Kerr Dairy Farm

Disclaimer: I was provided the opportunity to visit this farm with the Diary Council of AZ through a campaign with Blended Extended. All opinions are my own. 

 

Looking through the glass door of the dairy case, seeing shelf after shelf of plastic jugs ready to be grabbed and placed into the shopping cart, milk in the grocery store seems a million miles away from the source.  But nothing could be further from the truth. In reality, it only takes 2 days to get from the farm to the table. At Kerr Dairy Farm in Buckeye, Arizona, dairyman Wes Kerr works hard to feed his family and yours as he continues the work started by his great grandpa John Kerr Sr. in 1943.

Life of a dairy cow begins as a baby, and there are plenty of new calves on the farm. On the day of my visit, a calf had just been born and was still being tended by its mother. The babies are only kept with the mother for about 12 hours before being moved into the nursery barn. White tags for girls, and yellow tags for boys, the babies will be nurtured and nourished until old enough to join the herd. Most of the baby bulls will be sold off as beef cattle.

The cows are well cared for.  Clean corrals, covered shelters, a nutritious diet, and regular veterinarian visits ensure the cows are healthy and happy. Three times a day, the cows make their way to the milking barn, where they receive a cooling wash before and after being milked. Automatic milking machines make the task easier, for man and cow.

Each cow produces about 6 gallons of milk a day, depending on the breed.  The raw milk is immediately sent to a cooling tank where it is quickly chilled to a temperature below 40 ° F for safety and preservation. Samples are taken for testing prior to being sent to the processing plant. The milk is tested regularly to ensure safety and quality.

 

At the nearby processing plant, the milk is pasteurized and then sold to producers who use it to make cheese, yogurt, ice cream, and yes, milk in a jug.  And two days later, it is sitting on your breakfast table ready to pour in the cereal bowl.

It was fun to visit the farm and here is a really BIG thank you to the Kerr family for sharing their day with our group. The Kerr’s enjoy visitor’s to their farm and welcome the opportunity to educate and entertain by showing off the herd. So stop by and say “Hello”.

Have you ever visited a farm? What kind? What did you enjoy most? Leave me a note.