MTSU students and staff observe the bottling of chocolate milk in the processing plant.
(MTSU photo by J. Intintoli)
MTSU has announced the resumption of the bottling process for white and chocolate milk from the School of Agribusiness and Agriscience dairy and milk processing plant.
A debut ceremony for the MTSU Creamery was held in the Liz and Creighton Rhea Atrium of the Science Building in June.
MTSU’s student-run dairy at the farm in Lascassas, Tenn., and dairy processing unit in the Stark Ag Center on campus will be bottling and selling milk at various Provisions on Demand (PODs) and Dwight’s Mini Mart on campus, as well as various locations off campus, in the near future, said Matthew Wade, Experiential Learning and Research Center director.
Students gain tremendous hands-on experience running these operations, thus gaining an edge in the job market, according to School of Agribusiness and Agriscience officials.
MTSU Department of Agribusiness and Agriscience Director Jessica Carter said the venture “marks the beginning of a new era with the re-branding of the MTSU Milk Plant as the MTSU Creamery.
“We have aligned our school to become the leader in this state in not only providing our award-winning milk to our campus and community, but in providing workforce-ready graduates for our industry partners,” she added.
MTSU President Sidney A. McPhee called the MTSU chocolate milk “simply the very best chocolate milk ever made. Period.”
McPhee said MTSU has become a national leader in helping students reach their goals through “exceptional teaching . . . and life-changing opportunities in our classrooms, at our laboratories and through enterprises like the MTSU Creamery.”
Matthew Wade, left, director of the MTSU Farm Laboratories, and Steve Dixon, new MTSU milk processing manager, delivering milk to campus locations. (MTSU photo by Andy Heidt)
Tom Womack, deputy commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, said the MTSU dairy move further solidifies the university’s footprint as a state and regional leader.
“MTSU’s dairy program also has been responsible for working with many dairy producers and processors in the region to advance the industry through education and economic opportunities,” said Womack. “The addition of this new creamery will no doubt extend the program’s reach and impact to the university and the greater community it serves.”
Featured in a new university video about the entire milk process—from the feeding and milking of cows, the processing plant procedures and delivery—junior Jessica Schriver has become the face of the School of Agribusiness and Agriscience’s latest endeavor: a creamery.
In addition to meeting MTSU’s demands for bottled milk, Wade said he envisions pint, half-gallon and gallon-size plastic bottles on the shelves in smaller local stores.
Milk has been delivered in 5-gallon bags for campus dining dispensers, Hattie Jane’s Creamery on the square in Murfreesboro for ice cream and Two Fat Men Catering Company in Lebanon, Tenn., for light coffee cream and ice cream products.
MTSU utilizes a 600-pound, two-valve filler, filling two bottles at the same time. Wade said students and staff can fill 10 gallons of milk a minute into the bottles.
Carter said MTSU is the only university in Tennessee with a dairy on or near campus.
“We’re proud of this opportunity for our students,” she said.
For more information on the MTSU Creamery, call (615) 898-2523.
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MTSU milk is now available at:
– Phillips Bookstore (Student Union Building)
– Aramark POD (Student Union Building)
– Dwight’s Mini-Mart (KUC 200)
– Hattie Jane’s Creamery (On the Square)
– Lascassas Feed Store (7684 Barlow Lane)
