CDR’s Dean Sommer Earns Babcock Award
Dean Sommer, CDR cheese and food technologist, has been awarded the Babcock Award by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association (WCMA).
The WCMA Babcock Award, named for Stephen Babcock, the famed agricultural chemist and University of Wisconsin professor, recognizes the contributions of those in education or affiliate organizations partnering with cheesemakers in the pursuit of dairy industry innovation and excellence. Sommer is being honored with the 2025 Babcock Award along with Mark Stephenson who recently retired as Director of Dairy Policy Analysis at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“It’s a great honor to be chosen for the prestigious Babcock Award, and to join the company of so many outstanding previous Babcock Award winners,” Sommer said. “It’s been my privilege to serve the dairy industry during my 45-year career, and extremely rewarding to receive this WCMA recognition at the same time that so many of my long time dairy colleagues and friends are also being honored for their service to the dairy industry.”
Sommer earned a master's degree in food science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison before beginning his dairy career at Alto Dairy in Waupun, Wisconsin. For 18 years, beginning in 1985, Dean held a series of positions of increasing responsibility at Alto Dairy, from Director of Technical Services to VP of Technical Services then VP of Operations and interim COO. Alto Dairy was one of America’s largest cheese plants with the world’s highest-capacity whey spray dryer at the time. Dean’s roles ranged from farm milk quality to laboratory operations, product quality, R&D, production optimization and wastewater treatment. He led product quality work on American and mozzarella styles as well as dried whey products made at the cooperative.
In 2003, Dean joined the staff of the Center for Dairy Research. As a cheese and food technologist, Dean works with cheese and dairy companies of all sizes in the U.S. on quality and production issues related to cheese and other dairy products. Dean also works with customers (end users) to ensure customer satisfaction.
In his role at CDR, Dean teaches many cheese-related short courses, impacting industry employees from around the world. Embodying CDR's amazing service culture, Dean consults with dairy manufacturers daily, solving problems throughout the industry. In addition, Dean offers his talents to dairy competitions and is a seven-time judge for WCMA's Championship Cheese Contests.
Sommer will be recognized at the 2025 WCMA Recognition Awards at CheeseCon, April 17 in Madison, Wisconsin. Other CDR staff members who have earned the Babcock Award include Mark Johnson, Marianne Smukowski, Norm Olson and John Lucey.
2025 WCMA Recognition Awards
Life Member Award: Mike Neu
Luminary Award: Barney Krueger and Sandy Toney
Cheese Industry Champion Award: Sid Cook and Steve McKeon
Distinguished Service Award: Kent Keller and Dave Potter
Vanguard Award: Wayne Gjersvig and Rod Kregel
Babcock Award: Dean Sommer and Mark Stephenson
Read about the award winners on the WCMA website.
Posted 1/16/2025