Thank You to PA Dairy Farms and Agribusinesses Who Are Donating Excess Milk to Food Bank
Two local dairy farms, JoBo Holstein Farm in Gettysburg, Pa. and Mount Rock Dairy in Newville, Pa., recently donated more than 13,000 gallons of raw milk, a tanker load each, to support a milk drive organized by the Blessings of Hope food bank and 97 Milk, LLC. Through the effort, half-gallons and gallons of whole milk were processed and donated to food pantries and distributed in food boxes to families in need during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mount Rock Dairy is owned by Alan Waybright and JoBo Holstein Farm is owned by partners John and Bonnie Hess, Dale Brown, Josie Riser, John Hess II, and Joy Widerman.
The Center for Dairy Excellence and King Construction Company, LLC are working to coordinate the process of sending excess tanker loads of milk from farms over base to be processed for families in need by connecting dairy farms, milk processors and agribusinesses.
“In times like these, we at JoBo think we all need to take care of each other. While this virus has had a small impact on us, we are still able to take care of our land, animals, our families and your families,” said Joy Widerman of JoBo Holstein Farm. “We felt that now was the time to donate milk and help the many people who are hurting from this new world we are trying to navigate.”
To cover milk processing and hauling costs, along with other expenses, many local businesses have donated funds to help get the milk from the farm to the Blessings of Hope food bank. The collaborative effort has resulted in a less expensive alternative for getting milk to those in need and has helped remove excess milk from the supply chain, which may reduce the need for dairy farmers to dump milk.
“By asking farmers to donate milk and asking agribusinesses to donate toward the processing costs, as well as finding a processor that is willing to work at their cost, we were able to lower the cost per gallon to get the milk to those in need. It seemed like a win-win-win for everybody,” said Dean Hoover of King Construction.
Thank you to the following businesses that have committed to donating toward processing costs for the milk donations:
- King Construction Company, LLC
- Allegheny AG
- Arm & Hammer Animal and Food Production
- Forry Transport, Inc.
- Agricultural Commodities, Inc.
- Ryder Rental Trucking
- TeamAg Inc.
- MidAtlantic Farm Credit
- Kirby Agri Inc.
- Cedar Crest Equipment
- Martin’s Financial Consulting
- Homestead Nutrition, Inc.
- Precision Diagnostics LLC
- K&K Feed LLC
- Hoover Wood Shavings LLC
- Kauffman’s Animal Health, Inc.
- Caristone Farm
Donations toward milk processing costs may be considered a tax-deductible expense. To get involved, email Jayne Sebright at jsebright@centerfordairyexcellence.org or call 717-346-0849.