Industry Insights

This is the conclusion of Dan Strongin's series of columns.

This is the final post of my series, and I intend to tie together some of the earlier pieces, and hopefully leave you all with a clearer picture of just what makes Nelson-Jameson such a special company.

Dan: What are the advantages of buying from a family business?

Jerry: Over the years I've asked or have been asked "Who is most responsible for bad cheese being made?" The answers generally range from "cultures" to this, that, and the other. But a wise person once gave me an answer that I think is most accurate: "the accountants." This person had lots of experience in cheesemaking and consulting; it is a

October is a month of crunchy leaves, harvest festivals, and refined sugar. Thankfully for cheese lovers, it is also a time to bask in the glory of cheese. American Cheese Month, presented by the American Cheese Society, is this October! Get out your cheese tester, your cheese slicer, and your general regard for this food staple. Across the nation, folks are gearing up for tastings, workshops, meeting their favorite cheese makers, and many other events. You can check out the full calendar of events occurring across the nation right here.

The American Cheese Society site features ideas that can help you get your operation and/or love of cheese involved in this national celebration. Chefs, cheesemakers, cheese enthusiasts, and many more are encouraged to spread the word on appreciating cheese. The celebration is meant to:

You know spring is near as the snow starts to melt and temps begin to rise.  Another indication of spring is all the farm shows and producer meetings that are taking place.  We recently had a booth at the Shoppes at Wood Ridge Farm Show in Marshfield, Wisconsin.  It is always fun getting out and talking with farmers.

Nelson-Jameson handles products that help farmers manage issues that affect the profitability of their farms, specifically antibiotic and SCC test kits.  These topics have become of great concern with farmers as the FDA is stepping up testing frequency for antibiotics and SCC regulations are, in the process, of being lowered.

Nelson-Jameson will be exhibiting at the Professional Dairy Producers of Wisconsin (PDPW) Conference March 13-14 in Madison, Wisconsin.  Our farm products specialist will also be attending the Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) Annual Meeting in Kansas City, MO on March 20-21 and be in DSM’s booth representing

One of the most interesting stories from the lab department occurred about 12 months ago and continues to unfold. We received a call from the father of Chad Campbell, a very

Wisconsin Farm Technology Days - what does that mean to Nelson-Jameson?  (Other than the fact it is being hosted on the north side of Marshfield this year, July 12^th – 14^th, which will make it interesting to get back and forth to work due to additional traffic of the anticipated 80,000 attendees!)  What it should mean is a chance to meet with our fast growing farm customers! We are experiencing a 23% increase in sales from last year of our test kits and other farm related items.

DSM and PortaCheck will be joining Nelson-Jameson in our booth. With 600 exhibitors we want to set ourselves apart from the many other educational and commercial booths.  With the expertise of DSM and PortaCheck I am excited to think of the information these two vendors can provide to farmers to improve their milking operations.

Within our booth we will be showing various milk testing supplies (such as test kits), pH testing supplies, and a new

A couple points of interest from a recent article, "Of Cheese, Seals and Deming" in Cheese Reporter by Dan Strongin reminded me of my previous experience.  I was buyer for a hospital as well as my past accounting experience with a large dairy processing company.

In one section Mr. Strongin refers to the least expensive ingredient may look like it’s saving you money but you may lose in yield.  We had to watch this closely at the hospital as well, buying the lesser expensive item doesn’t do you much good if the doctors won’t use it or it doesn’t supply the patient with the results expected.  As we state in our new website, we have over 750 suppliers that we buy from.  Thus, we can supply you with a reduction in cost as you are only dealing with one vendor – us.  We do not promise to be the lowest supplier on all items but combining