Prairie Farms cheeses earn top finishes by American Cheese Society

DES MOINES, Iowa — Two Prairie Farms cheese plants were among the top winners of the American Cheese Society Judging and Competition, the largest event of its kind for American-made cheeses.

Awards for the 40th anniversary of the competition were announced on July 19 at the Annual American Cheese Society Conference in Des Moines.

This year’s competition featured cheeses from nearly 200 companies with over 1,400 entries competing in 120 categories and tested by a panel of 30 judges.

After the votes were tallied, Prairie Farms’ Luana Cheese Plant in Luana, Iowa, came away with a pair of winners for ACS judges in the LowFat/Low Salt Cheeses and American Made/International Style categories, which included:

• Light/Lite and Reduced Fat Cheeses — First place: Prairie Farms Neufchatel.

• Emmental-Style with Eye Formation (Swiss, Baby Swiss, Block, Wheels) made from cow’s milk — Third place: Prairie Farms Swiss Cheese.

“We are honored to be a part of the ACS community and humbled in receiving awards from such an accomplished peer group — none of which would be possible without our farmers continually providing the highest quality milk, allowing our cheesemakers to consistently produce high quality cheeses,” said Mike Christenson, vice president of sales for Prairie Farms’ Cheese Division.

“We are so proud of our teams for their continued dedication to crafting award-winning cheeses.”

For a complete list of winners, visit https://tinyurl.com/2hrnumv4.