Originally, there was 10 of us that sat down at the table to hash it all out. We came up with the idea just through different conversations we had with each other about what opportunities we could see were out there. WHAT GAVE YOU AND OTHERS IN YOUR GROUP THE IDEA TO START PROCESSING YOUR OWN MILK? As opportunities come, we just take them on keep moving forward. In 2008 we started building High Desert Milk and in 2009 we started running it. I never ever thought we would get this big. I oversee 10,000 acres of farm ground, and we farm considerably more. Some of our cattle are milked twice a day and some of them three times a day.

All together totaling about 23,000 milking cows. Presently, we have crossbred calves in the Harris Fed Yard, dairy heifers in the Simplot Feed Yard out to Malta and we also run an Organic Dairy (Nature Ridge) out in Raft River. About that time, we also took over the heifer yard over near East Ridge. And then a couple years later we bought South Ridge over towards Golden Valley. Then a year or 2 later we bought East Ridge over towards Jackson. A couple years later we built a second barn and purchased the Butte Feedlot. In 1998 we started Moo Mountain Milk and built the first barn there. I had one hired milker, and I fed and did all the other work. I built my first dairy myself and milked about 250 cows. This week we will get to hear a few words of wisdom from Ray Robinson, as he shares some of his experiences of maximizing opportunities for growth as they come, and how he and some of his neighbors came to found High Desert Milk.Ī LITTLE ABOUT RAY AND HIS GROWTH AND EXPANSION OVER THE YEARS While marketing a consumable product is not feasible for everyone, it can be an opportunity for some. Recently, as input costs have skyrocketed, more and more producers are turning to marketing their own product to consumers.

Golden milk farm to table