FARM LIFE CREAMERY HISTORY:
Gary and Amy Blase each grew up on dairy farms and began their own in 1972, raising their three children on the farm. Today, the farm is still family run, with care taken across every part of the operation from calves to milking cows. The Holstein herd is milked using a robotic milking system and cared for year-round, with a balanced ration in the winter and pasture time during the summer months.
Eldest son Chad Blase returned to the farm in 2016 to help his parents. Soon after, falling milk prices forced the family to consider major changes, including selling the farm or finding a way to add value to their milk through processing and direct-to-consumer products.
Chad’s partner, Laura Klock, was part of those conversations and helped lead the effort to explore on-farm processing. That search led them to Valley Side Farm Cheese in Crooks, South Dakota, where equipment was available and the owner was willing to teach them the cheesemaking process. From there, Farm Life Creamery began.
Farm Life Creamery was born. With Chad and Laura as its owners and Gary and Amy continuing to run the dairy, the family began crafting small-batch cheese using Grade A milk from their Holstein herd. Fresh cheddar cheese curds helped launch the brand, and today the creamery produces over 40 flavors of curds along with a wide variety of cheeses including aged cheddar, Gruyere, Mozzarella, Colby, Cotswold, and Chocolate Cheddar.
Ice cream is also made in-house in small batches, offering a rotating selection of classic and seasonal flavors.
The creamery also bottles its own Grade A milk on-farm. The milk is pasteurized using a low-temperature, long-time method and is non-homogenized, allowing the cream to rise naturally to the top, just shake and enjoy.
Visitors are always welcome at the farm store in Ethan, where the full line of products is available along with family-friendly fun like mini golf and a petting farm. An ice cream and coffee shop has also recently opened inside County Fair Food Store in Mitchell, making it even easier to enjoy Farm Life Creamery products year-round.
Location: Ethan, SD
Website:farmlifecreamery.com
Facebook: Farm Life Creamery
Instagram: @farmlifecreamery
Email: ORDERS@farmlifecreamery.com
Phone: 605-505-0773