Wrights Dairy

Wrights Dairy Farm Wrights Dairy is a 4th generational family farm, which started by milking 5 cows and now proudly milks over 130 cows. They bottle over 270,000 pounds of milk a month and sell it exclusively in their bakery and market shop.

Located in North Smithfield, RI

Feed

Cows are fed a total mixed ration of corn silage, hay and grain. They test the ratios for the optimal health of animals.

Since their land is on 90

Land acres of swampland, the Challenges cows do not graze.

However, they do grow their own corn, so they can control the quality of their feed. They also work with the NRCS to develop plans to maintain runoff to protect the nearby watershed. Most manure is used for fertilizer, for the cornfield, or compost.

Production A calf must be two years old, before she can get pregnant and begin producing milk.

From this point on, the calf will continue to get pregnant every year, so she continues to produce milk. Wrights farmers milk their cows every twelve hours; while one farmer milks, another one is putting down fresh feed and cleaning the barn. Because Wrights, is a small operation, they can pay close attention to their cows and keep them in good health – with most cattle living about 8 years. Wrights will use antibiotics to save a cows life, but they follow preventative measures as best as they can to avoid that.

Once milk leaves the cow, it is in the processing plant for about 24 hours, and then has around a 2‐week shelf life. It is extremely important that the milk is chilled quickly, and handled carefully before processing. Once it is cooled, it is heated at a high temperature for just a minute, to kill any bacteria, and then is returned to the cool state.

In 2009, Wright’s built a new barn, which houses a double ten parallel rapid exit parlor. This modern system helps the farmers use their time more efficiently. Ten cows walk down a row and enter individual staging areas. A dip is used to then clean and sanitize the utter, and relax the cow and promote oxytocin release. Each cow gives about five gallons per milking, or about ten gallons per day. This digital system reads a collar on each cow that keeps track of how much milk she gives and how much walking she does. This pedometer encourages the farmers to keep a tract of her walking to note on her health.

What does Family Farm mean to Wrights Dairy?

“It’s a privilege, it’s a burden, it’s a great thing, and it’s a lot of work and pride.

Building the new parlor was our commitment to continue to have cows and produce milk.” – Elizabeth Wright

Competition Wrights’ most expensive cost is feeding the animals. Even though they grow their own corn – the money to rent that land, put gas in the tractors, pay the workers, and equipment to process the corn is expensive.

The bakery shop is imperative for them to stay afloat as a business – the income from the bakery provides the extra money to buy the new tractor and invest in the new tools.

Currently, Wrights has relatively consistent sales – the same families come to pick up milk regularly. Within the state, Rhody Fresh, has not presented

competition because Wrights already had a devoted community and brand. They do appreciate how much attention Rhody Fresh draws to dairy production in RI. Outside of state, technically anyone that sells milk is their competition – the CVS down the street or the convenience store. Though, at these places, one cannot see the animals or how they are being treated. So, Wrights promotes their milk as better for these reasons, and simply the freshness and quality. This branding has allowed them to continue to farm and produce milk.

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Labor Four full time farmers and one part time 70 employees responsible for combination of all tasks  milking, processing, bottling, baking, managing store 10 of the 70 employees are family members; they are responsible for mostly farming aspects of the business

Looking Forward Wrights currently produces 13,000 gallons of milk a day Where do you want to see Wrights in ten years?

“Hopefully, still doing what its doing. Providing food at a local level to people in the area. Providing an education for people to come and see where their food comes from, the connection to milk and how to get it to them, showing people what it is to farm. Keeping Wrights a destination and experience”

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