ERDA, Utah — A small-town dairy farm in Erda is struggling to stay on its feet as the owner says this winter was too long and hay prices are barely attainable.
“My wife and I have had two vacations in the last ten years,” said dairy farmer David McCleskey.
For almost a decade, Ivy Oaks Jersey Farm has provided raw milk, butter, and cheese to the over 500 families in the co-op.
“Milk that’s like the days gone by, you know? The milkman is there to give you your milk in glass jars,” said years-long customer Kayla Tucker.
McCleskey announced this week that the farm might not survive the month. He said the winter was too long and they lost some animals.
“One of them was born in a snowdrift. [I] never even knew she was born til Mama started crying," he said. "We went out and looked and there she was, frozen."
The cost of hay is a whole other hurdle. McCleskey said prices have jumped 300%. He had to sell half the herd last year to keep up with costs.
“We’ve had to sell to make ends meet and it’s just not working,” he said.
His long list of customers is trying to support him through a GoFundMe fundraiser.
“There’s nowhere else to get milk like he has. It’s the A2 milk that is better for people who are lactose intolerant,” said Tucker, whose been purchasing milk from the farm for the past eight years.
Within the first day, an anonymous donation raised the GoFundMe to a level where Ivy Oaks could at least make it through May. Still, McCleskey is planning ahead for more financial strain.
“In the end, I’m no longer able to do my dream,” he said. “This has always been my dream.”
