After his processor instructed him to discard it, a 300-year-old cream-line dairy farmer bottles his own milk 24/7; the American spirit goes on. Locals are rallying behind him. After his dairy processor stopped buying his milk, Ben Brown bottled it himself.

Brown’s Whoa Nellie Dairy has produced cream-line milk since the 1700s. Much of it was sold to a dairy processor, who pasteurized and bottled it for local restaurants and markets.

It was unbearable to discard hundreds of gallons of milk each week until his 70 milking cows ran out. He worked around the clock, pasteurizing and bottling it in small quantities in his 30-gallon vat. He announced on Facebook that they would open the farm shop longer to sell milk directly to people, and the reaction was enormous. According to local news, the store entrance line was at least 20 people deep for many hours. A client stated, “I know their uncle, Larry Basinger, and we want to help the Brown family through this.” We’ll purchase 10 gallons. Our family gave me orders.”

Within hours, they sold out and have practically every day since. When they don’t sell out, they distribute fresh, non-homogenized milk to local organizations. Do not throw milk—I abhor waste. Brown stated, “People can use it, but I still have to pay my bills.” Brown and Mary Beth bought the property from Ben’s parents four years ago. His family has “barely been scraping by” in recent years, and he was scared the lockdown would finish them, he told a local newspaper. I don’t want us to fail. The Brown family has owned this land since the 1700s, he added. Brown won’t have to stay up all night processing it anymore after the farm bought a second 45-gallon pasteurization vat two weeks ago.