Uplands Cheese in Wisconsin: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Uplands Cheese is a family dairy farm in Wisconsin's Driftless Region near Dodgeville that makes cheese on the farm. Its website lists 150 cows on 500 acres of pasture, and Pleasant Ridge Reserve won Best in Show at the American Cheese Society in 2001, 2005 and 2010.
| Location | Dodgeville, Iowa County, Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Founded | Founding year not published in my sources |
| Sectors | dairy; farmstead cheese; seasonal grazing |
| Scale | 150 cows; 500 acres of pasture (per the official site) |
| Why it is notable | Three American Cheese Society Best in Show awards for Pleasant Ridge Reserve |
| Ownership | Family-owned, run by two families, per Wisconsin Cheese |
| Official website | Uplands Cheese official site |
History of Uplands Cheese
Uplands Cheese is described by Wisconsin Cheese as a family-owned producer in the Driftless region run by two families. Culture reports that Andy Hatch is co-owner and head cheesemaker.
Culture also says the business is debt-financed with no outside investors and has grown about 4 to 6 percent a year. Two neighboring farms sold land to it on generous terms.
What Uplands Cheese Grows and Raises
Milking is timed to the seasons. Pleasant Ridge Reserve is an alpine-style cheese aged nine months or more and made only while cows are on pasture, from spring through early fall.
Rush Creek Reserve is a soft-ripened seasonal cheese made at the end of the grazing season, when cows switch to a winter hay diet. The autumn release is an annual event.
The farm hosts five or six apprentices each year, according to Culture.
How Uplands Cheese Makes Money
Pleasant Ridge Reserve
The aged cheese is listed with a price on the official site, which can change, so check it directly.
Rush Creek Reserve
A seasonal soft cheese released each autumn adds a second product with a built-in sales window.
Distribution beyond Wisconsin
About 90 percent of the cheese leaves Wisconsin, according to Culture, bringing outside revenue into Iowa County.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Uplands Cheese
Tying production to the grazing calendar makes the product distinctive rather than a commodity.
Growing slowly with debt, not outside investors, kept ownership with the working families.
Cows that only make the good cheese when the grass is green are farm satire with seasonal standards. At farm.FM we file Rush Creek's autumn release under farm humor, plus ranch humor about hay as a lifestyle. Our farm jokes age at least nine months.
Part newsroom, part radio dial, farm.FM bills itself as America's first satirical farm site and plays Tractor Tunes, its country music for farmers. Browse a farm.FM writer's back catalog to see the style.
How to Contact Uplands Cheese
Website: https://uplandscheese.com/?p=17
Address: 5023 State Rd 23, Dodgeville, WI 53533
Phone: 608-935-5558
Contact details as published on the operation's own website, November 2026. Visits, tours and sales are by appointment where noted; confirm before traveling.
Uplands Cheese Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Uplands Cheese official site - Farm's own site
- Culture magazine profile - Business model and approach
- Wisconsin Cheese listing - State dairy directory entry
- Farmers.gov - USDA programs for dairy producers
- USDA Census of Agriculture - Official farm counts and acreage for Wisconsin
Uplands Cheese FAQ
Where is Uplands Cheese?
Near Dodgeville in southwest Wisconsin.
How many cows?
150, on 500 acres of pasture per its site.
What does it make?
Pleasant Ridge Reserve and Rush Creek Reserve.
How can I contact it?
Phone 608-935-5558, as published on its site.
Uplands Cheese shows how a grass-based dairy can build a national reputation on seasonal cheese. For the wider picture, read the Wisconsin farms guide.