Rain or shine, Gorges Dairy picks up, delivers milk
Whether it rains or shines, storms or snows, is hot or cold, dairy farmers milk their cows at least twice every day. The milk is stored in refrigerated tanks and has to be collected and transported to processing plants.
In Marion County and the central Kansas area, part of that job is done by Gorges Dairy.
Headquartered in Viola with a branch office in Hillsboro, the company operates 10 transport trucks.
Bill Gorges of Viola owns the company. He took over milk collection from AMPI in Hillsboro when the plant closed in 1998.
Vernon Henry of Hillsboro was transportation director for AMPI and took over management of the Hillsboro office of Gorges Dairy. He retains the same office he had under AMPI. It is leased from the City of Hillsboro.
Eight tractor-trailer trucks operate out of Hillsboro. Each truck has a capacity of 6,500 gallons or 55,000 pounds. Drivers collect milk at 54 dairy farms.
The amount collected at each stop varies from about 115 gallons to more than 3,000 gallons. At the five larger dairies, milk is picked up every day. At smaller dairies, it is collected every other day.
The area served by Gorges Dairy stretches from almost to Topeka on the east, Jetmore and Great Bend to the west, Cedar Point and all of Harvey County to the south, and Abilene and Junction City to the north.
Currently, the milk is delivered to three or four processing plants. Milk delivered to Jackson's Dairy in Hutchinson is processed for Dillon's stores.
A Roberts plant in Kansas City, Kraft plant in Bentonville, Ark., and Hiland plant in Springfield, Mo., also receive regular deliveries from Gorges Dairy.
Henry said it is difficult to get drivers at present because most are required to work 12- to 14-hour shifts. A driver takes a semi-load of milk overnight to one of the plants, where he often spends several hours waiting to unload. He then returns to central Kansas to run a collection route before ending the workday.
Gorges Dairy currently employs nine drivers including Henry and Gorges. Other drivers are: Ted Stutzman, Peabody; Glen George, Lehigh; Clint Hamm, Newton; Bart Beck, Junction City; Steve Jury, Hillsboro; Joshua Plett, Pilsen; and Jason Plett, Tampa.
Gorges Dairy serves at least 14 dairy farms in Marion County.
