Back to projects Destiny Dairy Bar: Making Milk Fun Again Destiny Dairy Bar at Stover Farms 60 Horners Road Carlisle, PA 17015 DestinyDairyBar.com Cumberland Valley has a rich agricultural heritage, and local farms are often multi-generational, owned and operated by the same family for decades. Destiny Dairy Bar at Stover Farms is no different. Herd Manager, Amy Brickner, is the granddaughter of the farm’s founders, John & Julia Stover, who have worked the land on Horners Road in Carlisle since the 1950s. After returning home from college, Amy took an interest in the farm’s dairy operations and saw an opportunity to fill a unique need at the local level. To help fulfill her plans, she received a PA State Dairy Investment Grant in 2018 and a USDA Value-Added Processing Grant designed to help farms sell their own products directly to consumers. Making Milk Fun Again Amy is passionate about her herd and about the milk that they produce. She wants everyone to enjoy the proven health benefits of drinking milk but realizes that many individuals experience stomach discomfort and other symptoms when consuming dairy products. She explains that these issues are often the result of A1 proteins in the milk, which produce a peptide called BCM-7 during digestion. On the other hand, dairy products with A2 proteins do not make this peptide and seem to alleviate digestion issues for many people. She notes that A2 milk is natural, and nothing is done to the cows to get them to produce this type of milk. A simple genetic test can determine whether a cow produces the A1 protein, the A2 protein, or a combination. Destiny Dairy Bar simply selects cows that naturally produce only the A2 protein. Although you can purchase A2 milk at grocery stores, Amy’s creative twists bring the taste of her products to a new level. She chooses low-temperature pasteurization to process her milk, which better preserves the milk’s fresh flavor while still destroying dangerous pathogens. She then flavors the milk using recipes she created during the pandemic. These are not your run-of-the-mill flavors. The delicious choices include Milky Way, Salted Caramel, Orange Cream, Raspberry, Rootbeer, Peach, Coffee, Cookies & Cream, Strawberry, and Chocolate. You can sample flavors before purchase, but there are plenty of choices to please everyone’s palate. Milk is available in pint, quart, half-gallon, and gallon sizes. Amy is also expanding into her own line of ice cream. Flavors vary but include choices such as Salted Caramel, Butter Pecan, Grapenut, and Cotton Candy in half-pint sizes. You’ll find these items and more – including Wagyu Dairy Cross Beef and fresh eggs — available for purchase in the recently built dairy bar, which Amy already hopes to expand as she grows her line of products. Taking a Tour If you want to get a behind-the-scenes look at the dairy operation, Amy offers one-hour tours, which can be scheduled through her website. During the tour, she shares her love of her “bovine beauties” and how she makes decisions that focus on the health and comfort of each cow. Adults will appreciate Amy’s explanation of the scientific processes involved in raising and caring for a dairy herd, including genetic testing, insemination, and nutritional information. Meanwhile, little ones just enjoy interacting with cows and several other animals on the farm, including a few pigs. While the milk and ice cream are processed off-site at a location in Chambersburg, 100 cows are milked on-site twice daily, and you can schedule a tour to coincide with the afternoon milking. Family Affair During the tour, you will probably see various members of the Stover family working hard on their farm. Grandma Julia, the first generation on Stover Farms, feeds the calves twice daily! She helps train all calf feeders and uses her keen eye to watch all babies in the greenhouse. Amy’s mother, Ann, is involved in various aspects of farm life, including serving as an office manager and continuing to milk the cows. And Amy’s two sons work at the Dairy Bar when they are not busy with school and 4H activities. Agritourism Destiny Dairy Bar at Stover Farms is an example of how agritourism in Cumberland Valley benefits the farm, visitors, and the community. As part of the county’s Farmland Preservation Program, the Stovers and their family have committed to preserving the land as a working farm in perpetuity. This helps maintain the region’s rural character and creates scenic landscapes that are important for attracting new residents and visitors. In addition, the farm tours offer an entertaining and educational experience that encourages future generations of farmers. And the creation of direct-to-consumer products through the Dairy Bar generates additional income for the farm and provides fresh, local milk and other food items to the growing local population. For more information about Destiny Dairy Bar, visit their website at DestinyDairyBar.com.
