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The Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology

Dr. Susan Pheasant speaks at dairy conference

Campus welcomes dairy products innovation conference 

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As a lead organizer in the Pacific Coast Coalition Dairy Business Innovation Initiative,  the campus Institute for Food and Agriculture welcomed industry and academic members to its Dairy Innovation Conference at Fresno State on September 7.

The event featured over 100 professionals in the dairy products processing sector that included entrepreneurs, product development and operations personnel, suppliers to the industry, community college and university students in food science, nutrition, biological sciences and engineering fields.

The full-day event featured the following presentations:

  • Why Innovation? Market opportunities for the California dairy sector (CMAB Representative)
  • What consumers want – 2023 health and wellness landscape study (M. Buerk, Dairy Management Inc.)
  • The role of sensory sciences in driving innovation (Dr. M. Drake, Southeast Dairy Foods Research Center)
  • Integrating sustainability, nutrition and innovation (D. Mullinax, California Dairy Research Foundation)
  • Omega 3 milk, cream and butter – research and case study (Dr. Carmen Licon, Fresno State)
  • Coffee, tea and milk drinks – Innovation gaps (L. Hoang/ A. Prakash, Chapman University)
  • Product innovation showcase & student competitions (hosted by J. Margolis, CMAB, and DMI representatives)
  • Presentations by student teams from Fresno State, Cal Poly, and Oregon State
  • Process Innovation Spotlight – High Pressure Technology (Youngstown Representatives)
  • Workforce Development and Training/Internships Opportunities

The program was co-organized with the California Milk Advisory Board and California Dairy Innovation Center, with funding and contributions from Dairy Management Inc., CMAB, and the Pacific Coast Coalition-Dairy Business Innovation Initiative (through its USDA and its Agricultural Marketing Service grants).

Funding for the PCC-DBII is made possible by over $25 million in USDA and AMS grants helping dairy producers in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon and Washington.  The program seeks to aid in development, production, marketing, and distribution of dairy products, which include innovation grants for small and mid-sized businesses. Eight Western universities are a part of the program that was created in 2021. 

More information on the PCC-DBII is also available by contacting dairypacificcoast@mail.fresnostate.edu.