USDA Rural Development invests nearly $15.5 million to help Westby Cooperative Creamery expand

Stevens Point, Wis., Dec. 2, 2025 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Wisconsin State Director Andrew C. Iverson announced today that farmer-owned Westby Cooperative Creamery, the only cottage cheese manufacturer in Wisconsin, will expand and modernize its manufacturing facility through a nearly $15.5 million loan from Rural Development Business and Industry (B&I) Guaranteed Loan program and its partner bank the Security Financial Bank.

The primary goal of the project is to modernize aging infrastructure and align production capacity with increasing consumer demand for cottage cheese. The expansion will boost production efficiency, ensure food and employee safety, and the long-term stability for the cooperative’s member-owners. The project will support 150 jobs.

“From a dairy farm to a grocers’ shelf, this investment will reinforce rural prosperity in Wisconsin,” Iverson said. “The Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan program is one of many Rural Development programs that support Wisconsin cooperatives. We are proud to support cooperatives, Wisconsin farmers, rural jobs, and dairy production.”

Key operational benefits after the expansion include:

• Enclosed systems to automate ingredients, testing, and sanitation
• New technology that improves product safety with High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA)-filtered air environments
• Faster processing: production time reduced from 16 hours to eight
• Increased yield: 10% – 15% more cottage cheese from the same amount of milk

Expansion and modernization will include:

• A new food-grade room within the existing facility
• Installation of four fully enclosed cottage cheese vats (each producing up to 5,700 pounds of cottage cheese per run)
• Two cream tanks (10,000-gallon capacity)
• One new 30,000-gallon milk silos, sourced in Wisconsin
• Upgraded refrigeration, sanitation and auxiliary equipment

Cooperatives like Westby Cooperative Creamery are businesses that are owned and managed by their members in order to serve the shared needs of their members.

The United Nations (UN) General Assembly declared 2025 the International Year of Cooperatives. The theme, “Cooperatives Build a Better World,” recognizes the importance of cooperatives in supporting sustainable development.

More information about the Business & Industry (B&I) Guaranteed Loan program is available online, here: www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/business-programs/business-industry-loan-guarantees/wi.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.