St. Louis Mo. – Frank Doll is similar in many ways to the members of the Hampton Midtown Kiwanis Club that he spoke with on December 21 – they work hard and take pride in providing a quality product to their customers. But unlike the typical local business, Doll’s most important asset is cows. Doll and his family are dairy farmers. The most important measure of success at the end of the day is knowing that their actions help create a more sustainable environment while providing people in the community with wholesome dairy foods.
The Doll family owns and operates Doll’s Dairy Inc., outside of Pocohantas, Ill. Doll has been a dairy farmer for 30 years and his farm has been in his family for 75 years. Every day, twice a day, 150 cows are milked. Corn, soybeans, wheat and alfalfa are also grown on the farm. “We love what we do,” said Doll. “Dairy farmers across the Midwest differ in the number of cows they milk and some of the particular ways they farm, but we all share a passion for what we do. It is our responsibility to take care of the natural resources and animals on our farm and we take that responsibility with a great deal of pride and commitment.”
The family lives and works on the farm and that is a strong incentive to protecting the land, water and air. In addition, cow comfort and health is carefully monitored every single day. Doll works with an expert dairy nutritionist to formulate the best diets for the cows and veterinarians come to the farm regularly to check on the animals’ health. Advancements in technology, animal husbandry and milk quality methods are put to use. “What we do on our farm is the starting point for safe and nutritious dairy foods in the supermarket,” says Doll. Because of this commitment at the dairy farm, people can count on wholesome dairy foods produced while sustaining the environment, Doll said.
To learn more about the people behind the product — dairy farmers and the milk they produce, visit www.midwestdairy.com or www.dairyfarmingtoday.org.
Midwest Dairy Association is a non-profit organization that provides consumers with information about the nutrition and wholesomeness of dairy foods, and conducts research and promotional programs. Programs are financed and directed by more than 11,000 dairy producers in nine states – Arkansas, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, South Dakota and eastern Oklahoma.
Source: Midwest Dairy Association