Award-winning dairy company closes two facilities

Prairie Farms, a farmer-owned cooperative, has spent astir 9 decades gathering a concern whose products scope 30% of the U.S., with a peculiarly beardown beingness crossed the Midwest and South.

Its products, including milk, cheese, cottage cheese, butter, sour cream, yogurt, and crystal cream, are carried by large U.S. retailers specified arsenic Target and Walmart.

The company's products person besides earned designation astatine large dairy competitions.

At the 2025 World Dairy Expo Championship Dairy Product Contest, Prairie Farms and affiliated Hiland Dairy collected 55 awards, with cheeses from Prairie Farms' manufacturing web taking apical honors successful respective categories.

Now, the 88-year-old Illinois-based dairy institution is shrinking portion of that network.

Prairie Farms Dairy is closing 2 cheese-making operations successful Shullsburg, Wisconsin, eliminating 97 jobs arsenic it reevaluates its semipermanent manufacturing needs.

The closures impact Shullsburg Creamery, a historical and award-winning Wisconsin food cognition whose roots day backmost to 1934, and the adjacent White Hill Cheese facility.

Together, the 2 operations nutrient products including cheddar, Colby, Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, food curds, Swiss, and Baby Swiss cheese.

Prairie Farms said the decisions followed a cautious reappraisal of its manufacturing web and semipermanent operational needs.

"Like galore manufacturers, Prairie Farms continually evaluates its operations to guarantee it is good positioned to service customers efficiently and enactment semipermanent growth," the institution said successful a connection to TheStreet.

Prairie Farms closes Shullsburg Creamery production

Prairie Farms ended accumulation astatine its Shullsburg Creamery installation astatine 208 W. Water St. connected July 20, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) filing.

The imperishable closure affects 43 employees crossed production, packaging, maintenance, sanitation, warehouse, administrative, and absorption positions.

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The 2 largest affected groups are 15 packaging employees and 15 workers successful accumulation and food operations. 

Most workers were scheduled to suffer their jobs connected July 20, portion respective employees are being retained temporarily to assistance upwind down the facility.

The closure does not impact workers employed astatine the abstracted Shullsburg Creamery retail Cheese Store, according to the notice.

Prairie Farms besides said determination volition beryllium nary disruption successful supplies for Shullsburg Creamery customers.