(PITTSTOWN) – New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas H. Fisher and state and local officials celebrated National Dairy Month today with a visit to Spring Run Dairy in Hunterdon County, which features its own creamery which is now selling Jersey Fresh milk.

Spring Run Dairy is owned and operated by Dan Lyness. He farms 250 acres and started this operation eight years ago. He opened the on-farm creamery and bottling facility earlier this year, selling its Jersey Fresh Cream Line Whole Milk brand at the farm’s market on Saturdays and Sundays. The Cream Line brand is also becoming available at other on-farm markets.

“Spring Run’s new creamery and its early success is an encouraging sign for the dairy industry in New Jersey,” Secretary Fisher said. “This Jersey Fresh operation is a great example for National Dairy Month and the benefits that our dairy farmers provide for residents.”

Lyness, a 2011 graduate of Delaware Valley College, gradually increased the size of his herd and built a tie-stall barn in 2013. The farm is home to 50 milking cows, a mixed herd of Jerseys and Holsteins.

“It was always a dream of mine to find a career in agriculture and I feel very fortunate to have done that,” Lyness said. “With the opening of the creamery, we believe we have found a business model that will lead to a successful future in the dairy industry. We have had excellent sales so far and look forward to expanding our customer base as word continues to spread about our delicious and healthy product.”

New Jersey’s dairy farmers produced more than 120 million pounds of milk and added more than $22 million to the state’s economy, according to the most recent Census of Agriculture from the USDA.

In addition to milk, New Jersey dairy farms and processors provide consumers with creams, yogurts, butter, cheeses, and other dairy products and maintain scenic vistas and open space, which enhances the quality of life for all state residents. 

From calcium to potassium, dairy products like milk contain nine essential nutrients to help lead a healthier lifestyle. Whether it's protein to help build and repair the muscle tissue of active bodies or vitamin A to help maintain healthy skin, dairy products are a natural nutrient powerhouse.

National Dairy Month started as National Milk Month in 1937 as a way to promote drinking milk. It has developed into an annual tradition that celebrates the contributions dairy farmers have made to the world.

To learn more about dairy products and the benefits they can provide, go to www.americandairy.com.

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To learn more about the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/NJDeptofAgriculture and www.facebook.com/JerseyFreshOfficial or Twitter @NJDA and @JerseyFreshNJDA.