Milk processing being pushed in area

By GINA KINSLOW

GLASGOW — The possibility of processing milk locally is being considered by several people, including local dairy producers and state legislators.

Processing milk in the area could help ease the financial crunch local dairy producers have been experiencing lately.

Rep. Johnny Bell (D-Glasgow) said he has been talking to some investors to see if they would be interested in processing milk locally.

“It’s a long shot,” he said. “I think if we were able to generate that it might be a good first step in somewhat breaking down this monopoly.”

Bell has met with state and dairy industry officials in Frankfort recently to discuss the situation with the industry.

“We have a concensus to make a request to the milk commission to call in the processors (and) have them explain to the state legislature why they are making such a large amount of money themselves and the dairy farmers are not getting a fair and adequate price for their product,” he said.

Bell, along with Rep. Mike Denham (D-Maysville), were primary sponsors of the legislation that established the Kentucky Milk Commission, which is to serve the interest of the consumer and will look at issues that affect all sectors of the industry and seek solutions.

The state milk commission met for the first time on Dec. 1. Each commissioner was given an assignment to study and bring back for the next meeting, set for Dec. 21. One of the assignments was regarding the opportunities to source Kentucky-produced milk and even establish Kentucky Proud Milk, said Maury Cox with the Kentucky Dairy Development Council, who headed up the state milk commission’s meeting.

One local dairy farmer thinks processing milk locally and creating Kentucky Proud Milk is a great idea.

“I’d like to see it happen,” said Ken Mattingly, owner of Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheese in the Austin community of Barren County. “I think it would work. I think the consumer is looking to feel good about their food and where it comes from and supporting the local economy. Farmers are just going to have to cooperate to make it happen and not look to some saving outside business to come in and do it for us.”

Billy Joe Williams, CEO of Bluegrass Dairy and Foods in Glasgow, which manufacturers a variety of dairy products, including cheese and cream powders, butter products, cream, condensed skim milk and non-dairy products, also thinks it is a good idea and said it may be something his company would be interested in doing.

“We would certainly discuss the possibility of that,” Williams said. “We have had some discussions with the state department of agriculture along those lines. We don’t know where that might go and I think that’s a possibility that could go through the Kentucky Proud Program.”

Bluegrass Dairy and Food would have to build an addition to its Glasgow facility in order to process milk.

“We don’t have the equipment there to put milk into the bottle,” he said.

Williams pointed out that it has not been made official.

“It’s just an ongoing discussion right now,” he said, adding it’s probably not something that will happen within the next few months. “I think something like that could be beneficial to local producers if they had the Kentucky Proud product that a consumer would warm up to ... if they would reach for the Kentucky Proud product because they know they are helping Kentucky dairy farmers.”