credits will be offered (CCA and N management applications pending). The agenda is pasted below, and a downloadable version is attached. The UC Cooperative Extension programming appreciates your interest, and looks forward to connecting with you later this month!
Agenda
The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), an instrumentality of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is funded by the state’s dairy farm families who lead the nation in sustainable dairy farming practices. With a vision to nourish the world with the wholesome goodness of Real California Milk, the CMAB’s programs focus on increasing demand for California’s sustainable dairy products in the state, across the U.S. and around the world through advertising, public relations, research, and retail and foodservice promotional programs. For more information and to connect with the CMAB, visit RealCaliforniaMilk.com, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) announced a new culinary competition for foodservice that celebrates the fusion of California and Mexican cuisines, the Cal-Mex Invitational. The Cal-Mex Invitational captures the culinary trends of global flavors and ethnic fare, trends California – as the leading producer of Hispanic-style cheese and dairy products in the United States – is well positioned to tap into.
For the Invitational, a select group of professional chefs from across the U.S. will be invited to submit recipes covering three meal occasions that showcase the innovative use of Hispanic-style Real California cheese and dairy products in each. A panel of expert judges will choose the best two recipes in each category – appetizer, entrée, and dessert. The winning chefs will then compete in a head-to-head cook-off at the Culinary Institute of America at Copia in Napa, Calif. on August 3, 2022, for over $22,000 in cash prizes and recognition as a Cal-Mex leader.
“Culinary competitions like the Cal-Mex Invitational create an opportunity to work with and recognize chefs who are using California cheese and dairy product in an innovative and exciting way,” said Mike Gallagher, Business and Market Development Consultant for the CMAB. “We look forward to exploring the Cal-Mex category through their dishes.”
The live, cook-off event will be presented online where viewers can watch as chefs prepare dishes in front of the judges and are evaluated by criteria, such as the use of Hispanic-style California dairy products, taste, texture and presentation, and creativity.
Based on scoring, each category winner will receive a trophy and $5,000 prize. Category runners-up each receive a certificate and $1,500. Non-finalists receive a certificate and $500 each.
For more details and the latest updates about the inaugural Cal-Mex Invitational, the competitors and competing dishes visit https://calmex.realcaliforniamilk.com/.
California leads the nation in milk production and is responsible for producing more butter, ice cream and nonfat dry milk than any other state. The state is the second-largest producer of cheese and yogurt. California milk and dairy foods can be identified by the Real California Milk seal, which certifies they are made exclusively with sustainably sourced milk from the state’s dairy farm families.
About Real California Milk/the California Milk Advisory Board
The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), an instrumentality of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is funded by the state’s dairy farm families who lead the nation in sustainable dairy farming practices. With a vision to nourish the world with the wholesome goodness of Real California Milk, the CMAB’s programs focus on increasing demand for California’s sustainable dairy products in the state, across the U.S. and around the world through advertising, public relations, research, and retail and foodservice promotional programs.
The Foodservice Division of the CMAB supports foodservice operators and distributors that use Real California dairy products. The CMAB offers marketing and promotional support for foodservice operators that purchase dairy products with the Real California Milk seal, which means they are made with 100 percent milk from California’s more than 1,100 family dairy farms, using some of the most sustainable dairy practices in the nation.
For more information on sourcing cheese from California, contact the foodservice team at 209.883.6455 (MILK), businessdevelopment@cmab.net or RealCaliforniaMilk.com/Foodservice, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Dairy producers from National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) member cooperatives urged Congress to create greater opportunities for enhanced environmental stewardship, promote exports and craft farm bill programs that aid dairy farmers of all sizes in all regions in a listening session held yesterday at California State University, Fresno by Rep. Jim Costa, D-CA.
Melvin Medeiros, a Dairy Farmers of America producer from Laton, CA, and Joey Fernandes, a Land O’Lakes producer from Tulare, CA, spoke in the listening session as part of a series the House Agriculture Committee is holding nationwide as it examines issues to be addressed in the upcoming Farm Bill. Both farmers are members of NMPF’s Board of Directors; Medeiros sits on the organization’s executive committee as well.
“From water issues, to trade, to sustainability, to providing an adequate safety net to producers of all sizes, the farmers who own NMPF’s member cooperatives are critical to conversations that affect all of agriculture in the next Farm Bill and beyond,” said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of NMPF. “We commend Melvin and Joey for sharing their insights and thank Rep. Costa for making sure that dairy’s voice is heard as the next Farm Bill begins taking shape.”
Yesterday’s session follows a similar session hosted last month in Arizona by Rep. Tom O’Halleran, D-AZ. At that event, United Dairymen of Arizona member Jim Boyle emphasized the need for more equitable treatment of dairy farmers of all sizes, including in pandemic relief programs to reimburse dairy farmers for unique COVID-19 losses. The next House Agriculture listening session is July 22 in Carnation, Washington.
The National Milk Producers Federation, based in Arlington, VA, develops and carries out policies that advance dairy producers and the cooperatives they own. NMPF’s member cooperatives produce more than two-thirds of U.S. milk, making NMPF dairy’s voice on Capitol Hill and with government agencies. For more, visit www.nmpf.org.
After twelve chefs spent a competitive day crafting innovative pizzas highlighting California cheeses, the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) announced three new pizza champions in the 2022 Real California Pizza Contest – a national search for the best pizza recipes using Real California Cheese.
The Grand Prize winner, David Jacobson from Concord, Calif., is the Lead Pizzaiolo at Forge Pizza Fire Truck and Fourth Bore Taproom & Grill in the San Francisco Bay Area. He took home the top prize for his pizza recipe, The Gold Rush, representing The REAL Californian category.
The Gold Rush, which pays homage to the “golden” period of California’s gold rush history, incorporates six California dairy products: Mozzarella, Monterey Jack, Provolone, heavy cream and multiple California specialty cheeses, including a washed-rind triple crème and a nutty aged hard cheese. Topped with fingerling potatoes, pancetta and smoked sea salt, this pizza offers rich, complex flavors that are synonymous with California cheeses.
Jacobson received $5,000 for winning the category and an additional $10,000 for the grand prize distinction, for a total of $15,000.
The Plant-Forward category winner was Leah Scurto, the owner of Pizzaleah in Windsor, Calif., for her recipe, Spear-it of Spring, inspired by the veggies and colors of spring, pairing California Scamorza and aged Dry Jack cheeses with roasted asparagus spears, mint leaves, and baby arugula to deliver a fresh flavor profile in every bite.
The CMAB awarded Scurto $5,000 for her winning pizza. Scurto is now a two-time winner in the contest, as she claimed The REAL Californian category in 2021.
The Cal-Mex category winner was Marcus Medina, the owner of Hella Pie Pizza Company in Tracy, Calif., for his Cali Craft Chicken Enchilazza pie. Inspired by his family’s homemade enchilada recipe, Medina tastefully blends Mexican crema, Oaxaca and cotija with braised chicken, spicy enchilada sauce, and red cabbage to highlight the depth of flavor in Hispanic-style cheeses from California.
The CMAB awarded Medina $5,000 for the winning pizza. The nine other finalists received $500 each for reaching the bake-off finals.
“This year’s contest highlighted several top trends in foodservice. One example is the plant-forward category, where the winning pizza incorporated fresh California produce like asparagus and arugula with herbs and California cheeses,” said Mike Gallagher, Business and Market Development Consultant for the CMAB. “The chefs also impressed the judges with the unique fusion of ingredients, such as a pizza topped with ginger and honey to complement a wonderful California soft cheese. Overall, there was an overarching commitment to the creative use of California dairy throughout each recipe.”
The 4th Real California Pizza Contest, which was held at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) at Copia in Napa, Calif., was open to professional chefs and culinary students from throughout the U.S.
A renowned panel of judges presided over the contest. They consisted of: Tony Gemignani, 13-time World Pizza Champion and owner of 22 culinary concepts including restaurants, cafes and retail shops; Glenn Cybulski, certified pizzaiolo and award-winning executive chef; and Spencer Glenn, the 2021 RCPC Grand Prize Winner and general manager of the Pizza My Heart chain. Judges based their scores on a variety of factors including taste, texture and the inventive use of cheeses made with Real California Milk.
“When the pizza industry is healthy, the California dairy industry is healthy,” stated John Talbot, CEO of the CMAB during the competition. “As the number one producer of milk and mozzarella, so much of our business goes into pizza, it’s important for California to advance and innovate in the category.”
The full list of finalists for the 2022 Real California Pizza Contest is as follows:
Plant-Forward
The REAL Californian
Cal-Mex
The video of the bake-off finals and the awards presentation is available at: 2022 RCPC Award Presentation. Additional details on the bake-off, the pizza chef finalists and the CMAB are available on the Real California Pizza Contest site.
As the nation’s largest dairy state, California boasts an impressive lineup of award-winning cheesemakers and dairy processors, that are helping to drive dining innovation. California is a reliable, consistent source of sustainable dairy products used by chefs throughout the world.
About Real California Milk/the California Milk Advisory Board
The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), an instrumentality of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is funded by the state’s dairy farm families who lead the nation in sustainable dairy farming practices. With a vision to nourish the world with the wholesome goodness of Real California Milk, the CMAB’s programs focus on increasing demand for California’s sustainable dairy products in the state, across the U.S. and around the world through advertising, public relations, research, and retail and foodservice promotional programs.
The Foodservice Division of the CMAB supports foodservice operators and distributors that use Real California dairy products. The CMAB offers marketing and promotional support for foodservice operators that purchase dairy products with the Real California Milk seal, which means they are made with 100 percent milk from California’s more than 1,100 family dairy farms, using some of the most sustainable dairy practices in the nation.
For more information on sourcing cheese from California, contact the foodservice team at 209.883.6455 (MILK),businessdevelopment@cmab.net or RealCaliforniaMilk.com/Foodservice, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) announced the return of the annual Capitol Hill Ice Cream Party to the National Mall on June 22, 2022. The Ice Cream Party has been an essential summertime event for members of Congress, their families, Capitol Hill staff and many other special guests since it began in 1983. However, IDFA did not hold the event in 2020 or 2021 due to the pandemic.
The celebration on the National Mall just outside the U.S. Capitol Building is one of Washington’s most anticipated for professionals working in food and agriculture, bringing together thousands of guests, including members of Congress and officials from the executive branch, in a fun event showcasing America’s favorite frozen treat. Because IDFA and the U.S. dairy industry are committed to a more sustainable future, this year’s event will offer bowls, cups, spoons and napkins made from post-consumer recycled materials, and recycling bins will be made available by IDFA for recycling waste from the event.
“The return of the IDFA Ice Cream Party is the biggest scoop on Capitol Hill in years,” said IDFA President and CEO Michael Dykes, D.V.M. “We always say ice cream is as bipartisan as you can get. The IDFA Ice Cream Party is our way of showing appreciation on behalf of America’s dairy producers and dairy foods makers to public servants, members of Congress and all the individuals working in Congress and in our federal agencies. Come out to the National Mall on June 22nd to enjoy some free ice cream.”
The 38th Annual IDFA Capitol Hill Ice Cream Party will take place at Union Square Park on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, June 22 from 4:00-6:00 p.m. The park is located west of the Capitol in the area encompassing the Capitol Reflecting Pool and the Grant Memorial.
IDFA Ice Cream Stats:
IDFA partnered with Research America in 2019 to study U.S. ice cream data and trends.
More information about ice cream is available on IDFA’s website: www.idfa.org/news-views/media-kits/ice-cream.
