Idaho’s newest dairy processing plant kicked into gear in July when the High Desert Milk plant at Burley came online a year after starting construction.
The powdered milk plant can handle 2 million pounds of milk a day, says CEO Karl Nelson. That translates to 180,000 lb. of powder. About half of the plant’s milk will be rBST-free.
“This is an amazing plant that’s well-engineered and well-designed,” Nelson says. “It will help take care of the processing shortage here, and that will help all Idaho dairymen.”
High Desert Milk was formed as a cooperative in 2001 by six dairies looking to increase their returns and create a stable market for their milk.
The six owners milk 26,000 cows in a 20-mile radius of the new plant. They farm 30,000 acres and market 1.8 million pounds of milk per day.
The plant will produce low-heat, medium-heat and high-heat nonfat dry milk as well as whole milk powder. About 20% of the plant’s output will head to international markets, Nelson says.
For more information, visit www.highdesertmilk.com.
