Prairie Farms Dairy has been a fixture on MacArthur Boulevard for decades, but recently rumors have begun circulating that a move is in the works.
In March, Prairie Farms purchased the former ABF truck terminal, located at 6633 Old Route 36 in Riverton. While
Michael Higgins, president of the MacArthur Boulevard Association, says he has also heard the rumors, but has no definite information regarding the company’s plans. Asked about whether he would be in favor of Prairie Farms leaving MacArthur Boulevard, given their industrial use compared to the surrounding retail and office buildings, Higgins said he would be fine with Prairie Farms staying put.
“It’s always been a concern because of the industrial-type use, but I don’t think they’ve been a bad business, and I’ve never heard people complain about them,” he said. Higgins also noted that while their business differs from the others along the MacArthur corridor, it is an approved use. “The city granted that zoning variance a long time ago. If they were coming today, it might be different.”
However, Prairie Farms also operates a second Springfield location at 1629 S. Ninth St. and a Prairie Farms employee who asked not to be named stated that the Ninth St. facility, not MacArthur, will be the one relocating. Representatives from the corporate office did not respond to a request to comment.
In 2017, Prairie Farms constructed a new corporate headquarters in Edwardsville, relocating their main office from Carlinville and combining several other offices into a larger facility. They continue to operate a processing plant in Carlinville, along with numerous others throughout Central Illinois and the Midwest.
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