Prairie Fruits Farm is Illinois’ only artisanal, farmstead goat dairy. Leslie Cooperband and Wes Jarrell have been making cheese on the farm since 2005 using milk from their own herd of La Mancha and Nubian goats. In 2010, their herd and their goat cheeses became Animal Welfare Approved-an independent certifying program that stresses pasture-based animal husbandry and humane treatment of livestock. This emphasis has a serious affect on the animals’ breeding cycles and diet and in turn, the seasonally changing flavors of Prairie Fruits cheese.