What makes milk, milk?
The white liquid from cows that you can pick up in stores is jam-packed with proteins, fat, vitamins and minerals. For the Kennetts, awareness of these various milk components is very important for their business, Liberty Hill Farm near Rochester, VT.
“Well, it doesn’t pay to haul water, unless you’re in the water business,” Dave Kennett said. “Butter fat is important, obviously for butter production, and protein’s really important in cheese production and all your other dairy products.”
Dave owns and operates Liberty Hill Farm with his parents, Bob and Beth Kennett. The dairy has grown from a 34-cow operation in 1979 to 100 milking cows and roughly 270 total in the herd today. The Agri-Mark, Inc. member-owners’ milk is used to make Cabot cheese, making high-protein milk important, Kennett said.
Dairy farmers are not being paid as much as they could be for their increases in milk components. Modernizing Federal Milk Marketing Orders to keep up with improving milk quality will help farmers’ bottom line – and finance further improvements, Kennett said.
For the rest of the Liberty Hill Farm story and a deeper look at milk components and pricing, or to view other stories in our Farmer Focus series, check out NMPF’s Sharing Our Story page.
