Discover the History of Prairie Farms

Since our start more than 80 years ago, farm families have run Prairie Farms with the hope of providing fresh, high-quality dairy products to their community. In 1938, a group of Illinois dairy farmers created Prairie Farms to improve market conditions for selling cream. By 1949, the company expanded its products to include bottled milk, cottage cheese and ice cream. Today, Prairie Farms has extended its reach and products over the years by conducting more than 50 acquisitions and a dozen mergers, including six cheese manufacturing plants under the Prairie Farms Cheese Division.

Prairie Farms announced the addition of the Swiss Valley Farms co-op in December of 2016. This opportunity of growth included the acquisition of cheese plants in Luana, IA, Faribault, MN, Mindoro, WI and Rochester, MN.  Two more facilities were added to the Prairie Farms family in 2020 with the acquisition of Shullsburg Creamery and the acquisition of White Hill Cheese.