COUNTY - Kirkman Farms (formerly Ultimilk Dairy Company), a 140-acre dairy operation located east of Kirkman, began milking in the facility March 8, 2007, and produces daily between 40,000 - 45,000 gallons of milk/day.
      Kirkman Farms purchased Ultimilk Dairy Company earlier this year and began milking dairy cows under the new name March 1, 2009.
The facility houses 6,000 head of cattle, which are each milked three times per day. In Iowa, a dairy is allowed 6,100 head, according to Dr. Matt VanBaale, general manager, Kirkman Farms.
"We have two carousels which can each hold 72 cows for milking," he said. "About every seven seconds another cow steps onto the carousel in the parlor to be milked." According to VanBaale, a typical dairy cow will eat around 45 pounds of dry matter each day and for every five pounds of food a dairy cow consumes, one gallon of milk is produced.

Milk going to Des Moines
Through state-of-the-art computer technology, RFID tags on individual cows keep track of how much milk each is producing.
"The milk is put directly into a RUAN truck and then hauled to Anderson Erickson in Des Moines," said VanBaale. "The reason AE wants our milk is because it is displacing milk coming from outside of Iowa, as far away as Idaho. They would prefer to buy milk locally, from Iowa.
      "Des Moines has the highest fluid milk consumption per capita in the United States. I think that is because of Anderson Erickson, and also Iowans living relatively healthy lifestyles."
photo by Alan Mores & ALB Aerials Photography - 11/24/08