Happy Cows Make Udderly Delicious Cheese

Happy Cows live in Midway too.

In fact, the Kohler Family, owners of Heber Valley Milk and Heber Valley Artisan Cheese, claims their grass-fed dairy cows are among some of the happiest and most comfortable animals in the industry.

For the past year, the family has invested a significant amount of time and energy to complete a fully robotic milk barn for their dairy farm. The purpose of this updated barn is elevated cow comfort, because happy cows make udderly delicious cheese and delicious cheese makes satisfied customers.

The biggest change the new facility brings is a 24/7 robotic milking system. So now, the happy Holstein ladies do not have to rely on the dairy farmers’ schedule for each milking, instead she’s milked by choice, whenever she feels the need and as often as five times per day.
In addition, the new cow lounge adjacent to the milk system is furnished with cushy rubber mats and back scratchers—so after a long day of grazing in the pastures the gals can put their hooves up and relax. Even better, the new barn also provides a 24/7 cleaning service to maintain a healthy environment that is airy and dry.

“It’s not just a milk barn, it’s a cow palace,” jokes Caralee Kohler, Chief Financial Officer for Heber Valley Milk & Artisan Cheese.

Beyond cow comfort, the innovative technology also helps track cow health. Each cow wears a new collar with tracking technology similar to a FitBit. This essentially helps the family farm to be proactive in their herd’s health.

“This new system just makes sense to us. A comfortable cow gives us better quality milk—the best type for great cheese,” commented Russel Kohler, farmer and cheesemaker for Heber Valley Artisan Cheese.

In the coming year the Kohler family plans to extend their public tours to include the dairy farm. Details as well as other special events will be listed at: hebervalleycheese.com