Dairy cows on an Illinois farm. (Illinois Farm Bureau file

With longer days and hotter nights, there’s nothing quite like a refreshing bowl of ice cream after a hard day of work. Many summertime favorites use the same quality milk products supplied by local Illinois farms, and in celebration of National Dairy Month, Illinois Farm Bureau sat down with dairy farmer Tony Graves, owner and operator of Clover Farms in Dundas.

Graves grew up on his family dairy, which has roots dating back to 1917. Today, he milks close to 1,200 cows on the farm and ships milk to Prairie Farms Dairy. In 2007, Graves joined the Prairie Farms Board to advocate for the betterment of the dairy industry. He also serves as treasurer on the Illinois Milk Producers Association Board of Directors.

What is the best part of working in the dairy industry?

TG: The best part about working in the dairy industry is that you get to meet a lot of good people, especially when you get to meet other dairy farmers because they understand the hard work that you’re putting in. The processors, the people who promote our product, they too realize that we put a lot of hours into what we do. In turn, they do their best to sell more product to get into consumers’ hands so they can enjoy a good, quality product that everybody is happy with. It’s just rewarding. With the hard work that goes into it, it makes you feel good.

What do you want consumers to know about the dairy industry?

TG: I want consumers to know that we take animal welfare seriously. We are always doing our best to keep our cows happy and healthy. Many people are concerned about antibiotics in milk, but we want them to know that can never happen. Milk is always tested — it’s tested when it leaves the farm, it’s tested when it leaves the creamery — it’s a healthy product and we always do our best to keep it that way. That’s our goal.

Tony Graves, who owns and operates Clover Farms dairy in Dundas.

What did this spring look like on your farm?

TG: We had a very wet spring, which was a challenge and put us behind on planting. During that time, we focused on hauling manure because we weren’t sure when we would be able to get into the field. We concentrated on applying the fertilizer, insecticide, and fungicide on wheat to ensure a good harvest in June.

What are some of the biggest issues facing the dairy industry right now?

TG: During the pandemic, it became known that our milk pricing had some holes in it. We had very large producer price differentials, and moving forward, we’re trying to establish a fair and equitable pricing system for everyone involved in production. To do that, we’re going to need consensus around the country. That’s always a challenge because people have different needs depending on where they live. I really think if we work on it, we can make that happen.

What’s your favorite dairy product?

TG: I guess my favorite dairy product — well the most refreshing — would be ice cream. I like vanilla bean; that’s my favorite.

This story was distributed through a cooperative project between Illinois Farm Bureau and the Illinois Press Association. For more food and farming news, visit FarmWeekNow.com.