An employee spins a wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese inside the cheese vault at Credito Emiliano's Magazzini Generali delle Tagliate. Photo from July 6, 2026 Matteo Minnella/Reuters Fifty years ago, farmers in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy used to open their barn windows during summer nights to cool their livestock. Today, with heat waves raising temperatures to record levels, these windows remain open 24 hours a day to protect the cows and, consequently, the milk that gives rise to Parmigiano Reggiano, the basis of a centuries-old cheese industry in the region. ?? Do you have any reporting suggestions? Send to g1 "Extreme heat affects the quality and quantity of milk," said Nicola Bertinelli, president of the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium, who also manages the dairy farm founded by her family in 1895, on the outskirts of Parma. Saltier 'PF': dish made becomes more expensive despite the relief in food inflation Extreme heat threatens wine production in France and accelerates grape harvest Where does what I eat come from: cheese was born in animal stomachs and today there is a global competition, g1 went to check out Costs increase as cheese ages Sprinklers cool cows, at the Bertinelli dairy farm, during a heat wave in Medesano, Italy, on July 7, 2026. to them Matteo Minnella/Reuters At temperatures above 40°C, cows spend more time lying down, eat less and produce up to 10% less milk — one of just three ingredients in Parmigiano, alongside salt and rennet. The production of authentic Parmigiano Reggiano is only permitted in five provinces, most of them in Emilia-Romagna, and cows must be fed exclusively with grass and hay produced in that region. "If it doesn't rain, the grass doesn't grow, hay can't be produced and it's impossible to get the milk needed to make cheese," Bertinelli, 54, told Reuters. He and other growers also installed fans and water misting systems, but these extra cooling measures caused energy costs to soar. The highest bills also affect the administrators of the warehouses where the cheese wheels are stored during the maturation process, which lasts at least 12 months and can reach three years or more. More than 500,000 wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano, valued at more than 300 million euros, are stored in the two warehouses operated by Magazzini Generali delle Tagliate (MGT), a unit of the Credito Emiliano bank, in the provinces of Reggio Emilia and Modena. "During this year's heat peaks, our daily energy consumption increased by around 30%," said MGT director Giancarlo Ravanetti. "To make our facilities as energy efficient as possible, we have improved refrigeration systems and boilers, improved building insulation and expanded renewable energy production," he added. 'We don't want to be the last generation to eat this cheese' Nicola Bertinelli, president of the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium, poses for a photo in the stable of her family's dairy farm, as extreme heat affects milk production, in Medesano, Italy, July 7, 2026. Matteo Minnella/Reuters The region's climate-controlled warehouses have become institutions known collectively as the "Parmigiano Bank." Behind its walls, technology and tradition go hand in hand. Each wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano undergoes rigorous quality inspections, including X-ray examinations to identify defects. Furthermore, experts check each piece weekly, hitting them with small hammers and listening to the sound produced to detect possible flaws that may have arisen during aging. "The human factor continues to be essential and is the true strength of the entire process," stated Ravanetti. Paolo Ganzerli, international sales director at food group GranTerre, which recorded consolidated revenue of 1.87 billion euros in 2025, shares concerns about rising costs. "If extreme weather events become longer lasting and more intense, they will certainly have an impact on both the quantity and quality of milk, but, above all, they will lead to higher costs," he said. There is a lot at stake. The Parmigiano Reggiano industry generates an estimated revenue of 4.5 billion euros (US$5.15 billion) per year, employs thousands of people and boosts the local economy. By 2025, exports accounted for more than 50% of global Parmigiano Reggiano sales, with the United States being the main foreign market. “Parmigiano Reggiano has been around for over 800 years,” Ganzerli said. "We don't want to be the last generation to eat it."