National Cheese Month: A Closer Look at New York Cheese
Think about the last time you sliced cheddar for a sandwich or spread cream cheese on a bagel. There's a good chance the milk in it came from a New York dairy farm.
October is National Cheese Month. It's a good time to look past the dairy case and get to know the farms, families, and businesses behind New York cheese.
New York's Cheese Industry
New York is one of the country's leading dairy states, and a large share of its milk goes into cheese. Generations of farmers have built that legacy on the state's rolling pastures, fertile soil, and plentiful water.
All that milk gives New York cheesemakers a lot to work with. It becomes the everyday cheese in your fridge as well as small-batch wheels aged for months. New York is also a national leader in cream cheese and cottage cheese, two staples many families enjoy every week.
Quality Starts on Dairy Farms
Good cheese starts with good milk. Cheesemakers rely on milk that is fresh, clean, and consistent from one day to the next, and that responsibility begins with the farmer.
New York dairy farmers care for their cows every day of the year. Feed, comfort, and herd health all affect the quality of the milk that leaves the farm. Some farms even make cheese on site using milk from their own herd, which is known as farmstead cheese.
NY Cheese Beyond Cheddar
Cheddar is a New York classic, and the state's sharp, aged cheddars have a loyal following. The variety goes much further. New York cheesemakers produce fresh mozzarella, feta, Swiss, blue cheese, and soft cheeses with a velvety white rind.
New York also has a place in cheese history. The cream cheese most of us know today was first made in Chester, New York, in 1872.
Cheesemakers and Their Partners
Getting cheese from the farm to your table takes a whole network of people. Farmers produce the milk, and haulers bring it to cheesemakers and processing plants. Cheesemakers turn it into curds and wheels, and affineurs, the specialists who age cheese, care for it until the flavor and texture are just right.
From there, processors package the cheese and retailers, restaurants, and farmers markets bring it to you. Each step supports jobs and businesses in communities across the state, many of them rural.
Celebrating National Cheese Month in New York
National Cheese Month is a chance to enjoy a favorite food and learn a little more about where it comes from. Every block, wedge, and tub of New York cheese reflects the work of farmers, cheesemakers, and neighbors who take pride in what they make.
The next time you're at the store or a local farmers market, look for locally made cheese. It's a simple way to celebrate the New York dairy farms and people who make it possible.
