A22—Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 7,1914
Eimview Dairy Farm finds success Jjfe
in selling All-Jersey milk products
BY DONNA McCONAUGHEY
Staff Correspondent
COLUMBUS Marketing is
certainly the buzzword of the dairy
industry today. It is becoming
increasingly evident that the
success of the dairy industry
depends upon increased mer
chandising of the product. Many
are seeking answers to these
problems but few have found total
success.
The Curtis family of Warren
county have proved the success is
possible when it comes to
marketing milk. They currently
sell all the milk produced by their
220 Jerseys and find it necessary to
purchase additional milk to meet
the demand! Many factors and
much hard work have gone
together to create this success, but
they stand as proof that it can be
done.
Carleton Curtis, 89, is the pillar
behind this operation. Sixty-five
years ago he was working as a
milk tester in Crawford county. He
located a Jersey herd and told his
family if he could bring his Jerseys
along he would come home. It took
him three days to move his herd
from Meadville to Columbus he
Curtis family hy sign
Family is important in this operation. The Les Curtis family
includes, from left, son Larry, Bill Kalika and Pam Curtis
Kalika holding Kimberly, Thelma and Les.
Double-eight herringbone parlor
maKKB * i m mmm mm
A double-eight Herringbone milking parlor is used to milk Elmvie. „ cows. Larry ‘
Curtis, back, and Lee Curtis represent the third generation to be involved in the family
business.
moved the herd on foot. This
farmstead has now been in the
Curtis family for over 130 years.
Still active on the farm, Carleton
does all of the calf feeding, gardens
and spends much time at the dairy
store on the farm. Until two years
ago, he was also involved with field
work.
In 1968 his four sons purchased
the farm from him. Currently, only
three of the sons are owners. The
800-acre farm, of which 350 are
tillable, lies in the famous “snow
belt” of northern Pennsylvania.
Most of the acreage is utilized in
producing corn silage. All grain
used on the farm is purchased. Les
Curtis is responsible for the
machinery and field work.
This herd of Jerseys produces
milk that is well-known m the
Columbus area. A processing plant
is located on the farm in which
Harold manages the production of
several different milk products
and butter. In the 1970’s their sales
were covered by two delivery
trucks and four routes for home
delivery service. A neighbor began
a milk bottling business which
forced them to consider new ways
to market their product.
A
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Les Curtis stands in the drive-through free stall barn which houses the Elmview
Jersey herd.
They began selling milk from a
small salesroom on the farm. The
success of this endeavor convinced
them to build a store nearby 10
years ago. They found that one
clerk could sell more milk than all
of the home delivery routes. This
wag indicative of the trend that
young people are willing to drive in
order to buy a high quality product
for a better price. The Curtis
family found that the older people
who weren’t willing to drive were
also consumers of less milk.
Eventually, when Jim moved
away from the farm, the home
delivery was stopped. At the same
time new market opportunities
were pursued in local super
markets. Currently Elmview
markets its dairy products in four
supermarkets, local restaurants,
Dairy Queens and parochial
schools. A decision was reached
recently to drop the public school
contracts.
What has led to a rate of success
which has resulted in an increase
in business every year since the
1950’5? The taste is one factor.
Families who begin drinking All-
Drive-through free.- stall barn
More of the Curtis family, posing in front of the store, in
cludes, front from left, Mark Curtis and Chris; back from left,
Lee, Mr. and Mrs. Harold Curtis, and Tim.
Jersey milk find that their “kids
love it,” and if a customer sticks
with it for two or three months they
probably won’t change.
Much effort is put into con
trolling the quality of the product.
Silage is fed prior to milking which
results in better tasting milk.
Recently, the Curtis family began
providing processed dairy
products to a neighboring
business. This business saw a 300
percent increase in sales from
October 1983 to March 1984, which
is claimed was a direct result of
changing to Jersey milk.
The demand for Elmview Jersey
Farm’s All-Jersey Milk is so great
that the Curtis family is currently
buying about 1,000 gallons of- milk
every three weeks to meet the
demand. In a day when the dairy
industry is trying to find ways to
handle surplus milk, Elmview is
More of Curtis clan
trying to find ways to meet the
demand.
Advertising is also an important
part of the overall program at
Elmview. Efforts are focused on
local newspapers and radio
stations. Also sponsored is a local
cookout for which they provide
hamburgers and milk products.
This event gets people to sample
their products. The county dairy
princess is brought into the store
once or twice a year as an ad
ditional promotion.
The Curtises hope to be able to
get a refund of the 15-cent per
hundredweight that is being
deducted for advertising. “We
advertise and sell all of our
products. It’s not fair that we get
taxed again to sell someone else’s
products, too.” Les says.
Elmview’s “All-Jersey Milk”
(Turn to Pag* A 24)