World Dairy Expo dairy products auction raises scholarship funds

Top O’ The Morn Farms, Tulare, Calif., received the first place award for its reduced-fat white milk.

Top O’ The Morn Farms, Tulare, Calif., received the first place award for its reduced-fat white milk in the Open Class Pasteurized Milk category at the World Dairy Expo Championship Dairy Product Contest in Madison, Wis.

The bottled milk home delivery company's reduced-fat chocolate milk took third place in the Low-fat Chocolate Milk category.

All of the first-place entries from the contest will be auctioned off on Tuesday, Oct. 1 during the World Dairy Expo at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison. In addition to milk, other categories included cheese, ice cream, yogurt and butter.

Proceeds from the auction fund four scholarships for college students pursuing dairy industry careers. A reception from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. includes complimentary food (including a cheese fondue) and beer.

The World Dairy Expo Dairy Product Championship Contest received a record-number 820 entries for cheese, butter, fluid milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, ice cream, sour cream, sherbet, cultured milk, sour cream dips, whipping cream, dried whey and creative/innovative products from dairy processors throughout North America. The contest is organized by the Wisconsin Dairy Products Association, Madison.

Judging was held Aug. 13 to 14 at the Madison Area Technical College Culinary School and Aug. 15 at University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Babcock Hall.

Ron and Evie Locke started Top O’ The Morn Farms in October 2012 as a glass-bottle home delivery milk business in the heart of California’s dairy country. It delivers fresh milk and other dairy products in six cities.

“Our family has always taken pride in the milk our cows produce and the way we treat our animals. Now that we are processing and marketing our own milk it is an honor to receive this recognition. To do so against products from throughout North America makes us especially proud,” said Ron Locke, CEO of Top O’ The Morn Farms.

Top O’ The Morn Farms bottles milk in half-gallon and quart glass bottles. Its milk line includes white (2%, skim and whole), 2% chocolate, 2% strawberry, 2% root beer, half-and-half, heavy cream and seasonal eggnog.