Niche Markets and Technology Help Tennessee Dairies
In partnership with: Tennessee Department of Agriculture
Tennessee is home to more than 170 unique and different dairy farms. From traditional cow operations to goat and sheep dairies, farmers are finding new, innovative ways to produce and market their milk to consumers.
Despite industry changes, family values associated with dairy farming remain prevalent. Whether producing milk for the dinner table or for a value-added product, dairy farmers are working every day to produce milk safely and efficiently.
Modernizing a Dairy Tradition
Benjie Daniel is a third-generation dairy farmer near Charlotte. He farmed alongside his father, Johnny, until he passed away in 2018. Today, Daniel works alongside his 16-year-old son, Wyatt, and seven employees to milk 200 cows and raise 1,500 acres of crops.
Daniel’s family instilled in him the innovative mindset he has today.
“Both my dad and papa were adopters of technology as it became available to them,” Daniel says.
As the herd grew in size and production, so did the facilities. Daniel’s grandfather, Lewis, began milking cows in 1954 in a flat barn. Today, Daniel milks in a double-six parabone parlor featuring electronic meters, identification and activity heat detection. Working with employees, Daniel says the automation gives him peace of mind.
See more: Tennessee Dairy Operations Sell Milk Directly to Consumers
“When you are not physically milking the cows yourself, it helps you keep track of what is going on,” he says.
Genetic advancements have also been critical to the success of Daniel’s herd.
“The goal is always to milk a better, healthier cow,” he says. “We are breeding to what we consider the best bulls to improve our herd.”
Generations of advancements have led to the success the dairy has today, so it comes as no surprise that Daniel has big goals for the future.
“With labor situations what they are across the country, finding reliable people for milking gets harder and harder all the time,” Daniel says. “My goal is to transition over to robotic milkers.”
Finding Her Niche
In East Tennessee, Barbara Gentry and her husband, Sam, are the third generation on their family’s meat goat farm near Maryville.
“We were married a year when we bought my first dairy goat, Miss Sally,” Barbara Gentry says. “I didn’t know what we were going to do with all the milk, so I began making soap, and later lotion.”
Gentry was working as a level one trauma nurse at the University of Tennessee when she got her start in farming.
“There were a lot of articles on goat’s milk lotion,” Gentry says. “As I was developing the lotions, the ER nurses tried them. After months of experimentation, my coworkers said they liked and would use my products.”
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Today, Gentry is milking six American Saanen goats and has turned her soap and lotion products into a profitable niche market.
“I applied for my first craft show and made $800. I thought I was rich,” Gentry says. “Over time, online sales started exploding on our Etsy shop, Gentry Family Farm.”
Sales of the farm’s products led to opening Gentry Mercantile, a 3,000-square-foot store located inside Foothills Mall in Maryville featuring crafts from 40 vendors, in October 2017.
Looking Back to Move Forward
No matter how their farms advanced, Daniel and Gentry both agree that their family ties to farming have remained constant.
“This is my husband’s heritage,” Gentry says. “We are a cohesive unit. I love the farm life and being on the farm.”
Daniel is honored to continue a family legacy in dairy farming.
“When my granddad started, he didn’t know for sure it would continue this long,” Daniel says. “I am proud of the decisions they made and what they did in order for us to move forward.”
Both families are motivated by the next generation, and Daniel remains optimistic about the future of dairy.
“I hope the industry continues on a path that gives us the ability to carry forward,” Daniel says.
See more: How Tennessee’s Dairy Industry Keeps the Focus on the Cow
