Kentucky Agriculture Commissioner Ryan Quarles helped kick off Dairy Month Wednesday.
Quarles says as the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered workplaces, farmers’ roles became even more pivotal. While navigating hardships and uncertainty of their own, dairy farmers across the state partnered with local food banks and other agencies to donate milk and dairy products to offset hunger in their communities.
To honor the service and everyday work of the dairy farmer, Quarles joined dairymen and women in celebrating June as Dairy Month at the Kentucky Department of Agriculture.
The dairy month celebration was open to the public and sponsored by the Kentucky Dairy Development Council, which provided ice cream to attendees.
There are more than 47,000 dairy cows in the state, with dairy farmers producing milk, ice cream, artisan cheese, and more. On average, each dairy cow produces 7.2 gallons of milk a day, with more than 90 percent of milk or 109 million gallons produced in liquid form.
Among all agricultural products, milk ranks eighth in its value in the state. Kentucky producers received more than $175,406,000 in cash receipts from sales of dairy products in 2020. Barren County was the top county in the state in the number of dairy cows with 6,500, followed by Adair, Logan, Christian, and Todd counties.
In October 2020, Commissioner Quarles helped launch ‘Kentucky Cheese Cares’ in Kroger stores with Kentucky dairy farmers, the Dairy Alliance, Kentucky Center for Agriculture and Rural Development, Feeding America, and Feeding Kentucky.
Kentucky Cheese Cares lets consumers join the fight against hunger by purchasing award-winning Kentucky specialty cheese products. Fifty cents from each unit sold are used to distribute Kentucky dairy products through the Feeding Kentucky food bank network.
