In a recent international competition, judges decided Wisconsin cheesemakers are extra sharp.

Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association Executive Director John Umhoefer said the organization hosts the World Championship Cheese Contest every other year and always performs well. This year, the state’s entries won 30 first place finishes out of 83 categories for its cheese products.

“Cheesemaking is multi-generational in this state,” Umhoefer said. “Most cheesemakers are from tradition, from family that’s been doing this a long time.”

He said there is a lot of breadth and depth to Wisconsin cheesemaking many other entrants do not have.

Other states make more commodity-type cheeses, but Wisconsin is the king of specialty cheeses in the United States, Umhoefer said.

“As cheese competitions go, this is the largest in the world, and this year’s was the largest we’ve ever had,” Umhoefer said. “This is the biggest gathering of butters and cheeses we’ve ever seen.”

The University of Wisconsin also has a hand in the cheese production that went into this competition.

Debra Boyke, spokesperson for the UW Center for Dairy Research, said the center provides judges and staff that work at the competition and does a lot of work with cheesemakers in the state.

The Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker Association, a program started by CDR and the Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, provides dairy short courses to state cheesemakers and dairy farmers, Boyke said.

“In the even years we have the World Championship Cheese Contest, and in the odd years we have the U.S. Championship Cheese Contest,” Boyke said. “Last year, 73 percent of the winners took classes with CDR.”

According to a statement from the center, the Master Cheesemaker Association is the only program like it in the U.S. that provides training courses for cheesemakers.

Boyke said these classes contribute to Wisconsin’s award-winning cheese, as well as the quality of the raw milk produced by state dairy farmers, and craftsmanship and passion cheesemakers put into their products.

CDR, WMMB and UW work together to provide these courses to increase the success of the Wisconsin dairy industry, according to the statement.

“We continually look for ways to build more markets and maintain that quality product we make in the state,” Boyke said.