Sheep cheese may well become the goat cheese of the'90s, judging from the sudden interest in sheep cheese and other sheep's milk products. This trend provides the impetus for the Dairy Sheep Symposium at UC Davis Aug. 23-25. University of California faculty and specialists, as well as industry authorities, will discuss topics ranging from genetics and nutrition to processing and marketing. Symposium organizer Ron Sundburg, a sheep producer from Linden, notes several reasons for the recent interest in sheep's milk. Sheep producers have been struggling for years with poor market conditions for meat and wool. Adding a dairying component to a sheep producer's operation will provide additional income with minimal capital investment, Sundburg says. Many popular cheeses, such as Roquefort, ricotta, feta and gouda cheeses were all originally made from sheep's milk. Currently, 23 million pounds of sheep cheese is imported each year and demand is increasing among upscale and ethnic markets. Sheep cheese also has unique properties -- such as its ability to be frozen without damage, its suitability for lactose-intolerant consumers, and its high percentage of protein and mono- and polyunsaturated fats. The symposium is sponsored by the North American Dairy Sheep Association in conjunction with the UC Davis Department of Animal Science, Veterinary Medicine Extension and the Small Farm Center. For additional information, media should contact Sundberg at (209) 763- 5711. Tip by John Stumbos, Agricultural Communications, (916) 757-8934.
Media Resources
Pat Bailey, Research news (emphasis: agricultural and nutritional sciences, and veterinary medicine), 530-219-9640, pjbailey@ucdavis.edu