BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) -- Dairy farmers and agriculture students may soon be able to learn another way to make money with the milk their herds produce.

Jack Rudolph of Western Kentucky University's Department of Agriculture says the school is on its way to starting a cheese-making program. Rudolph told the Daily News in Bowling Green that many dairy farmers are facing financial problems because of the low cost of milk.

He says milk costs more to produce than the $1 it brings to the farmer. But cheese can be sold for about three times as much.

The school plans to teach students as well as small-farm operators how to make cheese. So far Western has spent about $100,000 on the project. The Kentucky Agriculture Development Board awarded a $250,000 grant this month toward the project as well.

Rudolph says the school plans to give dairy farmers the chance to make cheese at the school's facility while they develop a market for their product.

___

Information from: Daily News, http://www.bgdailynews.com

Copyright 2010 The AP.