Exploring Local - Ideal Dairy and Argyle Cheese Farmer
June Dairy Month Celebration
One of our favorite parts of being a local retailer is the opportunity to partner with local producers and farmers. We love to learn more about them and showcase their operations as part of our commitment to education and transparency. June is Dairy Month, and we have the good fortune to be located near many dairy farms and milk processors. Their commitment to animal welfare, state-of-the-art food safety, and the creation of high quality, delicious dairy products support the health of our local food economy and critical food access for our communities. They also ensure those products are available in our stores for you and your family.
Our Market 32 team was invited to visit Ideal Dairy Farm and Argyle Cheese Farmer in Argyle NY, a unique partnership located in scenic Washington County. Jon and Ari, from our Marketing and Design teams, along with Registered Dietitian Ellie Wilson, made their way to the farm and cheese store that is building on generations of family farming and cheese production through partnership, precision science, and persistent pursuit of the highest quality.
Our day started with a tour of the farm – around the barns built for maximum comfort and protection for the 4,000 cows and calves they manage with multigenerational family members and trusted employees. These cows are outfitted with trackers that ensure the cows are living well – eating, moving and resting well, which ensures their health and maximized milk production and quality. They are milked in a large facility that ensures sanitation and comfort is always prioritized. The farm grows some of their food, using modern low tillage practices for crops that complement the feed prescribed by a cow nutrition specialist vet.
Dairy farmers apply science across their operations, and Ideal Dairy has set the bar quite high. Their cows produce milk that contains a specific protein type, termed A2 proteins, which enhance milk digestibility for many people. Most cows produce milk with both A1 and A2 proteins, which is well-liked and enjoyed by children and adults around the world. The discovery that A2 milk may be part of ensuring those that detected some challenges digesting milk could enjoy it without digestive issues is very recent, and research is ongoing.
From the farm we made our way to the Argyle Cheese Farmer store and production facility. This modern operation is based in a former small grocery store, where fourth generation cheesemaker Dave and his wife Margie use the 1,000-gallon vat pasteurizer to set up production of their own cheese varieties, such as the specialty cheeses sold in our stores.
They also produce cheese curd snacks that are part of local school nutrition programs, and whole milk Greek yogurt that supplies local food security organizations. These products, along with milk, flavored milks, yogurt, buttermilk and ricotta cheese, are all New York State Grown and Certified, an independent quality certification that shows their commitment to quality and value. Local farming producing foods that are part of multiple supply chains ensure community connections and food system resilience. Bonus – they have an education area set up to showcase the collaboration history, science, a window into the small plant, and a video station to show those processes to interested groups.
Reflecting after our visit, Ari and Jon shared some of their thoughts about the day. Neither had been to a large dairy farm or production facility before. For Jon, “farming” was a nebulous concept – he was intrigued with how much science went into caring for the cows, and how that directly impacted quality of their life, and the products made from milk. Ari has a little more family history with cows and horses, but found the whole experience of the day made him realize how highly educated farmers and their teams must be to ensure the cows and farm operations are always well-maintained. He also noted the connection between quality support and culinary applications for the farm products.
