Vale Wood Farms Dairy Store associate Sophie Westrick stocks the cooler with chocolate milk at the Loretto location. Mirror photo by Patrick Waksmunski

With June Dairy Month underway, Pennsylvania continues to rank among the top milk producing states in the United States.

Andrew Ritchey, president of Ritchey’s Dairy, Martinsburg, said having a month to celebrate dairy is special.

“It’s a time to really promote the nutritious benefits of milk and dairy products, and to recognize the farmers, processors and everyone else involved in the agriculture industry that help bring the products from farm to your dinner table,” Ritchey said.

“National Dairy Month is an opportunity to celebrate the hard working dairy farmers and families that are behind milk and dairy products making it to your grocery store shelves every day. It is also a great time of year to help educate consumers about the numerous nutritional benefits associated with consuming dairy products,” said Carissa Itle Westrick, director of business development at Vale Wood Farms, Loretto.

According to the state Department of Agriculture, Pennsylvania is ranked eighth in total milk production nationally, with 468,000 cows producing nearly 10 billion pounds of milk annually. The state’s annual milk production is 21,259 pounds — or about 2,501 gallons — per cow.

Pennsylvania also ranks sixth in number of dairy cows, second in butter, third in ice cream, third in Swiss cheese and fourth in sour cream.

Pennsylvania has 4,940 dairies and Pennsylvania’s dairy industry supports more than 47,000 jobs and $11.8 billion in economic revenue statewide.

According to the International Dairy Foods Association, National Dairy Month started out as National Milk Month in 1937 as a way to promote drinking milk. It was initially created to stabilize the dairy demand when production was at a surplus, but has now developed into an annual tradition that celebrates the contributions the dairy industry has made to the world.

After the National Dairy Council stepped in to promote the cause, the name soon changed to “Dairy Month.”

Every month is dairy month at Vale Wood Farms, which has been serving customers since 1933.

“We kick off dairy month with our annual ‘Summertime Jubilee’ on June 1 — our customer appreciation celebration that features family fun on our farm. Later in the month, we’ll again host the public for a ‘Pasture Party’ on June 27. Our farm store is open daily, and we are once again a stop on this year’s ‘Ice Cream Trail’ that features creameries throughout the state,” Westrick said.

Ritchey’s Dairy, which has been serving customers since 1940, will have its annual Oldies Night when it offers ice cream specials and live music on June 7.

“We are also celebrating our 85th year this summer in August, so we have a weekend full of specials and music planned then as well,” Ritchey said.

In celebration of June Dairy Month, Pennsylvania dairy farmers are focused this year on programs that help families in their communities, said Janene Geiss, spokeswoman for American Dairy Association North East.

Every year, in honor of June Dairy Month, American Dairy Association North East and Pennsylvania Dairy Farmers work with grocery retailers to raise money for the Fill A Glass with Hope charitable milk distribution program.

This program, which is celebrating its milestone 10th anniversary, works with Feeding Pennsylvania to supply fresh dairy products to its nine partner food banks across all 67 counties of Pennsylvania.

Weis Markets is a vital partner in these efforts as, throughout June Dairy Month, the grocery chain promotes Fill A Glass with Hope in all of their stores, asking customers to donate at the register to help neighbors in need, Geiss said.

Thanks to their retail campaigns and corporate donations, Weis has raised over $700,000 for Fill A Glass with Hope, giving hope and fresh milk to families across the Commonwealth. Since 2015, Fill A Glass with Hope has supplied more than 47 million servings of milk to fight food insecurity across the northeast region.

“We’re proud to partner with the PA Dairymen’s Association, American Dairy Association North East, Pennsylvania Dairy Farmers and Feeding Pennsylvania to fight food insecurity in the communities we serve. We’ve worked with them for more than a decade and know them to be great partners in helping families in need,” said Dennis Curtin, Weis spokesman.

New this year, American Dairy Association North East is presenting an important campaign to promote maternal health with a focus on nutrition for moms-to-be and their babies. Registered dieticians will be amplifying critical nutritional messages about how milk and other dairy foods are accessible and provide important nutrients during these phases of life.

“Research shows that dairy delivers key nutrients vital for fetal development, like calcium and Vitamin D for bone health, and protein for muscle growth. Milk and dairy products also are a good source of iodine and choline, which is essential for early brain development,” Geiss said.

Registered dieticians in Pennsylvania will be leading efforts throughout the month of June, talking about nutrition for moms and babies on local television programs, blogs and on social media platforms as we work toward improving maternal- and infant-health outcomes, Geiss said.

The Center for Dairy Excellence is offering free “Choose PA Dairy” themed magnet sheets, posters and rack cards for people to display on their farm, at their farm store or share with their community.

“It’s really designed for dairy farmers to share their story with their community,” said spokeswoman Emily Barge.