We're glad you're here!
Ralph and Colleen Krogmeier began milking cows in the beautiful, rolling hills of southeast Iowa in 1978. For the Krogmeiers, dairying is not just an occupation, its a way of life-raising healthy cows, caring for the land, and producing high-quality, 100% natural milk.
The farm sits on 400 acres of rolling, grassy pastures, row-crop fields and hay fields. All the forages which feed the 140 milk cows year round are grown on our farm. Sustainable agriultural is a top priority for us, so a lot of work goes into growing crops while protecting the land and water for generations to come.
Around the farm, you will see land stewardship being practiced in the growing of cover crops, no-tillage planting, and diverse crop rotations. Besides milk, the cows also do a great job at making fertilizer, so very little synthetic fertilizer is used. The land around the cheese plant is also being regrown into a native Iowa prairie!
We are wholeheartedly committed to providing our customers with top-quality, 100% natural, farm-fresh cheeses.
We raise all of our own milking cows, primarily of the holstein breed along with some jersey cross-breeds.
Every furry baby calf is born in our maternity suite and then receives personalized daily care as it grows. Heifers graze the wholesome pastures and after they have their first calf, become part of the milking herd. No preventative antibiotics are ever used and our cows are never treated with rBST.
A lot of pride has gone into raising the herd and milking the cows over the past 30 years, however we have always dreamed of delivering the finished product right to the customer. With the addition of Hinterland Dairy, the circle is now complete-the animals and feed are raised on the land, the cows are milked with the care of our own hands, and that milk is processed into cheese and delivered to the customer right here on the farm.
Cheese is made every week right here on the dairy farm using only farm fresh milk from our cows and a few special ingredients.
The best cheese begins with the best milk. Our cheese will always be unique because it is made only with the milk from our family's milking herd. The happy cows eat the feed we grow right here on the hills surrounding the creamery.
When milk is needed for cheesemaking, our cows are milked in the parlor at the rear of the cheese house. The milk is then piped through our pasturizer to ensure its safety for all of our consumers.
This non-homogenized milk is then hand-crafted into cheese by our cheese makers. Only the best cultures and finest salt are added to bring out the unique flavor of cheese from our farm. The cheese is hand-packaged and ready to be enjoyed by our customers, or sent to the aging room where it will rest until it reaches the most perfect taste.
From cow to fresh cheese, this entire process takes less than 12 hours......It doesn't get any more farm-fresh than that!
