More on Regional Dairies

Earlier today I commented that dairy products are probably a good bet for being relatively local, even when not specifically labeled as such. Afterward, I sent a query to Kemps -- one of the leading milk and ice cream distributors in local supermarkets -- about the source of their dairy products. Customer service rep Julie King replied:

We are a regional dairy with various milk plants in the region (Minneapolis, Rochester, Duluth, Cedarburg, WI). Raw milk is supplied by farmers closest to the respective plants.

I also did a little research on another popular brand of milk: Nature's Touch, sold in plastic bags at Kwik Trip stores and certainly the least expensive way to buy milk that I'm aware of. Assuming things haven't changed too much in the three years since this article in the La Crosse Tribune was published, Kwik Trip's dairy in La Crosse, Wis., processes milk from several hundred dairy producers in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa.

Because my household doesn't consume huge quantities of milk, I've recently come to the conclusion that I'd be willing to pay more for organic milk. What's in my fridge right now is Cedar Summit Farm organic, non-homogenized milk from grass fed cows. The dairy's tag line is, "Experience the way milk should taste," and I have to say, boy does that milk taste good! It seems to have a spectrum of flavor that is broader and more wonderful than I ever remember associating with milk before. Cedar Summit milk used, I believe, to be available only in returnable heavy glass bottles, but it is now also available in cartons. Cedar Summit Farm is just down the road in New Prague.