Prairie Farms Dairy is shutting two cheese manufacturing sites in Shullsburg, Wisconsin, resulting in the loss of almost 100 jobs.
According to WARN notices filed by the company, production is ceasing at its Shullsburg Creamery and White Hill Cheese facility.
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In separate notices sent to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development and the mayor of Shullsburg, Prairie Farms said it is “permanently ending operations and laying off all employees” at the two facilities.
At Shullsburg Creamery, the company said the closure affects the entire facility and production staff but the retail Cheese Store will remain unaffected.
The WARN filing shows 43 roles will be lost at the site, spanning packaging, production and cheese operations.
Prairie Farms said most employees were to be laid off immediately, while certain maintenance, warehouse and supervisory staff, along with nine employees retained to wind down the plant, would leave on an undetermined date depending on operational needs.
Anton Pederson, a Danish immigrant, founded the Shullsburg Creamery in 1934 and Prairie Farms acquired it in 2020.
At White Hill Cheese, the closure affects 54 employees across functions including production, packaging and maintenance.
Most workers are due to leave in mid-August, with 12 employees to remain temporarily for shutdown activities.
The employees at Shullsburg Creamery and White Hill Cheese are not members of any union and “therefore the issue of bumping rights is not applicable”, Prairie Farms said in its notices.
Bumping rights are provisions, typically tied to seniority rules in a union contract or employer policy, that allow laid-off workers to displace other employees instead of losing their jobs outright.
Prairie Farms had not responded to Just Food’s request for comment on the reasons for the closures at the time of writing.
Based in Edwardsville, Illinois, Prairie Farms is supported by a network of over 500 farming families and roughly 7,000 employees.
According to its LinkedIn page, the company manages 48 production plants alongside more than 100 distribution hubs, generating upwards of $4.6bn in revenue each year.
In June, the Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) cooperative in the US revealed plans to close its St. Albans facility in the state of Vermont. The St. Albans Creamery is due to shutter its doors on 17 August, affecting around 80 workers.
And in May, Danone said it would shut its dairy-alternatives factory in Bridgeton, New Jersey, in August with the loss of 114 jobs.
