Iowa Improves National Cheese Ranking

Iowa’s cheese industry is on the rise.   According to Cheese Reporter’s
Dairy publication Iowa’s cheese output took a big jump from 2008 to 2009.  

Dairy processing companies are finding Iowa a good place to do businesses.  
Firms like Wells Dairy, Swiss Valley Farms, Anderson-Erickson, and others
are leaders in Iowa and the nation.

Now a new cheese processing plant in Hull, Iowa is making a big impact on
Iowa’s cheese ranking.  Trega Foods, based in Wisconsin purchased a
200,000 sq.ft. cheese plant in northwest Iowa in 2008 and has helped
catapult Iowa’s cheese industry rankings.  Iowa currently ranks 9th in the
nation for cheese production breaking into the top 10 with a 31.3% increase
in output.  

For the past several years Iowa’s dairy industry has seen increased
production and output with more dairies interested in an Iowa location.
Mike Meissen, Vice President Value-Added Agriculture said,
“Iowa has done well in the dairy industry particularly with producers in
states like California and Texas where it is becoming more difficult and
expensive to operate.  The new cheese numbers and the Trega Foods plant
are important developments and is a great example of the importance of
growing both the production and processing side of the industry.”

IADG will be exhibiting at the upcoming International Dairy Show in Dallas, Texas this fall.