Now through December 5, the SDSU Dairy Club will be conducting the annual holiday Cheese Box Sales. Funds from the sale support SDSU Dairy Club activities, trips, scholarships and more.

“As a Dairy Club advisor, it is pretty incredible to see the amount of work that goes into the Dairy Club’s Cheese Box sales,” said Lane Speirs, Club Advisor and Department of Dairy and Food Science Coordinator of Recruitment and Academic Services.

Orders can be placed over the phone at 605-688-4166, online at https://jackrabbitcentral.com/shop_package.asp?packageID=1508 or in-person at the SDSU Dairy Bar.

To ensure delivery by December 25, orders must be placed by December 1. Orders that do not need to be delivered by December 25 will be accepted until December 5.

“It’s great to see the hard work and dedication to a great tradition at SDSU come to fruition each year for the cheese box fundraiser that the Dairy Club puts on,” said Steve Beckman, Davis Dairy Plant Manager. “The Dairy Club students will benefit personally and professionally for years to come from working on this project from start to finish. I believe that quality products and quality students make a winning combination. The delicious cheese is just an added benefit!”

Customers can choose to include four, one-pound blocks of cheese in each box. The Dairy Club offers a choice of 12 different types of cheese: Mild Cheddar, Aged Cheddar, Bacon Cheddar, Smoked Cheddar, White Cheddar, Co-Jack, Black Pepper, Italian Herb, Jalapeno, Chipotle Garlic, Smoked Monterey Jack, and Prairie Fire. Boxes can have a mix of flavors or all one flavor.

“I got involved with Cheese Boxes because I saw how much if truly impacted the club, and it gave me the chance to interact with other members and make friendships,” said Hailey Hendrickson, Cheese Box Co-Chair and Dairy Club Secretary. “Without cheese box sales, we also couldn’t go on trips as a club.”

SDSU Dairy and Food Science students are involved in every step of the cheese box process. Students milk the cows at the SDSU Dairy Research and Training Facility which is then processed into the many varieties of cheeses available at the SDSU Dairy Bar. Dairy Club members cut and package the cheese and handle the billing and distribution of the cheese boxes.

“When everything is said and done, the Dairy Club turns the profit from the Cheese Box Sales right back to club members in the form of scholarships and educational experiences,” said Speirs. “Holiday Cheese Box sales have become a staple of the Dairy and Food Science Department at South Dakota State.”