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Little Big Cheese: Maytag's Growing Niche Market

With some of the most productive farmland in the world, Iowa is an agricultural powerhouse known for its corn, soybeans, cattle and hogs.

But an Iowa research center says some farmers here and elsewhere should consider moving away from commodity crops to what's being called "place-based" foods.

NPR's Greg Allen reports that a good example can be found in Newton, Iowa, the home of Maytag cheese. The company was started by Fred Maytag, then president of the well-known appliance maker and owner of a small dairy farm in central Iowa.

While the appliance maker is now publicly owned, the dairy farm remains very much a Maytag family business, where many employees have worked for decades. They make a million pounds of blue cheese each year, and they do it the same way as when the plant opened: almost entirely by hand.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

As NPR's Miami correspondent, Greg Allen reports on the diverse issues and developments tied to the Southeast. He covers everything from breaking news to economic and political stories to arts and environmental stories. He moved into this role in 2006, after four years as NPR's Midwest correspondent.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.