Lexington, KY – A group of Kentucky dairy farms processed by Prairie Farms Dairy in Somerset, Ky., have teamed up with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture to launch the Udderly Kentucky brand of milk, currently available in 32 Walmarts in the central and south central parts of the state.
Agriculture Commissioner James Comer said in a release that the program “has the potential for more direct farm impact than any program in Kentucky Proud history.” Kentucky Proud is an initiative from the commissioner’s office to push agriculture produced in the commonwealth.
Comer said that some milk processed and sold in Kentucky originates at farms out of state, and this program is meant to spotlight milk that is produced solely in Kentucky — from udder to glass.
Funds for marketing Udderly Kentucky were made available through Kentucky Proud.
There are almost 800 dairy farms across Kentucky, according to the project’s website, www.udderlyky.com. Prairie Farms, a farmer-owned company based out of Carlinville, Ill., stated that it hopes to quickly add to its list of 105 Kentucky dairy farms that supply its Somerset facility for the Udderly Kentucky brand. The number of dairy producers in Kentucky has declined by almost half since 2000, according to a release from Comer’s office.
In addition to the arrangements for selling milk to a processor, the Udderly Kentucky brand, which is available by the gallon in whole, 2 percent, 1 percent and skim varieties, will divvy up 7 cents from each gallon sold to be returned directly to the participating Kentucky dairy farmers.
A list of all Walmart locations selling the Udderly Kentucky brand is available at www.udderlyky.com.