Land O'Lakes facts for kids
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| Agricultural cooperative | |
| Industry | Food and agriculture |
| Founded | July 8, 1921 |
| Headquarters |
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U.S.
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Key people
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| Products | Dairy foods, animal nutrition, seed and crop protection |
| Revenue | $14.9 billion (2018) |
| Members | 3,963 farmer-owners (2017) |
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Number of employees
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9,000 |
Land O'Lakes, Inc. is a large American company owned by its members, mainly farmers. It is based in Arden Hills, Minnesota, in the United States. The company focuses on the dairy industry, making products like butter and cheese.
Land O'Lakes is a type of business called an agricultural cooperative. This means farmers work together to process and sell their products. The cooperative helps about 300,000 farmers. It handles billions of pounds of milk every year. Land O'Lakes is one of the biggest producers of butter and cheese in the U.S.
The company also helps farmers with animal nutrition through its Purina Animal Nutrition business. It provides seeds, crop protection, and farming advice through its WinField United business.
Contents
History of Land O'Lakes
Land O'Lakes started on July 8, 1921. It was first called the Minnesota Cooperative Creameries Association. Representatives from 320 cooperative creameries met in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Their goal was to make butter better and market it well. This helped dairy farmers earn more money.
The Association created a system to check and grade butter. This made sure all the butter from their creameries was the same high quality. They used this improved quality in their advertisements.
How the Name "Land O'Lakes" Began
In 1924, the high-quality butter was named "Land O'Lakes." This name came from a contest. Minnesota is known as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes," which inspired the name. The name became very popular.
Because the product name was so well-known, the organization changed its own name. In 1926, it officially became "Land O'Lakes Creameries, Inc." Many other dairy companies later copied their idea of certifying product quality.
Recent Growth and Changes
Land O'Lakes has grown a lot over the years by buying other companies. This has helped it expand beyond just dairy.
In 2001, Land O'Lakes bought Purina Mills. This company makes animal feed. Land O'Lakes kept the well-known Purina name and logo.
In 2012, Land O'Lakes bought Kozy Shack Enterprises. Kozy Shack makes refrigerated desserts. This added new products to the Land O'Lakes family.
In 2018, Beth Ford became the CEO of Land O'Lakes. She was the first woman to hold this top position at the company.
In 2019, Land O'Lakes used self-driving truck technology. A truck developed by Plus.ai completed a long trip across the country. This was a first for commercial freight using self-driving trucks.
In 2020, the company started the American Connection Project. They worked with companies like Microsoft and the Mayo Clinic. The project aimed to set up free Wi-Fi spots during the COVID-19 pandemic. This helped people connect to the internet.
What Land O'Lakes Does Today
The main office for Land O'Lakes is in Arden Hills, Minnesota. The company has several different businesses.
Dairy Foods Products
- Land O Lakes (you might see it without the apostrophe on some products)
- Alpine Lace
- Land O'Lakes Food Service
- Kozy Shack
- Vermont Creamery
Animal Feed Products
- Purina Animal Nutrition
- Mazuri
- Land O'Lakes Feed
Seed and Crop Protection
- WinField United (this business joined with United Suppliers in 2016)
See also
- List of dairy product companies in the United States
