Prairie Farms Takes Home Big Wins at National Milk Producers Federation Cheese and Yogurt Contest; Matt McClelland Shares

A celebration is in order! Why, you ask? Because Prairie Farms has welcomed a collection of accolades to its trophy case at the conclusion of the annual National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) Cheese and Yogurt Contest. Sweeping several categories, the dairy provider took home 18 prestigious awards.

"Prairie Farms is honored to again be recognized by NMPF for our efforts in making the finest cheese and yogurt in the marketplace. Quality is at the core of what we do, and from our dairy farms to our processing facilities, we rely on the expertise of our farmers and team members at various stages of the farm-to-table journey,” said Matt McClelland, Chief Executive Officer of Prairie Farms. “They all give wholeheartedly, and we are delighted that their efforts were acknowledged with 18 awards, including the top award for Best Cottage Cheese.”

According to a press release, Prairie Farms received the most wins of any company competing in this year’s contest. This year’s competition included 11 NMPF member dairy cooperatives from multiple states submitting cheese and yogurt samples for a chance to be recognized in 24 categories.

Prairie Farms won seven 1^st place, five 2^nd place, five 3^rd place awards, and the top award for cottage cheese. A full list of awards includes:

• Swiss Cheese Awards: 1^st place – Baby Swiss Wheel, Shullsburg, Wisconsin; 2^nd place – Baby Swiss, Luana, Iowa; 3^rd place – Swiss, Luana, Iowa
• Open Class Awards: 1^st place – Neufchatel, Luana, Iowa; 2^nd place – Cream Cheese, Luana, Iowa
• Cottage Cheese Awards: 1^st place – Small Curd 4%, Carbondale, Illinois; 3^rd place – 4% Small Curd, Wichita, Kansas
• Reduced Fat Cottage Cheese Awards: 1^st place – 2% Small Curd, Wichita, Kansas; 2^nd place – 2% Small Curd, Fort Wayne, Indiana; 3^rd Place – 2% Small Curd, Quincy, Illinois
• Flavored Cottage Cheese Awards: 1^st place – Garden Veggie; 2^nd place – Zesty Fiesta; 3^rd place – Pineapple (all produced by the Fort Wayne, Indiana plant)
• Yogurt Plain Awards: 1^st place – Lowfat Plain, Wichita, Kansas
• Yogurt Flavored Awards: 1^st place – 1% Strawberry 1%; 2^nd place – 1% Vanilla; 3^rd place 1% Blueberry (all produced by the Quincy, Illinois plant)

Congratulations to Prairie Farms on these prestigious achievements rounding out a year of accolades for the company!