11-13 IAN Idaho Cheese

 How deeply embedded is the dairy industry in Idaho? A short answer would be, very well...impossible. I’m David Sparks for the Ag Information Network and for the past decade, the dairy industry in Idaho has grown rapidly and is now the state’s number-one agriculture industry in terms of cash receipts. Here is Leah Clark, manager of the Idaho Preferred program, who worked to bring the cheese industry together with retail giants such as Walmart: “ for several years the dairy industry in Idaho has continued to grow both in terms of the numbers of cattle but also in terms of the productivity of those cows so milk production is up and as a result of that cheese production is up.” In fact, Idaho has become the nation’s third-largest cheese producer, making a wide variety of cheeses, including American, cheddar, mozzarella and Swiss.  Yet many locavores, or those who just want to support Idaho agriculture, have struggled to find Idaho cheese.  Why?  Because most cheese made in Idaho is sold to food companies that put their brand on the packaging and distribute nationwide with no reference to where the cheese was actually produced. Consumers can now find Idaho cheese at Walmart stores throughout southern Idaho. Plans are to extend distribution to northern Idaho stores later this fall.  To find this locally made cheese, just look for the label with state of Idaho and blue-and-gold Idaho Preferred logo.