Just before bedtime on December 24, millions of children everywhere are setting a glass full of milk and a plate of cookies out near the Christmas tree, with the hopes of sating the snack time desires of Santa Claus himself. No surprise that a man whose midsection is compared to a bowl full of jelly prefers milk and cookies. But the rooted team recently had an adventure that made us look at this ritual a bit differently. Like, where did that milk come from?
Why, the refrigerator of course!
No, before that even. Milk comes from cows. While driving into the wilds of Sunnyside, we were able to spend some time at the J & K Dairy, and wow, was it an experience. Having never visited and toured a dairy before, Shelley, Aileen and I were agreed in our overall reaction: totally impressed. From the babies being born daily, to the nutritional programs for each cow, to the milking schedules, a dairy is truly a monument of coordination and organization.
It’s interesting that people generally love lattes, but dislike dairies. Yes, it’s true that 6,500 cows have to and do poop regularly, but there is so much more going on. Walking through the soft new snow with Jason and Karen Sheehan—the owners of J & K, we first saw the babies. 
Averaging about 10 births a day, a few of the little ones we saw were mere hours out of the womb. While some dairies send the babies elsewhere to be taken care of before they are old enough to milk, J & K take care of theirs on site. It takes around 22 months of care before they will begin to produce.
Next we saw the milking area. While my intellectual mind knows that there will be no milkmaid seated on a short wooden stool, working the pink udders with rhythmic pulls as a pail fills with milk, there is something about “milking a cow” that evokes this image. To actually see the level of technology present is remarkable. It’s a very clean, open space. Each cow is milked three times a day.
The udders are individually washed before being connected to a milking device that keeps track of how much milk is being produced, and automatically releases once a specific volume is met. I have to say, the cows were pretty content, chewing their cud as the pressure of their full udders was eased.
It’s a family farm with true roots in the valley going back nearly 40 years with Karen’s parent’s arrival in the late 1970’s. With four children of their own, Jason and Karen have a whole new generation to pass along the baton to. Their operation is large, but there is a tremendous amount of pride that goes into each phase of care for the animals. We were humbled by the sheer scale and coordination of their operation and the fact that there is no off-season as other farmers experience it.
So as you go to your refrigerator for that milk carton on Santa’s behalf, or belly up to the coffee bar for a hot, frothy cappuccino, take a moment to think backwards as to how that milk came to be in your glass. It’ll put you on the nice list for sure.
Jason and Karen Sheehan, co-owners of J & K Dairy in Sunnyside, WA stand in front of their lighted implement for the town’s annual holiday parade.
Really enjoyed your article!
Thanks for giving praises to the unsung heroes; the farmers & the cows!
Very cool! Loved getting a little peek into the world of local family!
Got Milk,,,,,,