Land O'Lakes
A U.S. farmer-owned agricultural cooperative whose businesses span dairy foods, animal nutrition, seed, crop protection and agricultural services.
Last updated October 13, 2026
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Overview
Land O'Lakes is a U.S. member-owned agricultural cooperative established in 1921 as the Minnesota Cooperative Creameries Association. It was created by representatives of 320 cooperative creameries seeking to improve the consistency, grading and marketing of butter and to strengthen the economics of dairy farming. The organization developed inspection and certification practices that helped distinguish uniformly produced sweet-cream butter, and in 1924 adopted Land O'Lakes as the name of that product. The product name became so closely associated with the cooperative that the organization changed its corporate name to Land O'Lakes Creameries in 1926. The cooperative is best known to consumers for butter, cheese and other dairy foods, but its business scope is considerably broader. Its dairy foods activities include branded and food-service products, while its Purina Animal Nutrition business supplies feed and nutrition products for livestock, companion animals and other animal owners. WinField United provides seed, crop-protection products, agronomic advice and related services through agricultural retailers and cooperatives. The company has also operated or invested in businesses involving eggs, refrigerated desserts, biofuels and other farm-related activities. Land O'Lakes is owned through a cooperative structure rather than publicly traded equity. Reference material describes approximately 1,959 direct producer-members and 751 member-cooperatives, with products and services reaching roughly 300,000 agricultural producers. Its distribution network includes thousands of local cooperatives, dealers and retailers. The cooperative has reported handling about 12 billion pounds of milk annually and employing approximately 9,000 people, although such figures are time-sensitive and should be read in the context of the source period. The brand's identity has long been tied to its butter packaging, including an image of a Native American woman that was developed in stages beginning in the late 1920s. The image was revised in 1939, adapted in the 1950s by Red Lake Ojibwe artist Patrick DesJarlait, reduced to a head-only design in 2018, and removed from packaging in 2020 after criticism that it represented a stereotype. The change drew support from some Native advocates and opposition from others who considered the earlier design culturally affirming. Today Land O'Lakes remains an active agricultural cooperative with a consumer-facing dairy identity and a business-to-business agricultural platform. Its positioning combines cooperative ownership, agricultural infrastructure, dairy heritage, product quality and practical support for agricultural producers.
History
Land O'Lakes began on July 8, 1921, in Saint Paul, Minnesota, when representatives of 320 cooperative creameries formed the Minnesota Cooperative Creameries Association. Their purpose was to improve butter marketing, establish dependable quality standards and increase returns to dairy farmers. The association created a systematic inspection, grading and certification program. Greater uniformity gave member creameries a recognizable commercial advantage and supplied the basis for a national brand. In 1924, the association selected Land O'Lakes as the name for its uniformly graded sweet-cream butter through a naming contest. The phrase drew on Minnesota's lakes-and-water imagery and soon became more recognizable than the formal association name. In 1926, the organization adopted Land O'Lakes Creameries, Inc. as its corporate identity. Early growth was accompanied by disputes over competition, advertising and the legitimacy of its quality-certification system, but the model encouraged competitors to improve their own butter and helped make certification a broader marketing practice. The trademark was also contested. Oconomowoc Canning Company had used Land O'Lakes for canned vegetables before the dairy cooperative adopted the name. Land O'Lakes pursued control of the mark in federal court in 1963 but lost. The litigation became associated with the legal doctrine of naked licensing. During the 1960s and 1970s, Land O'Lakes and Lake to Lake, a related cooperative business later merged into Land O'Lakes, also encountered conflict with the National Farmers Organization over campaigns to withhold milk from the market. After the postwar period, the cooperative expanded beyond dairy. It entered meatpacking through the 1978 purchase of Spencer Beef, selling that business in 1983. It acquired an interest in egg producer MoArk in 1999 and bought full control in 2006. In 2001, it acquired Purina Mills for $360 million and assumed $130 million in debt, retaining the Purina name while integrating the business with its feed operations. The cooperative later acquired Kozy Shack Enterprises in 2012 and biofuels company Ceres, Inc. in 2016. WinField United expanded its agricultural-input platform and merged with United Suppliers in 2015. The company's packaging history has been central to debates about representation. The butter package originally showed a Native American woman holding a butter box within a repeating image. Arthur C. Hanson created the early illustration in 1928; it was modernized in 1939, and Red Lake Ojibwe artist Patrick DesJarlait revised the figure and setting in the 1950s. Land O'Lakes first simplified the image in 2018 and announced its complete removal in 2020. The decision was welcomed by some Native advocates, while others, including DesJarlait's son Robert, argued that the image had also represented cultural pride. In the twenty-first century, Land O'Lakes continued to combine consumer dairy operations with producer-oriented businesses. Beth Ford became chief executive in 2018. The cooperative used autonomous-trucking technology for a 2019 butter shipment and joined the American Connection Project in 2020 to address rural connectivity during the pandemic. Its continuing structure links dairy producers, member cooperatives, agricultural retailers and animal-nutrition customers.
- 2020
Native American woman image is removed from packaging
[1]Land O'Lakes ends use of the image after 92 years of packaging history.
- 2019
Autonomous freight trial delivers butter
[1]A self-driving truck using Plus.ai technology carries Land O'Lakes butter on a cross-country commercial route.
- 2018
Beth Ford becomes chief executive
[1]Ford becomes Land O'Lakes' first female CEO, effective August 1.
- 2016
Ceres is acquired
[1]Land O'Lakes purchases the California biofuels company Ceres, Inc.
- 2015
WinField United merges with United Suppliers
[1]The agricultural-input business combines with United Suppliers.
- 2012
Kozy Shack is acquired
[1]The cooperative expands its dairy-food portfolio through the purchase of refrigerated-dessert maker Kozy Shack Enterprises.
- 2001
Purina Mills is acquired
[1]Land O'Lakes acquires the animal-feed producer and retains the Purina name and logo.
- 1983
Spencer Beef is sold
[1]Land O'Lakes sells the meatpacking business to Excel, now associated with Cargill Meat Solutions.
- 1978
Land O'Lakes enters meatpacking
[1]The cooperative purchases Spencer Beef.
- 1926
The cooperative adopts the Land O'Lakes name
[1]The corporate organization becomes Land O'Lakes Creameries, Inc.
Products and positioning
A farmer-owned agricultural cooperative combining trusted American dairy brands with broad farm-input, animal-nutrition and agricultural-service capabilities.
Butter and dairy · 1924
Land O'Lakes Dairy Foods
The core consumer-facing portfolio includes sweet-cream butter, salted and unsalted butter, cheese and other dairy products. Land O'Lakes' original commercial proposition was built around systematic grading and dependable butter quality.
Animal feed · 2001
Purina Animal Nutrition
Acquired by Land O'Lakes in 2001, Purina Animal Nutrition supplies feed and nutrition products for livestock, companion animals and specialty animals through cooperatives, dealers and retailers.
Agricultural inputs and services
WinField United
WinField United provides seed, crop-protection products, agronomic insights and agricultural services to locally owned cooperatives, independent agricultural retailers and their grower customers.
Refrigerated desserts · 2012
Kozy Shack
Kozy Shack is a refrigerated-dessert business acquired by Land O'Lakes in 2012 and included among its dairy-food interests.
Specialty dairy
Vermont Creamery
Vermont Creamery is listed among Land O'Lakes' dairy-food businesses and is associated with specialty dairy products.
Specialty animal nutrition
Mazuri
Mazuri is listed within Land O'Lakes' animal-feed activities and serves specialty-animal nutrition markets.
Controversies
2020
Controversy over Native American packaging image
The cooperative's decision to remove the Native American woman from its packaging followed criticism that the design perpetuated a stereotyped image, while other Native voices defended its historical and cultural meaning.
2017
Animal-treatment allegations at Mason Dixon Farms
Animal Outlook released footage alleging workers abused cows at Mason Dixon Farms, a Dairy Farmers of America supplier connected with Land O'Lakes. One employee was dismissed.
2009
Animal-treatment allegations at Pennsylvania supplier
PETA released undercover footage alleging poor conditions and mistreatment of dairy cows at a Land O'Lakes supplier. The resulting cruelty case ended with an acquittal, while a veterinary review recommended operational improvements.
Marketing campaigns
- 2020American Connection Project
United States
Land O'Lakes partnered with Microsoft, Tractor Supply Company and Mayo Clinic to establish free Wi-Fi locations and help address rural connectivity needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Outcome. Free connectivity locations were established as a pandemic-response measure.
Brand decisions
2020
Remove the Native American woman from packagingStrategyBackground
The butter-package image had been criticized as a stereotypical representation, despite support from some people who regarded it as culturally meaningful.
Action taken
Land O'Lakes removed the figure from its packaging after previously simplifying the design in 2018.
Aftermath
The decision received praise from some Native advocates and disagreement from other Native commentators.
2018
Appoint Beth Ford as chief executiveStrategyBackground
Land O'Lakes was continuing to operate as a diversified agricultural cooperative with dairy and farm-input businesses.
Action taken
The cooperative appointed Beth Ford as its first female CEO, effective August 1.
Aftermath
Ford led the organization during its rural-connectivity initiative and expansion of technology-oriented logistics efforts.
2001
Acquire Purina MillsM&ABackground
Land O'Lakes sought to expand its animal-nutrition platform beyond its existing feed operations.
Action taken
It purchased Purina Mills, retaining the Purina name and logo while planning integration with Land O'Lakes Farmland Feed.
Aftermath
Purina became a major component of the cooperative's animal-nutrition business.
Purchase price and assumed debt. $360 million purchase price plus $130 million debt assumed (2001)
Recent events
- 2020
Land O'Lakes removes Native American woman from butter packaging[1]
Other
The cooperative announced that it would remove the longstanding Native American woman image from its packaging after criticism of the design's stereotypical implications.
- 2020
Land O'Lakes launches American Connection Project for rural connectivity[1]
Campaign
Land O'Lakes joined Microsoft, Tractor Supply Company and Mayo Clinic in an initiative to provide free Wi-Fi access points during the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 2019
Autonomous truck completes cross-country Land O'Lakes butter delivery[1]
Other
A truck using technology developed by Plus.ai completed a commercial freight journey carrying Land O'Lakes butter from California to Pennsylvania.
- 2018
Land O'Lakes appoints Beth Ford as first female chief executive[1]
Leadership change
Beth Ford was selected to lead Land O'Lakes, becoming the cooperative's first woman chief executive.
- 2002
Federal patent-infringement judgment against Land O'Lakes later overturned[1]
Lawsuit
A federal court initially ordered Land O'Lakes to pay $3 million in a dairy-creamer patent dispute involving inventor William Pordy; an appellate court subsequently overturned the ruling.
Sources7 sources
- 1Land O'Lakesen.wikipedia.org
- 2Land O'Lakes official websitelandolakes.com
- 3Bel Brands USA partners with Land O'Lakes, Inc. to pilot sustainable agriculture programprnewswire.com
- 4Land O' Lakes Retires Problematic Native American Logo | The Mary Suethemarysue.com
- 5Land O’Lakes Reports Strong Earnings Increase for 2020agwired.com
- 6Land O'Lakes Retires Native American Image After Nearly 100 Yearscolorlines.com
- 7Land O'Lakes, Inc. Reports Financial Results For Year-End, Fourth Quarter 2014vendingmarketwatch.com
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