RIVER FALLS, WIS. — Funds from the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association’s (WCMA) championship cheese auctions helped the association donate $90,000 to the dairy pilot plant at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls (UW-RF).

WCMA shared that its donation helped establish a fund that invests in dairy operations, training, and research and development initiatives at UW-RF’s Wuethrich Family/Grassland Dairy Center of Excellence.

During an event at the university on Feb. 17, Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin joined WCMA as the organizations presented matching gifts of $90,000 each to support the pilot plant’s operations.

The association said the fund aims to enable the university’s dairy pilot plant to offer hands-on learning opportunities for students, as well as increase the number and frequency of dairy education and training seminars, and connect dairy processors with production, training and research opportunities.

“Through both financial and in-kind contributions, WCMA and its members have been proud to support the next generation of our industry at UW-River Falls,” WCMA executive director John Umhoefer said. “It’s a pleasure to continue our tradition of investing in dairy’s future with this donation. We’re extremely grateful to the generous bidders at our annual Championship Cheese Auction who have made this effort possible, and to the WCMA board of directors for their leadership and vision in the direction of these funds.”

UW-RF College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences dean Mike Orth said WCMA’s contribution will make an immediate impact at the plant.

“The infusion of new financial resources will allow us to expand our plant staff and enhance our production, research and development capabilities, all while providing our students with hands-on experiential learning and employment opportunities,” Orth said. “In addition, we can strengthen our dairy industry partnerships by offering more training workshops and certification courses featuring the state-of-the-art plant.”

The assistant chancellor for university advancement at UW-RF, Rick Foy said WCMA and its members provided “crucial investments” as the school renovated its plant for full-scale production.

“We cannot adequately thank them for the transformational gift, which ensures not only the completion of the project but the creation of the Wuethrich Family/Grassland Dairy Center of Excellence, the first in northwestern Wisconsin,” Foy said. “Students and industry professionals alike will benefit from the educational investments made by our industry partners.”

WCMA said through the years its cheese auctions have led to investments totaling more than $1.78 million for industry education, dairy research and students.

The association noted its next Championship Cheese Auction will be April 16 in Madison, Wis., as part of CheeseCon 2025.