December 31, 2024

Prairie Farms is most awarded company at Cheese and Yogurt Contest

Matt McClelland (from left), Toby Probst, Frank Doll, Bryan Henrichs, Don Mackinson, Gretl Schlatter, Craig Meng, Pat Schroeder, Luke Haywood, Tony Graves, Hannah Lansing, Robert Horst, Matthew Lansing, Ashley Davis, Sam Schwoeppe, Amber Selman, Ben Selman and Lorilee Schultz.

Members of the Prairie Farms team include Matt McClelland (from left), Toby Probst, Frank Doll, Bryan Henrichs, Don Mackinson, Gretl Schlatter, Craig Meng, Pat Schroeder, Luke Haywood, Tony Graves, Hannah Lansing, Robert Horst, Matthew Lansing, Ashley Davis, Sam Schwoeppe, Amber Selman, Ben Selman and Lorilee Schultz.

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. — The annual National Milk Producers Federation Cheese and Yogurt Contest recently wrapped up and it was a successful year for Prairie Farms Dairy.

With 20 ribbons — including the Chairman’s Award, the contest’s highest honor, for Cave Aged Rinded Swiss Cheese; and Best Italian Award, for Pasteurized Blue Cheese — Prairie Farms won more awards than any other company competing in the contest.

The awards ceremony was held during the 2023 Joint Annual Meeting of the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board, National Milk Producers Federation and United Dairy Industry Association, which took place in Orlando.

“Operating a dairy farm requires being on the job 365 days a year. Our farm families work tirelessly to provide high-quality milk to our dairy plants and our employees are committed to turning milk from our farms into the finest dairy products available in the marketplace,” said Prairie Farms’ Board President Frank Doll and CEO and Executive Vice President Matt McClelland in a joint statement.

“Quality has been the cornerstone of Prairie Farms’ success for 85 years, both on our farms and in our plants, so the NMPF awards really belong to every person within our farm-to-table network and we were proud to accept the honors on their behalf.”

This year, 14 NMPF co-ops competed for 75 awards in 24 categories. Prairie Farms came out on top, receiving 27% of the awards, including two top awards and sweeps in four categories: Hard & Mold Ripened Italian, Swiss, Plain Yogurt and Flavored Yogurt.

• Swiss Cheese: First place — co-op: Faribault, Minnesota; type: Cave Aged Rinded Swiss. Second place — co-op: Luana, Iowa; type: Swiss. Third place — co-op: Luana, Iowa; type: Baby Swiss.

• Hard & Mold Ripened Italian Cheese: First place — Faribault, Minnesota; Pasteurized Blue Cheese. Second Place — Mindoro, Wisconsin; Heat Treated Gorgonzola. Third place — Mindoro, Wisconsin; Pasteurized Blue Cheese.

• Flavored Yogurt: First place — Wichita, Kansas; Lemon. Second Place — Kansas City, Missouri; Peach. Third Place — Wichita, Kansas; Peach.

• Plain Yogurt: First place — Kansas City, Missouri. Second Place — Wichita, Kansas.

• Reduced Fat Cottage Cheese: First place — Wichita, Kansas; 2% Small Curd. Third Place — Kansas City, Missouri; 2% Small Curd.

• Cottage Cheese: First place — Quincy, Illinois; Small Curd 4%. Second place — Chandler, Oklahoma; Regular Small Curd.

• Open Class: First place — Luana, Iowa; Neufchatel. Second place — Luana, Iowa; Cream Cheese.

• Natural Cheese Snack: Second place — Shullsburg, Wisconsin; Chipotle Cheddar Curd.

The Prairie Farms’ marketing team was also recognized at the NMPF annual meeting for entries submitted in a communications contest.

The team received the “Best of Show” and first place awards for the “Celebrating 85 Years of Feeding American Families” marketing campaign, first place for News Story, featuring the Prairie Farms’ mascots, and second place for Portrait Photography, featuring the Compton family from Columbia, Kentucky.

The awards capped the company’s 85th anniversary celebration.

Awards in 2023 topped 200 with wins at the World Dairy Expo, American Cheese Society Judging and Competition, U.S. Championship Cheese Contest and state fairs in Iowa, Kentucky, Missouri and Wisconsin.

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