Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association (MDVA) honored White Rock Farms of Peachland, North Carolina as its District 3 Producer of the Year during the co-op’s recent District Meeting in Statesville, North Carolina. The District Producer of the Year award recognizes a cooperative member for outstanding farm management, animal care, and environmental stewardship in each district.
“The leadership team at White Rock Farms has created an environment that promotes teamwork, environmental stewardship, and animal care,” said MDVA Executive Vice President for Sustainability and External Relations Lindsay Reames. “We commend White Rock Farms for their success in providing a high-quality milk that nourishes their neighbors in North Carolina and beyond.”
The family-owned farm is owned by Roddy Purser and managed by Drew and Dakota Gibson. White Rock is home to 700 milking cows and the team farms around 1,200 acres of crops and is preparing to celebrate its tenth anniversary of operation.
The farm undertook a large step towards reducing their dependence on fossil fuels in 2022. White Rock worked alongside its local electric cooperative to obtain a grant to replace their irrigation system’s diesel motor with a single-phase electric one as the farm does not have access to three-phase electricity. The farm’s large free stall barn is kept cool in the summer by dozens of large fans. Sand bedding helps to keep cows comfortable year-round. The sand is reclaimed for reuse furthering the farm’s sustainability goals.
When it’s all put together, White Rock Farms functions as one unit with high-quality dairy in mind.
“It’s a team effort,” Drew Gibson said. “From entry level positions to upper management and even ownership, we all work together for a common goal. At the end of the day, it’s what’s best for the land and what’s best for the cows. “
About the District Producer of the Year Awards
Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative presents the District Producer of the Year award to a member farm in each of its three regional districts. Started in 2019, the District Producer of the Year Award is presented to members who not only achieve high quality milk, but who go above and beyond to demonstrate outstanding overall farm management, animal care, environmental stewardship, and community engagement. All three farms will be considered for the cooperative’s top honor, Producer of the Year, at the cooperative’s annual meeting in March 2023.
About Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative
Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative is a community of more than 900 dairy farm families in 11 states passionate about cultivating dairy goodness and bottling fresh Maola brand milk and dairy products. Our farmer-owned cooperative owns five dairy processing plants that process more than three billion pounds of milk annually. Our diverse portfolio of dairy products are then distributed to consumers in the United States and ingredients customers worldwide. Our cooperative is a leader in sustainability, partnering across the supply chain to deliver sustainable solutions to our member farms. We take pride in supporting the educational and nutritional needs of the communities in our milkshed through our MDVA Fund. For more information about Maryland & Virginia, visit www.mdvamilk.com.
Contact: Amanda Culp
