About our farm

We started in 1990 as a 2,500 cow dairy, and we’ve grown over the last 30 years to more than 12,000 cows with three different milking locations. We are the largest permitted dairy in the state of Florida.

My father retired in the beginning of 2016, and now I’m at the helm as CEO. We have a strong management team that works really well together.

What’s most gratifying about being a dairy farmer?

I love teamwork. On a dairy farm, there are so many opportunities to see where teamwork really works. You get a sense of accomplishment every day – you know you produced this many gallons of milk or fed this many cows – there’s a very visual sense of accomplishment.

What is most challenging?

Labor is one of our biggest challenges, the workforce is changing, and we have to adjust. What works for motivating some, doesn’t work for others, etc.

What is something you wish people knew/understood about dairy farmers/farming?

I don’t think people recognize how much blood, sweat, and sometimes tears go into a gallon of milk. For only $3, people don’t realize what it took to get the milk from the cow to the grocery.

I also wish people understood that dairy farmers are environmentalists at heart and we plan on working this land for generations to come – it’s our livelihood. Farmers were the first environmentalists and will always continue to be.

At Alliance, we have an anaerobic manure digester, which creates biogas from manure that’s run through a gen-set to generate electricity – that allows us to use less electricity because we’re creating our own on the farm. The manure then continues through our lagoon system where the solids are removed and used as bedding or sold as a soil amendment and the liquid is applied to our crops through center irrigation pivots in place of commercial fertilizer.  The crops are harvested and fed back to the cows.

How can people best advocate for dairy farmers?

Drink more milk! Milk is nature’s most perfect food. The health benefits and nutrient values are underestimated. For people trying to get away from chemicals and processed foods, there’s nothing more real than milk.

How can people find your farm/your products?

Our milk goes to TG Lee Dairy milk processing plant located in Orlando.  Milk processing plants located in the state of Florida have a plant code of “12”.  We want Floridians drinking milk produced in Florida, so look for the bottles with a “12” stamped on them.