Cheese

Carving a New Path: How Wisconsin Native Transforms Cheddar into a Canvas for Dairy Advocacy

Thu, 26 Mar 2026 20:13:31 GMT

Most people look at a 40 lb. block of cheddar and see an ingredient. Vicki Janisch sees a canvas and a way to stay rooted in dairy, even after her family stepped away from milking cows.

In the last few years, the Wisconsin native has built a one‑of‑a‑kind career as a professional cheese carver. Her work has shown up at weddings, college sports announcements, major dairy events and even tied into the NFL Draft.

But if you ask her, it’s less about the spotlight and more about staying connected to the industry that shaped her.

The Day Carving Found Her

The idea first took shape during a normal day at the office. Janisch was working at Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin when Sarah Kaufmann, a skilled cheese carver from California, stopped in to carve for a project.

Curious about how it all worked, Janisch asked if she could come over and see the process for herself. Watching the carving up close stopped her in her tracks. Seeing the tools, the technique and the transformation from a simple block of cheese into a detailed sculpture lit a spark inside her that she couldn’t quite shake.

“I fan girled hard,” Janisch says with a laugh. “I was just in awe of what she could do and what she starts with. I thought, ‘This is the coolest thing ever! You get to carve cheese?’ I mean, cheese already tastes good, but now you get to put your artistic spin on it. That’s sounds like the best job in the world.”

Watching Kaufmann work, Janisch began asking all sorts of questions: What tools do you use? What cheese do you use? How do you turn this into a business?

After a steady stream of questions, Kaufmann smiled and offered a simple solution.

“[Sarah] goes, ‘Well, why don’t you come and carve with me tomorrow?’” Janisch recalls. “It was my birthday, and I had already taken the day off. So, I thought, ‘Yeah, why not? I’ll go.’”

The next day, Janisch spent several hours carving alongside Kaufmann and quickly realized how absorbing the craft could be.

“You can really lose track of time when you’re doing it,” Janisch says. “It’s such a fun medium to work with, and I loved just getting the chance to try it for myself.”

That night, she went home and ordered her own tools.

“I didn’t really tell anybody that I was doing it,” Janisch laughs. “I just wanted to carve for fun. I ordered some clay carving tools off Amazon and played around with some cheese I had in the fridge. I had no idea it was going to escalate as quickly as it did.”

(Photo Provided By Vicki Janisch)

A Carving Career Takes Shape

After that first experience, carving became something she kept returning to. Before long, friends and family started to hear about her new hobby. One of those conversations turned into an unexpected opportunity.

“A friend of mine came to me and said, ‘Hey, I know you’ve been doing this. Do you want to do my niece’s wedding? Would you be up for making a cheese wedding cake?’” Janisch remembers. “And I’m like, as my first project, this sounds awesome. But I have no idea what I’m doing.”

After saying yes, she sourced a 40 lb. block of cheddar and some wheels and built a tiered cheese “cake.” The display quickly became a major hit with guests and showed Janisch just how much excitement a carved cheese centerpiece could bring to an event.

(Vicki Janisch)

“As things kind of progressed and friends and families started hearing what I did, I started to get more requests,” Janisch says. “It was all through word of mouth, and the list of projects continued to grow.”

As more projects came her way, Janisch’s late-night hobby grew into something bigger, and with it came a larger time commitment. After a while, it became clear if Janisch wanted to keep carving, she would need to make some changes.

A Leap of Faith and an LLC

“Two years ago, I made a big leap of faith and decided I needed to change my routine,” Janisch says. “I have two really active kids who I wanted to spend more time with, and I was ready to create a new path for myself.”

After some reflection, Janisch left her 9-to-5 job to launch her own business, Janisch Creative, where she works as a creative and digital communications director. That change gave her the flexibility she needed while staying connected to communications, and her cheese carving business became the creative outlet that balanced everything else.

Originally, when she made the big jump, she promised her husband the cheese carving projects would stay small. But now, she jokes her definition of small has changed.

“I told him, ‘It won’t get out of hand.’ But I think our perspective of small keeps changing,” she laughs. “But it’s been so fun doing all of this as a family. Having my kids around to see what their mom can do has been pretty cool.”

(Vicki Janisch)

Respect for the Product

Janisch now runs her cheese carving business with a producer’s mindset: Respect the product, respect the people behind it and don’t waste what they’ve made.

“When you think about the craftsmanship that goes into cheese, it’s already so good on its own,” she says. “And then I’m blessed to be able to put my creative spin and artistic stamp on it.”

But it also means she has to carefully manage the product to keep the cheese fresh. That started with her first business purchase.

“My first business expense was a refrigerator,” she laughs. “Most Midwesterners have a beer fridge. We have a cheese fridge, and it’s stacked with insane amounts of cheese just waiting to be carved.”

While carving the cheese, she also had to figure out what to do with the scraps. It was her firm belief nothing should go to waste.

(Vicki Janisch)

“When I’m carving for an event, I’ll box up some of the scraps for people to eat on a charcuterie board or for the company to utilize,” she says. “But if I’m doing a living carving, those scraps can’t be eaten. So, I bring them back home and feed them to my chickens.”

Of course, mistakes still happen, and sometimes a piece of the sculpture doesn’t turn out as planned. Luckily, the cheese makes for a tasty medium to work with.

“If I mess up, we eat it,” she laughs. “There is no waste. We just have grilled cheese for a month.”

As her carving career continues to grow, Janisch has made a point to stay connected to the local cheese crafters who inspire part of her work.

“I’ve made it a really solid goal to work with cheese companies in Wisconsin,” she says. “I worked with over 20 cheese companies last year, and I’ve gotten to form personal relationships with those who are making the cheese.”

Those relationships have also helped her learn an important lesson. When it comes to carving, the type of cheese matters just as much as the design.

(Vicki Janisch)

Her Favorites

Even after years of experience, not every cheese behaves the same. Different textures and inclusions means Janisch has to adjust her approach.

“There are some cheeses that are more difficult to work with than others, but I just have to adjust how I handle it,” she says. “The tools I use are different for different cheeses. For some of the flavored cheeses, like pepper jack, where there’s items mixed in, you have to handle things differently.”

That’s where her relationships with Wisconsin cheese makers becomes critical. Texture, moisture and aging all influence whether a design holds its shape or begins to crumble.

“Cheese makers can make low moisture and aged cheeses. But if they’re aged too long, they don’t work as well for carving,” she explains. “I’ve found my sweet spot is usually a 90-day aged cheddar.”

Having conversations with cheese makers allows her to plan each project with the right product from the start.

“Because these cheese makers have it so dialed in, we can talk the science behind the cheese that I need. I’m not having to source just a random block of cheddar. I can go and find cheeses that I know are going to hold up for the project.”

Fortunately, Janisch has yet to meet a cheese she doesn’t like and is willing to give just about anything a try.

“Blue cheese is on my bucket list,” she laughs. “But I don’t think I’m ready to chase after it just yet.”

Over time, finding her favorites has become less about a single variety and more about matching the right cheese to the right project. Whatever the choice, she’s thinking about both the carver and the consumer.

(Vicki Janisch)

Connecting Farmers, Cheese and Consumers

While cheese carving has become a new adventure for Janisch, her connection to the dairy industry runs deep. She grew up on her family’s dairy farm in southern Wisconsin, participating in 4‑H and showing animals at local fairs. That hands‑on experience and dirty‑boot roots instilled in her a natural sense of advocacy and a pride in the industry that now helps her connect with consumers through her cheese carving.

“I love having the opportunity to tie it back to the farmers,” she says. “Growing up on a dairy farm, I understand that once you ship milk, it becomes products like cheese. But a lot of times, farmers don’t talk about what happens after that.”

For Janisch, that connection between the farm and the finished product is an important part of the story she hopes her work helps tell.

“Consumers want to know that they’re supporting dairy farmers, and they do that through the products those farmers help produce. I can talk to consumers about the farmers, the cheese and the cheese makers,” Janisch explains. “It’s one thing to be able to talk about cheese carving, but I’m able to tell more of the dairy story when I go to some of these events.

Her role, as she sees it, is to bridge the gap between the people who make the milk and the people who enjoy the finished product. And even though her family no longer milks cows every day, Janisch says cheese carving keeps her anchored to a larger purpose.

“This lets me be part of something bigger than myself,” she says. “When we were dairy farming, it wasn’t just about our farm, it was part of a larger story. Cheese carving helps me stay connected to that.”

(Photos Provided By Vicki Janisch)

Craft and Connection

Today, when Janisch picks up her carving tools, she’s doing more than shaping cheese — she’s celebrating the craftsmanship behind the product and the farmers who make it possible.

Her client list now reads like a seasoned professional’s portfolio rather than a hobbyist’s. Some of her standout creations include:

The Lombardi Trophy for the 2025 NFL Draft
The University of Wisconsin Men’s Basketball schedule
Musical notes for events at the Grammys
Showpieces for state food festivals
Custom carvings for major industry events

What began as curiosity has grown into a creative way to stay connected to the industry that shaped her.

“I never would have imagined that any of this was possible,” Janisch says. “But I leaned into the power of saying ‘yes.’ And it’s been the most amazing journey.”

And with every block of cheese she transforms into something special, Janisch knows she’s helping tell a story that starts long before the carving ever begins.

Why Dairy Is Dominating: America's New Billion-Dollar Ag Success Story

Wed, 08 Oct 2025 11:33:04 GMT

The U.S. dairy industry is in the midst of a record-breaking boom — fueled by premium beef-on-dairy calves, historic investments in processing plants and surging demand for protein both at home and abroad.

Beef-on-Dairy: A Revenue Stream That’s Reshaping the Market

Dairy farmers across the U.S. aren’t just milking cows — they’re tapping into a lucrative side market. Record cattle prices are giving rise to “beef-on-dairy,” a crossbreeding trend that’s bringing in premium prices and reshaping the value chain.

“I think it is an enormous revenue stream for dairy farmers,” said Gregg Doud, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF). “The number I hear is about $1,400 for that black day-old calf. As the old beef guy, I think that’s going to be there for at least another year or so — maybe more.”

The result, Doud says, is the dairy industry is “hitting on all cylinders,” as dairy producers capitalize on strong beef genetics and elevated cattle values to diversify income.

New Wave of Investment

At the same time, the U.S. is seeing a level of investment in dairy processing never before witnessed in American agriculture.

“It really is $10 billion — 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 — in new dairy processing investment in the U.S.,” Doud said. “There’s nothing like it in the history of U.S. agriculture, of any commodity, anywhere in the world.”

Dairy’s $10 billion in investment in dairy processing over the next three years spans across the country.

(Ever.Ag)

According to Michael Dykes, president and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), more than $11 billion is flowing into 53 new or expanded dairy manufacturing facilities across 19 states, from New York to Texas to Idaho. These projects are slated to come online between 2025 and 2028.

“Investment follows demand,” Dykes says. “It’s phenomenal — the scale and scope of what’s happening right now.”

Production Rising to Meet Global Appetite

Farmers are responding to those signals. USDA data shows U.S. milk production is up nearly 5% year over year, and the agency projects another 27 billion pounds of milk by 2034.

Exports have also surged, reaching a record $8.2 billion last year.

“I can’t tell you how many meetings I went to where people said, ‘We’re scared to death there won’t be enough milk,’” Dykes recalls. “I said, don’t fret for one moment — dairy farmers hear the market calling for milk. Milk will come.”

America’s Dairy Demand Hits Record Highs

Domestic demand is booming too. Americans are consuming an average 661 pounds of dairy per person per year — the highest ever recorded.

“Cheese is driving the bus,” Dykes said. “We’re eating about 42 pounds of cheese per person per year — and pizza has clearly contributed to that.”

But it’s not just cheese. Butter, yogurt, premium ice cream and even milk itself are seeing renewed strength.

“Milk has been trending downward for the last few years,” Dykes said. “But even last year, milk took a turn up — led by whole milk, high-protein milk and lactose-free options.”

The Protein Craze Powering Dairy’s Momentum

Behind this surge is one key word: protein.

“The demand for protein globally is unbelievable,” Doud says. “Everywhere I go, I tell people — we’re having a moment here on the dairy-side of the equation.”

Doud notes dairy’s protein-rich products — from cheese to whey — are meeting consumer demand both domestically and internationally.

“We’re up 2% this year in volume, 16% in value,” he says. “Global demand for dairy is rolling, and we are right in the hunt.”

Dykes agrees, pointing out the “protein craze” isn’t just helping beef and pork — it’s boosting dairy too.

“Most of the products that have ‘protein added’ are dairy-derived proteins, like whey from cheese plants,” he says. “Consumers globally cannot get enough protein. Dairy has a protein that’s highly digestible and fits perfectly with the health and wellness mood of this country. We’re even adding protein to ice cream.”

A Growing Industry with a Rural Footprint

The dairy industry’s impact stretches far beyond store shelves. Dykes says the U.S. now has 1,200 processing plants, employing 3 million people, generating $200 billion in wages and paying $83 billion in state and local taxes.

“These plants are going into rural communities — where the milk is produced,” Dykes adds. “That’s where the jobs and opportunities are being created.”

Texas, South Dakota and Kansas are seeing the largest waves of new investment, with New York emerging as a new processing hub.

Labor: The Industry’s Biggest Challenge

Even with growth on nearly every front, one major hurdle remains: labor.

“The administration is working on short-term solutions through the Department of Labor — mainly H-2A or seasonal programs,” Doud explains. “But that really doesn’t do anything for us on the dairy side because we need year-round help.”

He says lasting change will require Congressional action.

“We have to have Congress change the law,” Doud says. “House Ag Committee Chairman G.T. Thompson is working on this, but it’s a big lift. We always get stuck on the 60-vote issue in the Senate. We’ve got to make another run at this.”

Doud remains hopeful a political breakthrough could come — much like the immigration reforms of the late 1980s — to finally deliver a sustainable labor solution for dairy.

America’s Dairy Future

From booming exports to billion-dollar investments, the dairy sector is on a trajectory few could have predicted a decade ago. Industry leaders say if trade and labor challenges can be addressed, the U.S. will continue to cement its place as a global dairy powerhouse for years to come.

“We’re hitting on all cylinders right now,” Doud says. “And if we can keep that momentum going, there’s no limit to how far U.S. dairy can go.”

Food Inflation, Threatened Tariffs: What Is The Effect On Super Bowl Snack Tables?

Mon, 03 Feb 2025 20:14:52 GMT

Whether it’s chicken wings (up 7%) or vegetables for the snack tray (broccoli is down 7%), Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute Economist Dr. Michael Swanson says consumers shouldn’t expect every snack food category to increase their budget for a traditional Super Bowl party. And he doesn’t think President Trump’s latest trade talks with Mexico, Canada and China will have a direct, immediate effect at the grocery store by Sunday’s big game.

“It’s unlikely that changes in tariffs will impact prices headed into the Super Bowl, however, we’ll see how it plays out in the coming weeks. This is certainly the year for consumers to stay food fluent,” Swanson says.

For the past four years, he’s led the team at Wells Fargo to look at popular categories for game day watch parties and analyze the pricing trends. His research aims to help consumers stay “food fluent” to find alternatives, substitutions and bargains when they can.

“We started in 2021 when we saw the first spike in food inflation. And the past three years, everything has been up—it was a question of how much a category was up that year,” Swanson says. “But for 2025, some categories are up, and some are not. Some are way up; and some are way down.”

Swanson says it’s demand keeping prices elevated—not supply.

“Take chicken wings. Did the avian influenza knock out the chicken wings? The answer is, no, it didn’t–it was mainly the egg laying flocks. We have almost more chicken wings than we did last year, but prices are up 7%. Why? It’s consumer demand,” he says.

For dairy products, the Super Bowl is one of the top three demand events.

“Between the nachos, pizzas and sundry cheese-based snacks, the industry knows that and prepares well in advance making sure all the fans have what they need,” he says. “Dairy as a category was up 1.3% from a year ago, but it has been a relatively flat pricing environment for the last 18 months. Consumers and producers have found a good balance overall.

Specific to ongoing trade developments and tariffs discussions, Swanson says the dairy industry is staying keenly aware.

“Exports are a key element for balancing U.S. dairy production and demand. The industry is preparing to see what happens with key markets like Mexico and Canada in the near term,” he says.

He says the same could play out for avocados, which is notable given the tariff discussions on Mexico—our No. 1 source country for avocados.

“The question is, is the supply substitutable. With avocados, we’re seeing a push to grow more in Ecuador, Peru, and Colombia,” he says.

While longer-term supplies may be diversified, it takes years for trees to bear fruit. And for now, per the Wells Fargo Super Bowl Report, avocado prices are up over 11%.
Two other vegetables up year-over-year are red bell peppers (up 7.4%) and prepared carrots (up 3.4%)

So what categories went down in year-to-year pricing?

Notably, some vegetables are down including celery (down 8.4), broccoli (down 7.2%) and cauliflower (down 3.8%).

A more robust supply of potatoes has yielded a decline in potato chips prices, which are 5.1% lower. Also when it comes to overall pre-packaged foods, the container prices have come down, so increases in transport costs aren’t being passed along to the consumer as they have been in the past.

If you’re looking for a “bargain” Swanson points to store brand frozen pizzas.

“Some of those carbohydrate-based components are down through competition. Something like frozen pizzas, for example are down from a year ago. And especially you look at those store Brand pizzas are way down. They’re down about 8% versus just 2% for the national brand. So if you really want to save money, competition is your friend.”
As for protein, the biggest price decline has been in shrimp with a 4% lower price this year than last.

Retail beef prices remain elevated.

“It’s not that we have poor supply of beef. We’re doing some interesting dynamics right now, exporting a little bit less, importing, a little bit more, putting more pounds on those cows,” Swanson says. “We have a decent supply of beef, but the price is still up 3.5% to 4% as a category from a year ago. The consumers love it, and they’re going to pay for it.”

His advice overall in this food economic environment is to stay a smart shopper.

“We’re entering a competitive situation right now–we’re seeing things go up and things go down. If a product matters to you, get out the on the web, shop a couple of stores, because one of the things we do find is promotions are back in the game.”

Corn Falls But Soybeans Hold Together: Did Cattle Top?

Thu, 12 Dec 2024 20:57:33 GMT

Grain and livestock markets close mixed Thursday.

Bryan Doherty, Total Farm Marketing, says corn ended lower on a combination of profit taking and farmer selling after running into chart resistance in the March around $4.50.

Weekly exports were a bit disappointing at only 37.3 million bu. which was down 45% from last week and 32% from the four week average.

The weakness in corn pulled the wheat market lower, plus wheat saw some technical selling and profit taking.

Weekly exports for wheat were also disappointing at 10.7 million bu.

Soybeans managed to hold their own despite lower feed grains, still holding chart support and with some unwinding of corn, soybean spreads.

He says support also came from USDA reporting another 12.3 million bu. flash export sale of soybeans to unknown destinations.

Weekly exports for soybeans were below last week at 43.1 million bu. but Doherty says commitments are still 12% ahead of last year showing solid demand.

Doherty says traders also realize that South America’s record crop is not made just yet and won’t be until January so its holding slight premium.

Live cattle futures made new highs for the move with sharply higher cash and cutouts but then failed.

The volume of fed cash trade has been steady to $3 higher.

However, Thursday dressed sales in the North ranged from $302 to $312 in the North and there were live sales at mostly $194 to $196.

Cutouts were also sharply higher at noon, yet futures ended lower.

So is this reversal a sign the market topping?

Doherty says it may be too early to tell.

Milk futures soared on Thursday with January Class III milk closing up $.73 at $20.25 per hundred weight with the February contract $.65 at $20.14.

Doherty says it was a combination of short covering and higher cheese prices.

However, he isn’t confident the rally has much upside as he thinks the market will be capped by increasing cow numbers and milk production.

“When milk prices hit their highs earlier in year it was due to perceived production losses due to H5N1 in the dairy herd. The only way we could retest those areas is with a big surge in demand,” he explains.

Trump Has a Point on Dairy, Canada's Biggest Cheesemaker Says

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 04:50:06 GMT

(Bloomberg) -- Canada’s largest dairy processor is voicing an opinion that’s probably unpopular with the nation’s farmers: Donald Trump has a point.

Canada should consider eliminating its Class 7 milk policy in order to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with the U.S., Saputo Inc. Chief Executive Officer Lino Saputo Jr. said.

The policy was rolled out last year and makes it cheaper for Canadian processors to buy domestic supplies of ultra-filtered milk, a concentrated ingredient used to boost protein content in cheese and yogurt. It has also effectively blocked U.S. dairy imports while creating an “incredible imbalance” on world markets, Saputo said.

“I understand the frustration of the U.S. side and quite frankly I think they have every reason to be upset,” he said Monday in a telephone interview from Montreal. “In the Nafta negotiations, the elimination of Class 7 would go a long way in trying to get the dairy file closed.”

Saputo’s comments come just one week after the U.S. President took aim at Canada’s supply-managed dairy system. As Trump departed the Group of Seven summit, he skewered Canada’s dairy tariffs, which run as high as 270 percent on some products, labeling them unfair to U.S. farmers. Dairy has emerged as one of the biggest areas of dispute as trade tensions between the two nations escalate. Canada has vowed to defend its supply-managed dairy system, which isn’t covered by the current NAFTA agreement, during the negotiations.

The uncertainty caused by the trade negotiations has made it difficult for Saputo Inc. to decide where to deploy capital, Saputo said. While the company isn’t petitioning for Canada to dismantle its supply-managed dairy system, which controls output by matching with demand through quotas and tariffs, the country wants to “have its cake and eat it, too” with the Class 7 policy, he said. The system has shut out imports from the U.S. and created more milk solids in an industry that’s already dealing with a glut, he said.

“There has to be some give,” Saputo said. “The Canadian dairy farmers and the Canadian dairy industry cannot put their head in the ground thinking we’ll come out of this unchanged.”

©2018 Bloomberg L.P.