¡Es La Leche! Save the Shepherds, Heroes of Artisan Foodways

A wedge of rich, nutty Manchego cheese made from the milk of sheep that wander the pastures in La Mancha. A nibble of spicy, creamy Cabrales blue cheese, made from the milk of cows and goats that clamber up the steep yet verdant Picos de Europa mountains of Asturias. These incredible cheeses depend on a hero of the artisan food world – the shepherd. Across Spain, these resilient farmers tend their animals, ensuring their welfare and producing the highest quality milk for cheesemaking.

Over the last few years, I’ve learned more and more about how this ancient profession has come under threat. Shepherds must compete with industrial farms that pump out cheaper milk not fit for an artisan cheesemaker. They are being squeezed out by development, which is taking over the grazing fields. Wolves are also a problem (really!) And young people just don’t find the profession enticing. One example of the effect of these challenges is in Catalonia, where “the sheep population nearly halved from 1982–2009” (Culture Magazine).

Our friend Michele Buster, founder of the acclaimed food importer Forever Cheese, recently updated us on her efforts to elevate and modernize the image of the shepherd in Spain and across the world. She invests her passionate energy into rallying governments, nonprofits, universities and customers to help save this crucial profession.

Here is an excerpt from an article in Culture magazine about her efforts:

What To Do About Spain’s Shepherding Crisis?

Susan Axelrod | January 13, 2023

Spain has a shepherd problem, and Michele Buster is on a mission to fix it. The co-founder of New York City-based importer Forever Cheese, Buster became aware of the seriousness of the issue due to a major Manchego shortage early last year. Because Manchego PDO can only be made in Castilla La Mancha from the milk of Manchega sheep, a decline in the number of the region’s farms and shepherds were contributing factors to the shortage. “But it’s not just about La Mancha, it’s every single region,” Buster says. With fewer young people willing to take on the hard work of animal husbandry, Spain’s centuries-old dairy farming and cheesemaking traditions have suffered.

… “It’s not just an old guy with a beret and a stick.” Many of the shepherds who produce the cheeses she imports belie that stereotype—they have interesting, full lives beyond the farm and field. For example, Père Pujol, who after an earlier career in education returned to his native Pyrenees, where he has been making artisanal cheeses with raw cow’s milk for 13 years. When he is not working, he likes to dine in fine restaurants. Others have followed a similar pattern; they are drawn to a lifestyle where they can live in harmony with nature, and feel that they are making a difference in the preservation of the environment and of rural traditions.

“The idea that I had was to get someone from as high up in the government as I could to actually do a PR campaign,” says Buster, who has already met with officials in Catalonia to make her pitch. “First, the public needs to be aware of the opportunities for both farming and agritourism—this is something that’s available to you, if you want to run your own business, if you like animals, if you like the land. Are there sacrifices? Yes.” Her plan also includes “opening up a link between the shepherd and the final product to build pride,” animal husbandry competitions, such as those held in the U.S. and the UK, and economic incentives to promote best practices in animal welfare. “I want to be able to do more because I know that what we do makes a difference in our producers’ lives.”

A note from Rayco Ramos Rodríguez, the shepherd featured in the photo above with one of his goats:

“I am the owner of Caprarius Dairy and I am a cheesemaker.  We are on the island of Fuerteventura, located in the village of Pajara, in Mezque. I want to say that we make Majorero cheese with denomination of origin, and also that tending to animals isn’t a profession only for older people but also for young people like me—I am 30 years old. This requires sacrifice but at the same time it is very beautiful, for we are rewarded with these animals who love us so much.” - Rayco Ramos Rodríguez, Quesería Caprarius

Watch videos of Rayco and other shepherds: Save the Shepherds - Google Drive

Read more: What To Do About Spain's Shepherding Crisis? | culture: the word on cheese