Thanks to the outstanding expertise of staff scientists and educators, the Center for Dairy Research (CDR) has earned a reputation for world-class innovation. Now we’re proud to invite the dairy community to experience a new addition and renovated spaces at Babcock Hall on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.
This expansion and installation of state-of-the-art equipment enable our forward-thinking staff to optimize science and technology for the dairy industry. With the support of Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin and the dairy checkoff, CDR drives the development of new products, which ultimately creates new markets.
The project not only enhances our capabilities to research and develop the dairy products of tomorrow but will enable us to better train dairy professionals who will lead for decades to come. By leveraging our location on a college campus, prioritizing partnerships, and holding ourselves accountable to industry standards, CDR can discover more possibilities and pave the way for industry advancements.
Stepping into the CDR today is like entering a scaled-down, state-of-the-art dairy plant. Our miniaturized vats are now more enclosed and automated, providing a superior ability to experiment under controlled conditions. Other improvements include 10 specialty cheese ripening rooms, which can perfectly replicate the environments needed for anything from Camembert to Parmesan. Our applications lab and training center can comfortably seat 60 and allows for research and development and culinary teams to work on the latest and greatest applications in a licensed, collaborative kitchen space.
Being embedded in a world-class university allows us to conduct applied research on cheese and dairy products. We are in a great position to shift from our learnings in the lab to sharing new knowledge with professionals through industry short courses. Our Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker program continues to bring together the best of the best to blend the science and tradition of cheesemaking at the highest levels. If you’re unable to visit us or participate in some of our coursework in person, I’d encourage you to take a virtual tour or enroll in on-demand learning at cdr.wisc.edu.
From the very beginning of the facility design process, we invited industry experts to participate in advisory groups and incorporated their recommendations into our plans. Ensuring everything from flooring and materials to the processing equipment and layout meets industry standards allows us to effectively offer training on topics like food safety.
Early on, we decided that our revitalized center would be inspected by the state of Wisconsin . . . just like commercial cheese plants across the state. We're not making products for sale, but we wanted to reach the same safety standards that we advise others to adhere to. As a licensed and inspected facility, it is now possible for products from pilot plant trials to be provided to a consumer for tasting as part of a product development process.
It’s an exciting time to be part of CDR. Because we’re funded through the Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin and National Dairy Checkoff program, if your project is focused on improving the Wisconsin and the U.S. dairy industry, involves a dairy product or ingredient, and your company is based in the U.S., we are here to help you. To learn more about the dairy checkoff visit WisconsinDairy.org.
