Prairie Farms Announces Awards at National Milk Producers Federation Cheese and Yogurt Contest; Frank Doll and Matt McClelland Comment

The annual National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) Cheese and Yogurt Contest recently took place, followed by an awards ceremony held during the 2023 Joint Annual Meeting of the National Dairy Promotion and Research Board, NMPF, and United Dairy Industry Association. Prairie Farms had an impressive showcase, taking home a total of 20 ribbons, including the Chairman's Award for Cave Aged Rinded Swiss Cheese and Best Italian Award for Pasteurized Blue Cheese.

"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 Board President Frank Doll and Chief Executive Officer 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."

According to a press release, Prairie Farms received 27 percent of the awards at the competition, including two top awards and sweeps in four categories: Hard & Mold Ripened Italian, Swiss, Plain Yogurt, and Flavored Yogurt.

Some of the awards included:

• Swiss Cheese: 1^st place – Faribault, Minnesota; Cave Aged Rinded Swiss. 2^nd place – Luana, Iowa; Swiss. 3^rd place – Luana, Iowa; Baby Swiss
• Hard & Mold Ripened Italian Cheese: 1^st place – Faribault, Minnesota; Pasteurized Blue Cheese. 2^nd Place – Mindoro, Wisconsin; Heat Treated Gorgonzola. 3^rd place – Mindoro, Wisconsin; Pasteurized Blue Cheese
• Flavored Yogurt: 1^st place – Wichita, Kansas; Lemon. 2^nd Place – Kansas City, Missouri; Peach. 3^rd Place – Wichita, Kansas; Peach

The Prairie Farms' marketing team also received the Best of Show and 1^st place awards for the Celebrating 85 Years of Feeding American Families marketing campaign, 1^st place for News Story featuring the Prairie Farms’ mascots, and 2^nd place for Portrait Photography, featuring the Compton family from Columbia, Kentucky.

For a complete list of the awards, click here.

Congratulations to Prairie Farms!