Students at Red Top Middle School in Bartow County, Georgia, are now experiencing a new way to enjoy milk, thanks to the installation of the state's first middle school milk dispenser. The Dairy Alliance, a nonprofit funded by dairy farm families in the Southeast, partnered with Bartow County School System leaders and Georgia Milk Producers, Inc. to celebrate a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the school. This effort is part of a broader statewide program supported by earmarked funding from Georgia Milk Producers, Inc., with The Dairy Alliance identifying school districts willing to implement milk dispensers in K–12 cafeterias.
Will McWhirter, Manager of Youth Wellness at The Dairy Alliance, emphasized the positive impact of the dispensers. "Milk dispensers are a great way to upgrade real dairy milk for this generation of students," he said. "It's been a pleasure for me to experience many K–12 students' first sip of real dairy milk from a milk dispenser and seeing their eyes light up while they're still drinking it." The initiative aims to make milk more appealing and accessible, potentially increasing consumption and reducing waste compared to traditional cartons.
Bartow County is leading the charge as the first Georgia district with multiple schools participating, with plans to install dispensers across all middle and high schools, totaling seven schools. Betsy Roam, School Nutrition Director of Bartow County, praised the staff's dedication. "Raising your hand and choosing to be the first middle school in Georgia to offer milk dispensers versus the traditional carton shows the staff's dedication to providing quality nutrition to our students," she said.
Seven Georgia school districts have launched or will soon begin offering milk through dispensers, including Cartersville City, Marietta City, Bartow County, Polk County, Calhoun City, Bremen City, and KIPP Charter Schools of Atlanta. In total, the initiative includes 18 schools and 30 milk dispensers statewide. Bryce Trotter, Executive Director of Georgia Milk Producers, Inc., highlighted the benefits: "Our Georgia dairy farmers are excited about this opportunity to help support our schools and provide more and colder Georgia-grown milk to our cafeterias. This program benefits students while strengthening connections to local dairy farmers."
Ted Trotter, a Georgia dairy farmer with 40 years of experience, expressed his long-term commitment to improving milk quality for students. "It's been a lifelong project of mine to improve the quality of milk for students, and these dispensers are by far and away the best thing that we've come up with," he said. "In my 40 years of working on dairies, I'm glad to see we're finally starting to get some implementation and support from local schools. Cafeteria managers are ready and willing to try it. In the past, many said it would never work, but the ones who tried it really love it. I'm just glad to see it's finally coming to fruition."
The Dairy Alliance continues to work with school districts and dairy partners across the Southeast to expand access to milk dispensers and strengthen connections between students and local dairy farm families. For more information, visit The Dairy Alliance.
