Dairy manufacturers, supporters and enthusiasts gathered at the Saz’s Hospitality Pavilion at Wisconsin State Fair Park on Thursday evening, August 8 for the Blue Ribbon Dairy Products Auction and the announcement of the 2024 Wisconsin State Fair Grand Master Cheesemaker. Team Lake Country Dairy won the coveted title with a winning entry of Maple Flavored Mascarpone. The entry scored 99.670 in the flavored soft cheese class.
In addition to announcing the Grand Master Cheesemaker, the grand champion dairy products were also announced at the event.
- Grand Champion Butter: Nordic Creamery unsalted butter, made by Nordic Creamery of Westby.
- Grand Champion Sour Cream: Odyssey Reduced Fat Mediterranean Feta Dip, made by Klondike Cheese Co of Monroe.
- Grand Champion Yogurt: Odyssey Labneh, made by Klondike Cheese Co of Monroe.
- Grand Champion Milk: 2% Fluid White Milk made by Lamers Dairy of Appleton.
- Grand Champion Custard: Bananarama made by Dairyland Old Fashioned Hamburgers of Milwaukee.
Each blue ribbon entry from the dairy products contest sold during the auction, which raised a record $65,080 for student scholarships and dairy promotion at the state fair.
Leading off the auction was four pounds of Lake Country Dairy Schuman Cheese Maple Flavored Mascarpone, which sold for $2,800 to DR Tech.
LOT 0 4 LBS.
GRAND MASTER CHEESEMAKER
CLASS 11 – FLAVORED SOFT CHEESE – Maple Flavored Mascarpone
Made by Lake Country Dairy
Lake Country Dairy/Schuman Cheese, Turtle Lake
Buyer: DR Tech
Price/lb: $700
Total Price: $2800
LOT 1 10 LBS.
CLASS 4- SWISS STYLE – Prairie Farms Baby Swiss Wheel
Made by Sam Morhardt
Prairie Farms, Shullsburg
Buyer: Novonesis
Price/lb: $100
Total Price: $1,000
LOT 2 36 LBS.
CLASS 6 – MOZZARELLA – LM Part Skim Mozzarella
Made by Jeremy Robinsin
CLASS 13 – SMOKED CHEESE – Smoked Provolone Cheese
Made by Pat Doell
Agropur, Luxemburg
Buyer: Masters Gallery Foods
Price/lb: $75
Total Price: $2,700
LOT 3 2 GALLONS (sold as 2 lbs.)
GRAND CHAMPION MILK: CLASS 48 – 2% FLUID MILK – WHITE – 2% Reduced Fat Milk
CLASS 51 – 1% FLUID MILK – CHOCOLATE – 1% Low Fat Chocolate Milk
Made by Lamer’s Dairy, Appleton
Buyer: John Yingling
Price/lb: $200
Total Price: $400
LOT 4 42 LBS.
CLASS 2 – AGED CHEDDAR – Aged Cheddar
Made by Foremost Farms USA – Marshfield
Foremost Farms USA, Marshfield
Buyer: Novonesis
Price/lb: $75
Total Price: $3,150
LOT 5 20 LBS.
CLASS 12 – FLAVORED SEMI-SOFT CHEESE – Smoky Pepper Rubbed Fontal
CLASS 22 – OPEN CLASS FOR SEMI-SOFT CHEESE – Cello Fontal
All made by Lake Country Dairy
Lake Country Dairy/Schuman Cheese, Turtle Lake
Buyer: Nelson Jameson
Price/lb: $200
Total Price: $4,000
LOT 6 3 LBS.
CLASS 25 – NATURAL GOAT MILK CHEESE – LaClare Original Goat Cheese
Made by Team LaClare
LaClare Creamery, Malone
Buyer: Masters Gallery Foods
Price/lb: $450
Total Price: $1,350
LOT 7 3 LBS. (2 lbs. yogurt + 1 gal milk, selling as 3 lbs.)
CLASS 41 – DRINKABLE CULTURED PRODUCTS – Low Fat Raspberry Kefir
CLASS 50 – 2% FLUID MILK – CHOCOLATE – Reduced Fat Chocolate Milk
Made by Weber’s Farm Store, Marshfield
Buyer: Novak Cheese
Price/lb: $200
Total Price: $600
LOT 8 40 LBS.
CLASS 5 – BRICK, MUENSTER – Brick Cheese
Made by Decatur Cheesemakers
CLASS 20 – HAVARTI – Havarti
CLASS 21 – FLAVORED HAVARTI – Dill Havarti
Made by Steve Stettler
Decatur Dairy, Brodhead
Buyer: AceChem
Price/lb: $175
Total Price: $7,000
LOT 9 2 LBS.
CLASS 31 – SHREDDED CHEESE – Fancy Pepper Cheese Blend
Made by Masters Gallery Foods, Plymouth
Buyer: Wisconsin Aging and Grading Cheese
Price/lb: $300
Total Price: $600
LOT 10 18 LBS.
CLASS 3 – COLBY, MONTEREY JACK – Deer Creek The Robin
Made by Kerry Henning
CLASS 27 – SHEEP AND MIXED MILK CHEESE – Deer Creek The Indigo Bunting
Made by Terry Martin
The Artisan Cheese Exchange, Sheboygan
Buyer: We Energies
Price/lb: $225
Total Price: $4,050
LOT 11 1 GALLON (sold as 1 lb.)
CLASS 51 – CHOCOLATE CUSTARD – Mr. Beast Chocolate
Made by Creamy Pig, Cedarburg
Buyer: DRC WISC Executive Advisors
Price/lb: $700
Total Price: $700
LOT 12 24 LBS.
CLASS 17 – PASTEURIZED PROCESS CHEESE – White American
Made by Gilman Cheese Corporation
Gilman Cheese Corporation, Gilman
Buyer: Dairyland Packaging
Price/lb: $50
Total Price: $1200
LOT 13 3 LBS.
CLASS 24 – FLAVORED GOAT MILK CHEESE – Montchevre Blueberry Vanilla
Made by Franklin Team, Saputo Cheese USA, Wauwatosa
Buyer: Nelson Jameson
Price/lb: $350
Total Price: $1,050
LOT 14 13 LBS.
CLASS 18 – REDUCED FAT OR LITE CHEESE – Odyssey Reduced Fat Feta
Made by Steve Webster
CLASS 37 – FLAVORED HIGH PROTEIN YOGURT – Odyssey Peach Greek Yogurt
GRAND CHAMPION YOGURT: CLASS 38 – UNFLAVORED HIGH PROTEIN YOGURT – Odyssey Labneh
CLASS 39 – FLAVORED YOGURT – Odyssey Whole Vanilla Yogurt
CLASS 40 – OPEN CLASS UNFLAVORED YOGURT – Odyssey Whole Fat Yogurt
GRAND CHAMPION SOUR CREAM: CLASS 45 – LOW FAT SOUR CREAM- Odyssey Reduced Fat Greek Mediterranean Dip
All made by Klondike Cheese Co, Monroe
Buyer: Airlite Plastics
Price/lb: $450
Total Price: $5,850
LOT 15 6 LBS.
CLASS 8 – BLUE-VEINED CHEESE – Heat Treated Gorgonzola
Made by Prairie Farms Dairy Inc, – Mindoro
Prairie Farms Dairy Inc, Mindoro
Buyer: Nelson Jameson
Price/lb: $275
Total Price: $1,650
LOT 16 3 LBS.
CLASS 30 – FLAVORED CHEESE CURDS – Artisan Garlic & Dill Colored Cheddar Curds
Made by Ron’s Cheese Team
Ron’s Wisconsin Cheese, Kewaunee
Buyer: Gibbsville Implement
Price/lb: $300
Total Price: $900
LOT 17 10 LBS.
CLASS 43 – FLAVORED SOUR CREAM – Chipotle Sour Cream
CLASS 44 – UNFLAVORED SOUR CREAM – Sour Cream
Made by Mexican Cheese Producers, Darlington
Buyer: Dairyland Packaging
Price/lb: $25
Total Price: $250
LOT 18 28 LBS.
CLASS 9 – FETA – Feta
Made by Team Simonson
CLASS 32 – CRUMBLED CHEESE – Crumbled Feta
Made by Team Falke
Agropur, Weyauwega
Buyer: Ivarson
Price/lb: $100
Total Price: $2,800
LOT 19 10 LBS.
CLASS 16 – COLD PACK CHEESE, CHEESE FOOD – Spicy Beer Cold Pack Cheese
Made by Team Pine River
Pine River Pre-Pack, Newton
Buyer: Masters Gallery Foods
Price/lb: $275
Total Price: $2,750
LOT 20 2 GALLONS (sold as 2 lbs.)
CLASS 52 – UNFLAVORED CUSTARD – Van Dutch
CLASS 53 – VANILLA CUSTARD – Vanilla Bean
Made by Barron Count Organics, dba 20-Mile Organic, Barronette
Buyer: Carr Valley Cheese
Price/lb: $100
Total Price: $200
LOT 21 11 LBS.
CLASS 15 – SMEAR RIPENED CHEESE – Mount Raclette w/Fenugreek Seeds
Made by Orphee Paillotin, Paula Heimerl & Ron’s Wisconsin Cheese
Alpinage Cheese, Oak Creek
Buyer: Saz’s
Price/lb: $90
Total Price: $990
LOT 22a 10 LBS.
CLASS 14 – FLAVORED HARD CHEESE – Black Pepper Roasted Garlic Hand Rubbed Asiago
Made by Lake Country Dairy
Lake Country Dairy/Schuman Cheese, Turtle Lake
Buyer: Airlite Plastics
Price/lb: $225
Total Price: $2,250
LOT 22b 22 LBS.
CLASS 23 – OPEN CLASS FOR HARD CHEESE – Artisan Parmesan
Made by Lake Country Dairy
Lake Country Dairy/Schuman Cheese, Turtle Lake
Buyer: Masters Gallery Foods
Price/lb: $125
Total Price: $2,750
LOT 23 20 LBS.
CLASS 34 – SALTED BUTTER
GRAND CHAMPION BUTTER: CLASS 35 – UNSALTED BUTTER
Made by Nordic Creamery, Westby
Buyer: Gibbsville Implement
Price/lb: $175
Total Price: $3,500
LOT 24 2 LBS.
CLASS 7 – STRING CHEESE – LMPS String Cheese
Made by Tom Blauert
Agropur, Little Chute
