(Atlantic) The Dairy business has changed a lot over the decades, both in numbers and how the milk is marketed. June is Dairy Month, and I recently sat down with Kelly and Christy Cunningham, owner-operators of Milk Unlimited, a 3,500 cow operation located eight miles southwest of Atlantic.
The Cunningham’s milk cows three times a day in a parallel-style parlor. The milk they produce stays in the state and is trucked to Anderson-Erickson or the AMPI Cheese Plant. Their team of approximately 35 people milk 300 cows every hour and operate 24-hours per day.
Kelly Cunningham talks about how marketing has changed over the years.
Another major change is the number of dairy farms in the United States. Over the years, the number of operations has shrunk from 120,000 to just 40,000. Christy Cunningham says the Dairy Business is not just a way of life-it’s a business..
Milk Unlimited, founded in 1998; milks approximately 3,000 Holstein and Pro-Cross cows. This operation prioritizes good animal care practices and focuses on caring for the land by implementing cover crops and innovative manure management plans.
The dairy produces about 235,000 pounds of milk per day, or 10-gallons per cow per day. The Cows are housed in a comfortable environment a key component to the high productivity.
The dairy hosts tours on their farm. Kristy says the focus is educating students and the public about the dairy industry.
Kelly and Christy are active in various organizations in their community, and Kelly serves on the Midwest Dairy Board. The Cunningham’s recently received The Wergin Good Farm Neighbor award recognizing Iowa livestock farmers who take pride in caring for the environment, their livestock and being good neighbors. It is named in memory of Gary Wergin, a long-time WHO Radio farm broadcaster who helped create the award.
This dairy operation even has robots working on this farm.
