Today is National Milk Day

Special salute to all hard working dairy farm families today, National Milk Day! January 11th was chosen as National Milk day because it was thought to be the first day in 1878 when Alexander Campbell of the New York Dairy made the first milk delivery in a glass bottle. It was in 1915 that the International Association of Milk Inspectors submitted a request to Congress to name an observance of National Milk Day.

Since milk was first delivered in glass bottles, we have seen a lot of change in the Dairy Industry. Consumers today pick up their milk at the grocery or convenience store instead of having it delivered to their homes. Fast food restraurants and many schools serve milk in resealable single serving containers rather than the plastic coated paper milk cartons that were hard to open. Victor W. Farris invented those in1932. It's hard to believe we still see some of those cartons even today

There is one thing that has not changed over the decades. Dairy farms in the United States are still family owned. In fact according to the United States Department of Agriculture 98 percent of all Dairy Farms are still family owned. Sure, they are larger and take care of more cows, but they are still owned and controlled by families!

So, while you are watching the Minnesota Vikings today snacking on cheese, dipping your chips in sour cream, drinking chocolate milk or eating milk chocolate, think of the Dairy Farm Families that made that possible!