College of Education and Behavioral Sciences News

Hilltopper Creamery, the site of WKU’s cheese making plant, welcomed dairy farmers from around the state recently.

WKU’s Amy Bingham has more on the Dairy Conference in this week’s View from the Hill.

“It’s all, to me, just common sense things, but yet it’s great to see how others do it.”

All eyes are on the Hilltopper Creamery technicians as they make cheese during the 2022 Dairy Conference.

“There’s an art and a science to it.”

Terry Rowlett owns a creamery in Campbellsburg, Kentucky. He’s one of more than 30 dairy farmers to attend the two-day workshop.

“Each cheese maker has a little variance of how they do the cheese making.”

Known as the cheese guru of Kentucky, Ricky Gulley is Vice President of DPAK, Dairy Products Association of Kentucky. He organized the conference.

“I went around and said have you learned anything or do you need to learn anything today and every one of them said yes I’ve learned a lot.”

Having been in the dairy business since the ‘70s, Gulley knows first-hand how much the industry has suffered.

“It’s hard to make it as a dairy farmer, I know. But with the modern technology we got I think we can all build back and build back better.”

And the Hilltopper Creamery provided the perfect backdrop for continuing education on pasteurization, regulations and other best practices.

“I’m grateful to be here at Western, this is a nice little facility.”

“We’ve had a good learning experience.”

Hilltopper Creamery provides hands-on learning for WKU students. To find out what products are for sale, visit www.wku.edu/hilltoppercreamery