09/03/2026
"It is my pleasure to inform you that Ithaca Milk is the winner of the 2026 ๐ต๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐บ๐๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐๐๐ ๐บ๐๐๐๐ ๐ท๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐จ๐๐๐๐
! "
That was the opening line in an email we received almost a month ago, and what a hard secret it has been to keep!
The fluid milk awards are based on scores generated through College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University Voluntary Shelf-Life (VSL) program, which is funded by the dairy farmers of New York.
For those who are not familiar with the VSL program here is a snippet from the CALS website:
"Because of the economic significance of the fluid milk processing sector, the fluid milk Voluntary Shelf-Life (VSL) Program is the focal point of the MQIP (Milk Quality Improvement Program) at Cornell University. Under this program, each NYS processing plant is visited and sampled at least two times each year. Fluid milk products produced at each plant are collected and subjected to shelf-life studies. Analyses include: chemical (freezing point and fat determination), microbiological (standard plate count and coliform count), and sensory evaluation. Each processing plant receives a timely report on analyses of samples collected for shelf-life studies as well as the findings of the plant visitation."
This morning at the Dairy Day breakfast at The Great New York State Fair we received our recognition. As a small processor focused on keeping small scale, sustainable farming possible in a modern farming landscape, we don't take any accreditation lightly.... so, to keep it simple thank you for all your continued support๐งก
