Moo-ve over

PALMER — A few short months ago, Mat-Su Valley dairy farmers were in dire straits. Matanuska Maid had shut down production and dairy farmers were dumping thousands of dollars’ worth of milk onto their fields.

But Matanuska Creamery’s first gallon-size jugs of fluid milk hit shelves yesterday at Anchorage-area Fred Meyer stores following months of uncertainty, putting the first batch of local milk back into the dairy case.

“This has been a very cooperative effort with what we’ve done at the creamery,” Matanuska Creamery Manager Kyle Beus said. “We did what probably should have taken 12 months in less than six.”

And now, the outlook has gone from dark to, well, golden.

Alaska Gold Nugget Cheddar, the product of four Alaska farmers’ milk after 60 days of aging, is scheduled for deliveries from the creamery in the first week of June to complement the milk already on sale.

The milk sent out by the Creamery to the seven Fred Meyer locations in the Valley, Eagle River and Anchorage saw a one-day turnaround from the cows to the cooler. Point MacKenzie farmer Wayne Brost said the creamery began picking up milk for fluid production and distribution four days prior to bottling.

“It will be the freshest milk you can buy,” Brost said.

Other store-brand milk sold in Alaska stores is often produced in Washington and in transit as long as a week, Beus said.

Beus said the demand for local farmers’ milk is outpacing the supply the Valley’s four dairy farmers can provide. The creamery has taken all the milk the farmers have ready and are trying to find more.

The company’s first crack at ice cream is scheduled for production in the coming weeks, and will be in sold in retailers’ freezers and at local ice cream shops.

Beus credited the farmers for their perseverance when there was no outlet for selling their milk.

“They have certainly had to be extremely frugal with their expenses,” Beus said. “It’s pretty hard to produce milk for four months with no income.”

Brost said the revenue from store sales of the fluid milk will be a welcome sight in two weeks’ time.

“We’re feeding the animals, but we’re not getting a full return [on the money], and the input costs keep going up,” Brost said.

As of yesterday, both Wasilla and Palmer Fred Meyer locations said they have whole, 2-percent, 1-percent and fat-free varieties of milk available for 4.99 per gallon. Currently no other retail stores will carry the creamery’s milk.

Aside from no added hormones and the clean Alaska environment in which the milk is produced, Brost said it’s vital to support the local economy so dairy farmers can invest money back into area businesses and avoid importing outside products.

“If we get into situations with food like we are with oil, then we’ll really be in a bad way,” Brost said.

Contact Derek Casanovas at derek.casanovas@frontiers-man.com or 352-2284.