Cheese cooperative may give producers a boost

By AP

East Lansing, MI – The recently formed Michigan Cheese Makers Cooperative aims to give the state's producers a big boost.

Eleven members of the cooperative signed official paperwork last month. They've agreed to work together to market their cheese, leverage their buying power and help each other through the challenges of cheese making.

The cooperative was brought together by the Michigan State University Product Center for Agricultural and Natural Resources. It's funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Cooperative Development.

The cheese makers that are part of the cooperative mostly are located in the southern half of the Lower Peninsula, including East Lansing, Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids. One of the cheese makers is in Suttons Bay.