Nearly 100 Prairie Farms Employees Laid Off in Shullsburg

Nearly 100 employees are being laid off from a storied cheese plant and manufacturing center in Shullsburg, WI, a town of just barely over 1,000 people.

On Monday, July 20th, Prairie Farms laid off 97 employees from the White Hill Cheese Plant and Shullsburg Creamery combined. Located just about 30 minutes east of Dubuque, to call the layoffs a massive hit to the community feels like an understatement.

Shullsburg Mayor Dan Morrissey Reacts to the Layoffs:

For lifelong residents of Shullsburg, the Prairie Farms layoffs recall the closure of area mines in the 1970s, which rocked the town's economy and had significant reverberations as a result. Shullsburg Mayor Dan Morrissey spoke to the Telegraph Herald about the layoffs:

I was just shocked. I wasn't expecting that. This is a small community, and it will be tough to recoup those jobs. The sad part is that there are some cases where a husband and a wife would both be working there - Shullsburg Mayor Dan Morrissey, per Telegraph Herald

While Mayor Morrissey did say he is confident that the town will bounce back, it will obviously take time.

Prairie Farms' Statement on the Layoffs:

Prairie Farms' statement/letter in regards to the layoffs stated that these layoffs "follow a careful review of Prairie Farms' manufacturing network and long-term operational needs." They added that the layoffs are expected to be permanent.

This letter came in regards to mandatory reporting notices provided to Wisconsin's Department of Workforce Development. You can view that letter here.

In total, the creamery layoffs total around 43 employees. Another 54 positions at the aforementioned White Hill Cheese Plant (110 Miner Way) were also eliminated, bringing the grand total of layoffs to 97. This will effectively end cheese production in the city of Shullsburg.

Shullsburg Creamery's Storied History:

Per Telegraph Herald, the Shullsburg Creamery was founded by Anton "Tony" Pederson, a Danish immigrant, back in 1934. The creamery has been revered for its hand-crafted, old-style recipes, and its connections to local dairy farms. The business saw a tremendous boon after it was selected to supply cheese to American soldiers during World War II in the 1940s.

It's no exaggeration to say multiple generations of families have worked at the Shullsburg Creamery, and that certainly includes multiple members of one's household and larger family. In 2020, Prairie Farms Dairy purchased the creamery.