Michaela Sanders is no stranger to the seven-day-a-week regimen it takes to own and operate Blue Ribbon Dairy Farm in Tallassee. As a fourth generation farmer, she grew up with a love for the land and the business that has been her family’s lifeblood for years.
“I don’t even see it as working. I always had a passion for the dairy industry and knew what it entailed. Farming is a lifestyle,” said Sanders, who graduated from Auburn University with a bachelor’s degree in animal sciences.
Sanders kicks off her days at 4:30 a.m. by milking her 19 cows to provide the freshest milk possible to her customers. The process takes about an hour and a half, and she repeats the routine at 4:30 p.m.
Produced, pasteurized and bottled on site, the milk travels from cow to container within 24 hours, which leads to superior quality and a delayed expiration date due to its freshness at the time of filling the jugs.
Since the product is bottled fresh, it lasts up to three weeks, which is longer than average store-bought milk, Sanders said. Also, the whole milk is not homogenized, meaning it is a cream line product and easier to digest.
Her grandfather, C.D. Lott, operated the farm until 2005 where it sat full of potential until Sanders returned to her roots. While the family business continued to produce custom cut hay during this time, Sanders wanted to do more to grow the business.
“After college, I worked with a milk promotion company and found out how detached the public is from farming. I wanted people to know where their milk comes from and be able to provide that resource,” said Sanders.
After the planning process began in August 2016, Sanders got the ball rolling quickly and opened the doors to Blue Ribbon Dairy Farm on Black Friday November 2017.
The barn housing the cattle was built in 1946 by her great-grandfather and is an impressive landmark rich in history. While her grandmother still lives on the farm, Sanders’ commute is less than five minutes down the road.
On average, one cow produces 8 gallons of milk per day, so her operation yields a minimum of 150 gallons at a time. Sanders said there is more milk production in the winter months, but care and comfort of her animals is her top priority, which ensures they make enough milk year round.
“Each cow eats about 30 pounds of grain per day and about 70 pounds of food total,” Sanders explained.
She also allows the public to bottle feed new calves and tour the farm.
Through artificial insemination, replacement calves are born from the current heifers and begin producing milk around age 2. Sanders sells any bull calves that are born, since only the females produce milk.
Pasteurization takes about six hours where the milk must be heated to 145 degrees for 30 minutes and then cooled to 45 degrees before it can be bottled. Sanders has all the necessary equipment on site for a fully operational dairy farm.
She even purchases her empty jugs and trademark labels from local Alabama companies.
The store on site carries gallons of milk for $5, but half-gallons and pints also are available. Other products from local farmers – such as eggs, jams, jellies and honey – could also be found in her modest building. Seasonally, she sells produce grown from her acre-wide garden, as well.
The store is open Monday through Friday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
While she does have some help in the store and a few other hands around the farm, Sanders completes the bulk of the work on her own.
“No two days are ever alike. After milking in the morning, I’m either pasteurizing, bottling or delivering jugs to grocery stores who now carry my product,” said Sanders.
With about nine stores on her distribution list, Sanders said she typically drops off about 100 gallons at a time to each one weekly and often makes a second trip during the week. This keeps the commodity moving quickly.
“I have no excess – there never has been,” she added.
Blue Ribbon Dairy Farm milk can be purchased at Tallassee Super Foods; the Piggly Wigglys in Eclectic, Slapout and Pine Level; Millbrook Food Outlet; Kim’s Korner Mart in Titus; Oakview Farms in Wetumpka; Shana’s Place in Shorter; Hornsby Farms in Auburn; and George’s Farmers Market in LaFayette.
“The community has been really supportive of this, and I have been so very blessed to have that,” Sanders said.
