Local Dairy Producers Awarded Top Honors in the Southeast Farmstead Dairy Products and Got to Be NC Dairy Competitions

Nine North Carolina dairies took honors for fluid milk and cheeses in state and regional dairy competitions held recently by the Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives and the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Got to Be NC program.

“North Carolina’s dairy farmers have diversified their operations in the last five years to boost their bottom lines,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Not only are they continuing the long-held tradition of milk production, but are also creating high quality cheese, ice cream and eggnog. Their ingenuity has contributed over $3.9 billion to the state’s $111.1 billion agriculture and agribusiness industry.”

The Southeast Farmstead Dairy Products and the Got to Be NC Dairy competitions were held concurrently with several products receiving top honors in both competitions. Got to Be NC Dairy awards will be presented on Sept. 14 at 10 a.m. in McGough Arena at the N.C. Mountain State Fair in Fletcher, prior to the open dairy cattle show. 

North Carolina winners include:

• Riverbend Creamery’s eggnog was named Milk of the Year in both competitions. The Lincolnton dairy was also recognized for Best Homogenized Chocolate Milk in both competitions.
• Homeland Creamery in Julian was declared Best Homogenized Milk in both competitions.
• Howling Cow Creamery at N.C. State University in Raleigh won Best Homogenized Low-Fat Milk and Best Homogenized Low-Fat Chocolate Milk in both competitions.
• Lutheridge Jersey Dairy Farm in Mount Ulla took top honors for Best Unhomogenized Chocolate Milk in the Got to Be NC Competition and tied for first with Cheek Farmstead Creamery in Fleetwood/Hamptonville for Best Unhomogenized Milk in both competitions.
• White Tree Farm in Statesville tied for first place in the Fresh Cheese of the Year with its European Chevre, sharing the honor with Grass Roots Farm and Dairy in Marshall for its Sheep’s Milk Feta.
• Looking Glass Creamery in Columbus was awarded Best Sharp Cheddar Cheese in both competitions for its Drover’s Road Cheddar.
• Celebrity Dairy in Siler City won both competitions for Best Plain Chevre.

The Southeast Farmstead Dairy Products Competition is a program of the Southeast Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives (SDBII) based at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture’s Animal Science Department. Manufacturers of dairy products from a single herd that are produced or processed in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Puerto Rico were eligible to compete. SDBII’s mission is to spur growth for dairy producers and processors in the Southeast by helping them modernize and diversify through the production of value-added dairy products.

The Got to Be NC Dairy Competition is a program within the NCDA&CS Marketing Division designed to promote producers and processors within the state.