When Tom and Sally Waitt first started their dairy herd in Sheridan, Indiana nearly 30 years ago there were 13 dairy farms in the county.  Today, the Waitt's farm is one of two that remains.  And Tom hopes that one of his four kids will be able to continue farming there for generations to come.  But in order for that to happen, he and his wife realized they would have to change courses and get off the path that 11 other farms in the county had already followed to their end.  The Waitts' dandy new idea is to sell their milk directly to you and me, aptly labeled "Dandy Breeze Creamery."

When you buy an ordinary gallon of milk today at the grocery store, the product you're getting didn't come from any one farm.  Milk brands pay bottom dollar for milk from farms, often through middlemen like brokers, or even cooperatives.  Milk is bought by the pound, with little or no consideration given to factors such as the animal's breed, diet, or care.

For the Waitts, raising a special breed of cattle on grass pastures, that whole paradigm doesn't reward the kind of care that the family takes to produce quality milk.

On Tom and Sally's farm in Sheridan, you won't find those black-and-white spotted Holstein cows that are synonymous with milk production today.  Holsteins produce the most milk of any breed, which is great when you get paid by the pound, but the milk is more watery, with less nutrition in each drop.

The Waitts raise Jersey cows, instead.  The Jersey breed has long been favored for its ability to produce rich, creamy milk.  And, they do it on a forage diet—grass and hay—requiring little grain for energy.  The Waitts knew they were producing a better milk, but they didn't always get a better price.

By creating Dandy Breeze Creamery, a state-of-the-art milk bottling facility right there on the farm just yards away from where the cattle graze, Tom and Sally can sell their milk for what it is: a superior quality milk from farming practices that you can trust.  But even after successfully navigating the maze of regulations that keep many small farms from ever doing what the Waitts have done, their next challengewas getting those fresh bottles of milk into the hands of people like you and me.  Those big milk factories not only control the supply of milk in this country, they also dominate the grocery shelves.

That's where Market Wagon comes in.  Our mission and the Waitts' mission align: "Market Wagon's mission is to enable local food producers to thrive in their local and regional markets."

Within hours of our first conversation with Tom, his product was available for purchase at MarketWagon.com.  That next week, we delivered crates full of bottles to waiting customers.  And that's just the beginning.  We're excited to be delivering the freshest, most nutritious and delicious milk around.  Try some today: https://michiana.marketwagon.com/products/fresh-whole-milk-half-gallon