Just after the Second World War, the production of Grana cheese was thirty times what it had been in the mid 19th century. 190,000 quintals of cheese were produced in 1885, a quantity that reached 1,050,000 quintals one hundred years later.

The Unification of Italy was one of the key factors to the progress of agriculture as it brought new cultures and commercial links, with a consequent increase in scientific knowledge and technology. The most important revelation was the tractor, which replaced animal power and was a landmark in the history of agriculture.

The number of dairy cows selected from the herds increased and alfalfa and ladino were used as rotational crops because their properties were extremely well-suited to the animals’ dietary requirements.

Society also underwent an array of changes. Lombardy's milk-cheese industry started to organise itself at the beginning of the century and cheese-makers formed the first co-operatives in the 1920s. They played an important part in the development of Grana Padano and its region, paving the way for the foundation of Consorzio del Grana Tipico (Consortium of Typical Grana) in 1928.

On 1st June 1951, Europe’s cheese industry met at Stresa and signed the Stresa Convention, an important document which established precise regulations regarding the designation of cheeses and set out guidelines as to their characteristics. “Grana Lodigiano", which was later given the designation "Grana Padano", and "Parmigiano-Reggiano", were established as two separate cheeses.