ACS Webinar: Agritourism - Bringing Consumers to your Creamery & Dairy to Increase Sales
Join Vivien Straus, founder of the California Cheese Trail, as she moderates a dynamic panel discussion on how to engage the public and boost cheese sales through on-farm and creamery tours, tastings, cheesemaking classes, and other innovative approaches. Featuring three farmstead cheesemaker panelists, this session will explore the challenges and opportunities in connecting consumers directly to the source of their cheese. Attendees will gain practical insights into creating memorable experiences that drive customer engagement and loyalty. The panel will blend storytelling with actionable advice, providing a rare chance to ask, “How and what can I do?” Q&A will be included.
Date: Thursday, January 29, 2026
Time: 2:00 PM MT / 4:00 PM ET
Free for ACS members or $25 for nonmembers
REGISTER HERE
The recording will be posted to the ACS Learning Center after.
Meet Your Speakers!
Vivien Straus is a farm girl who worries she knows too many, and not enough, useless facts about cows. She grew up on a dairy in northern California, and is the founder of CheeseTrail.org, a resource which advocates for California and western cheesemakers. She currently manages Straus Home Ranch, her family’s 166-acre homestead. In its early years, she ran sales and marketing for Straus Family Creamery, and later worked at Cowgirl Creamery. In addition, she's a long-time actor, writing and performing comedic autobiographical shows about her quirky life on and off the farm.
MaryLisa Cornell has been raising dairy goats since 2006, establishing a passion for dairy farming and cheese making. That passion blossomed in 2015 when she met her future husband and became co-owner of Jollity Farm Goat Dairy in El Dorado County. Recognizing the value placed on the connection between consumers and their food sources, and the unique position Jollity Farm was in being the only licensed dairy in El Dorado County, MaryLisa integrated agritourism into the farm operation. Fostering a deeper appreciation for local artisanal products has not only enhanced consumer engagement, it has driven sales right to our door and reduced our reliance on farmers markets.
Erika McKenzie-Chapter helped start Pennyroyal Farm, a farmstead creamery and winery in Mendocino County, California, where she is the head cheesemaker and manages the goat and sheep dairy. In addition to offering tours of the farm and creamery, Pennyroyal has an on-farm tasting room serving up their wine, cheese, and dishes featuring produce and products from the farm.
Denise Skidmore is passionate about connecting consumers to agriculture and leads Hilmar Cheese Company’s public communications, media relations, crisis communication preparedness and oversees Hilmar's California Visitor Center. She joined the company in 2000 and has developed programs and exhibits to annually teach more than 17,000 students on field trips and 200 bus loads of tourists about the benefits of dairy. Denise also coordinates company’s sustainability reporting and serves on the Innovation Center for US Dairy Commitment Committee. Denise spent nine years as a Mobile Dairy Classroom Instructor for the Dairy Council of California and has taught more than 600,000 city kids about dairy and served in Producer Relations. Denise is a 4-H leader, FFA speaking and ag communications team coach, serves as a trustee for the Holstein Foundation and is involved with California Women for Agriculture. She has a M.A. Instructional Systems from CSU, Long Beach and B. S. in Agriculture Education from CSU, Fresno. Denise and her husband Scott have adult twins.
Event Details
Date: Thu, Jan. 29, 2026
Time: 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Organizers:
- American Cheese Society
Cost: Free for ACS Members; $25 for Nonmembers
