Before I head off for a week of dairy epiphanies at the American Cheese Society Conference in Seattle, I thought I would share a little something that celebrates our country's dairy artisans. Say hello to your new calendar.

Jeanne Carpenter of Cheese Underground and photographer Becca Dilley have crafted a calendar that celebrates twelve of the best cheeesmakers in Wisconsin. Each artisan gets a month to themselves, accompanied by a picture of them with their cheese at their farm, or with their animals.

It is a gorgeous calendar, with beautiful pictures of the makers in their element. Fourth generation cheesemaker Chris Roelli is pictured in front of his Dunbarton Blue, the first female Wisconsin Master Goat Milk Cheesemaker Katie Hedrich is featured with nearly the cutest baby goat possible, and Andy Hatch of Uplands cheese is shown holding a wheel in his green pasture.

There are two other benefits to owning this calendar besides having cheese wheels and baby goats grace your walls.

1. It may certify you as a cheese geek. I'm not promising that the calendar comes with a certificate, but, hanging a Portrait of a Wisconsin Artisan Cheesemaker calendar up in your bedroom will be a fine conversation starter and will certainly separate the cheese meek from the cheese geeks right at the get-go.

2. A portion of the proceeds will support dairy. Jeanne Carpenter hosts a yearly Wisconsin Licensed Cheesemaker Scholarship, and $2,500 of the profits from the calendar go towards helping a new cheesemaker certify themselves. This is not an inexpensive or easy endeavor, and the scholarship goes a long way towards helping someone realize their dairy dreams.

The calendars will be available in September, at cheese shops, at the Wisconsin Original Cheese Festival, and most likely through Cheese Underground.

Leaves me wondering....... where's Cali's calendar? Might have to get on top of that!