STENSLAND FAMILY FARMS
Jason and Justin Stensland
Stensland Family Farms, located in Larchwood, was established in 1952 by Arthur Stensland, who operated it for nearly 40 years before retiring in 1989. In 2004, Jason and Justin Stensland restarted the dairy and began milking 40 cows. Since then, they have grown the herd to 200 cows, built the Stensland Creamery in 2015, and began producing ice cream in 2016. In addition, Stensland Family Farms offers opportunities for consumers to learn more about the dairy, creamery and Iowa agriculture, which is very important to the family.
Stensland Creamery’s Choose Iowa grant project will increase its on-farm dairy processing capacity and product offerings. The Stenslands will purchase new equipment needed to start offering ice cream in grab-and-go pint sizes in addition to the quart sizes they currently sell. This will expand the creamery’s markets and add more value to their ice cream and fluid milk.
The Stenslands expect to increase ice cream sales, as well as the number of locations selling their products. The project will support the family’s mission to inspire people to care about where their food comes from and how it is made by producing local farm fresh food that tastes delicious.
