Contests – UMDIA

Butter & Cheese Contests

Three butter contests and three cheese contests are coordinated by UMDIA each year:

Fall Contest
Spring Contest
Minnesota State Fair Contest

You may choose to enter one, some or all of the contests, please see below for Online Contest information. Butter Scoring, Butter Contest Cards, Cheese Scoring, Cheese Contest Cards, Contest Mailing Labels

For the 2019-20 Contest Cycle there will be two categories for butter entries:

Conventional – continuous churn

Artisan – The Artisan Butter contest will be a separate contest from the continuous churn butter contest. This category would be for small batch butter processors.

Awards will be given in both categories. The scoring would be the same for both contests. The butter entrants will have to specify whether the butter is conventional or artisan on their entry cards. Entries will have names removed and replaced with numbers prior to judging. The entries will be evaluated by three qualified judges and samples of the butter will also be sent to a certified lab for composition and bacteriological analysis.

We hope that the addition of the second contest will give more buttermakers the initiative to enter the butter contest. Remember that if you would like to be eligible for the annual championship award that you will need to enter all three contests and that there will be separate trophies for the conventional and artisan divisions.

Note that for this cycle of contests – we will continue with three contests which include the: Fall; Spring; and Minnesota State Fair (in July) contests. Entries must be delivered to Bongards’ Creameries at 13200 County Road 51, Norwood, MN 55368.

On-Line Contest Application Forms & Other Information (COMING SOON)
Butter Contest FALL 2020 instructions (pdf)
Cheese Contest FALL 2020 instructions (pdf)
Butter Contest STATE FAIR 2020 instructions (pdf)
Cheese Contest STATE FAIR 2020 instructions (pdf)