Chaney’s Dairy Barn tackles milk demand amid predicted winter weather

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Every winter storm brings a sudden rush on grocery stores, so if you haven’t yet purchased enough milk, bread and eggs to last until the roads have cleared, it might be too late.

Milk is especially important since it is a basic ingredient for many recipes, as well as supplying vitamins and much-needed protein for energy to shovel all of that snow.

News 40 checked in with Chaney’s Dairy Barn that supplies Houchens and Kroger, and even they are low on the product.

Carl Chaney, co-owner of Chaney’s Dairy Barn, says, “We’ve probably already sold triple the amount of milk that we usually sell in a week here up at the dairy barn. Now, we brought up some more milk this morning, but unfortunately, that is all, cleaned out the cooler this morning. After Houchens got what they came to get, I cleaned out the cooler. And now what’s left on the shelf is what there is.”

Chaney’s cows produce around 3,600 pounds of milk daily, but it must be pasteurized and homogenized before it can be sold.

The next batch will be ready on Monday.

Chaney says that the drop in temperature and especially cold winds can be hard on the cows, so this weather could produce a temporary drop in milk production by 10% to 15%.