Northern Prairie Chevre LLC is a partnership involving three women, Wendy Mickle, Connie Lawrance, and Kathy Larson. Our endeavors to craft the finest quality chevre evolved from our hobby of raising goats. The herd name, Nubian Bubbies, was created by Kathy Larson and Wendy Mickle in 1990. Our love of goats began when we purchased two 2-day old Nubian kids - we quickly fell in love with Mik and Maude's long lopped ears and sweet personalities. They stole our hearts and we were officially hooked on goats from that day forward.

   We purchased two bred does with the intent of selling the kids to 4-H children. However, after we finished bottle feeding the kids, we were too attached to sell them. With more goats, there were more babies and a lot of fresh milk. With the excess milk, we began experimenting with cheese making. Family and friends (some of whom were daunted by the stigma of eating anything produced by goats!) were our first test tasters. They loved it and begged for more. Our friend, Connie Lawrance, of Murphy Creek Farm, was enthused about the idea of cheese making and soon the Northern Prairie Chevre partnership was formed. The milk for Northern Prairie Chevre is provided by 15 Nubian does. Nubians were chosen because of their wonderful personalities as well as the high butterfat content in their milk.

   We believe in the humane treatment of animals. Our grain is specially mixed and does not contain any growth hormones, antibiotics or additives. In addition to clean hay, they are encouraged to graze on pasture and treated very much like members of the family.
   Our cheeses are hand made in the traditional farmstead manner with the freshest local ingredients, and no added chemicals or preservatives.

Country Home. October 2001

Iowa Ingenuity - A NEW BREED OF CHEESE

When Wendy Mickle brought home her first two goats, it was purely aesthetic reasons. "We just thought they were so cute," says Wendy, "And so affectionate!" The relationship quickly turned practical, however when the two-goat family grew into a 38-member herd. "There was so much milk!" With the help of friends Kathy Larson, and Connie Lawrance, a solution was born Today the three women turn out 100 pounds of cheese per week, all from Kathy and Wendy's 6-acre farm near Woodward, Iowa. Their brand, Northern Prairie Chevre, comes in three varieties: chevre (infused with herbs from Connie's garden), feta (a perfect choice for our Beet and Feta Salad, page 172), and a crumbly slicing cheese called Caprine Farmhouse. All three bear a fresh flavor and smooth texture that is attributed to the farm's particular breed of goat, Nubian. So far the fromage has been known only in bistros, grocers, and farmers markets of central Iowa, but now artisan cheese lovers everywhere can get a taste of what they're missing. Available from Wheatsfield Grocery, 515/232-4094.

The Iowan. January/February 2002

Mike and Maude, two baby Nubian goats, were the beginning of Northern Prairie Chevre, LLC, a cheese company in Woodward, Iowa. More goats equaled more fresh milk, and experimenting with the goat milk resulted in a tasty, fresh chevre. On September 15, 2000, after an approved milk parlor was built and a two-car garage was converted into a licensed cheese-processing kitchen, the company was born as a partnership among Kathy Larson, Wendy Mickle, and Connie Lawrance.

Northern Prairie Chevre markets fresh chevre in several flavors, all made by hand with fresh pasteurized milk and no additives or preservatives. The milk is processed according to state regulations, cooled, innoculated with a special cheese culture, and ripened. After being hung until firm, it is ready to flavor and package. "We have a French-style feta cheese. It's less salty and smooth and tangy," says Lawrance

The hard cheese process is different: Pasteurized milk is cooled and allowed to briefly ripen before being placed in a mold overnight. The cheese is then sliced into wheels, salted, and allowed to dry and age. Some cheeses-Caprine Farmhouse, for example-are aged and turned only a short time. Others, such as parmesan, are covered with a special wax and aged for six months to a year. After the cheese has completed the aging process it's packaged and ready to be purchased.

Wheatsfield Grocery of Ames; Campbell's Nutrition Center, The Wine Experience, JT's Fine Wines and Spirits, all of Des Moines; and Goldfield Cheese Mart of Goldfield carry Northern Prairie's cheese. Also Northern Prairie cheeses can be found, in season, at the farmers markets. For more information contact Wheatsfield Grocery by calling 515/232-4094 or writing wheats@wheatsfieldgrocery.com.

-Abbie Hansen

Des Moines Register. Wed. April 11, 2002

Northern Prairie Chevre is the only farm in Iowa to make cheese from its own herd - By Ellen Heath

The three owners of Northern Prairie Chevre cheered last week when a United Parcel Service truck pulled up to their cheese kitchen on a farm north of Woodward. The delivery van brought two boxes of parts for a goat-milking machine. Kathy Larson, Wendy Mickle and Connie Lawrance are partners in Northern Prairie Chevre, which licensed last September to make artisan cheese.

Larson and Mickle have been milking six does by hand twice a day on their 6-acre farm. Two more will soon give birth and start providing milk. Four more will be added to the herd by the end of the month for a total of 12 milking goats.

"We really enjoy milking the herd," Larson said, "but we realized that a machine would help."

The women turn the milk into smooth chevre flavored with fresh herbs and garlic, into a crumbly feta, and into a new, slicing cheese called Caprine Farmhouse.

The cheeses are creamy and light. That's because the milk is processed within 24 hours, the women say, and because their breed of goats, Nubian, produces milk with a high percent of butterfat.

Northern Prairie Chevre introduced chevre at the Des Moines Downtown Farmer's Market late last summer. Several retailers now sell both the chevre and the feta. The Caprine Farmhouse will be in stores soon.

"Interest in local food systems has brought us into the picture very successfully," Mickle said.

Linda Johnson of Wheatfield Grocery in Ames began carrying Nothern Prairie products six months ago. Some of her customers had asked for goat cheese, but "the biggest thing is that we really want to support our local producers."

Campbell's Nutrition Center in Des Moines also stocks the goat cheese because it's locally made. Grocery manager Glenn Gibb said the chevre, particularly the flavored versions, are popular.

At Campbell's a 4-ounce container of chevre costs $4.50. Two and a half ounces of feta costs $3.75.

Still in the development stage at Northern Prairie are a Parmesan, cheddar, and mozzarella.

Except for the milking machine soon to be in use, the cheeses are made entirely by hand. Lawrence, 46, is the primary cheese maker in the business, which turns out 100 pounds per week.

Her kitchen is a converted two-car garage. Inside are a stove, three stainless steel sinks, a counter, shelves, a small table and two refrigerators: one for raw milk and the other for pasteurized milk and cheese.

She experiments with recipes from seminars and books. If family and friends like the results, the recipe is a keeper. If not, she starts over.

"You're talking to a person who's just not really thrilled about cooking," she said, "but what I like about making cheese is the challenge of always doing something different."

Making the cheese

To make basic chevre, Lawrance starts by pasteurizing the raw milk. Iowa Department of Agriculture rules require her to heat the milk to 165 degrees for at least 20 minutes. Afterward, it cools to between 72 and 80 degrees, and Lawrance adds the starter culture.

The mixture then sits in a wide stainless steel cheese vat for at least 15 hours while the curd separates from the whey. The opaque, white curds fall to the bottom while the clear whey floats to the top.

Lawrance ladles the curds into squares of cheesecloth. It hangs from shelving for 12-15 hours, or until it becomes firm as even more liquid drips out.

At the end of the process, Lawrance said, "it has the consistency of a firm cream cheese, or a little drier. That's the point where we flavor it with salt and herbs."

The pasteurization process method may also give the Northern Prairie cheeses a different taste.

"Some people say it tastes a little caramelized," Lawrance said.

That's because it is held at a high temperature for a long time. Some goat milk dairies flash-pasteurize their milk by heating it to an even higher temperature, but for less than a minute.

Northern Prairie records its pasteurization process by computer. The state inspector can read printouts that show the temperature the milk reached and for length of time it was held. Each cheese package is also labeled with its pasteurization batch number.

Northern Prairie is breaking new ground in Iowa has the only goat cheese maker, but state dairy inspectors hold it to the same standards as other dairies.