Lochmead Family Farms

At Lochmead Farms our focus has always been on family. In 1941 our grandparents, Howard and Gladys Gibson, purchased 120 acres of land four miles north of Junction City, to begin a way of life for the generations to come. They worked the land and raised livestock until they had created a dairy farm with 100 cows and five young children to start their legacy. Like other dairy farmers, our grandparents sold their milk to farmers' cooperatives that bottled and shipped the milk to market. However, grandpa had an idea to secure a position for each of his children that wanted a place in the family business. He saw a future where traditional dairy farming boundaries were crossed and he could bottle and sell milk directly to families in the community. In order to accomplish this, they had to have a milk bottling plant, which our Uncle Jock agreed to build and manage. First thing first, our uncle had to learn how to pasteurize and run a processing plant. Being a true entrepreneur, he worked a full year in Boise and Seattle learning to bottle milk and make ice cream. With the new knowledge he possessed, the family opened Lochmead Dairy's bottling facility in 1965. At the same time, they opened our first five Dari Mart stores to receive fresh deliveries of Lochmead Farms' own milk. In the early 1980's, our Aunt Pat and Uncle Gary decided to return to the community and manage the stores. Since 1965 Lochmead Farms has been known as the area's local, sustainable dairy. We are now a fourth generation, family owned business, located in Junction City, Oregon. All Lochmead Farms milk comes from cows born and raised on our family's farm. Every day the milk travels the short distance of 4 miles from farm to dairy plant to be pasteurized and bottled into a variety of flavors and packages. Lochmead Farms does not, and has never used the artificial growth hormone (rBST) on our cows. Our family and employees are committed to a sustainable system that keeps the entire product lifecycle close to home, ensuring quality and freshness. Our focus of being local and sustainable also extends into the quality and purchasing of our ingredients. Not only does the farm supply 80% of the dairy's feed, but our Cousin Scott grows the peppermint and distills it for us to use as the flavoring for our delicious Oregon Mint Fudge ice cream.