Give Farm-Grown Valentine's Day Gift

Finding that perfect Valentine's Day gift just got a lot smoother. Wisconsin farmer Brittany Olson uses milk from the farm's dairy herd to create lotions that promise to soften the most weathered farm hands. Available in scents with names as sultry as "This Kiss" to the sassy, farm-inspired "Salty Heifer," Olson's mail-order business has become a labor of true love.

Mixed into every container is an ingredient not listed on the label but written on her heart. Sour milk prices and herd consolidation continue to pressure small dairy farmers.

"While lotion sales may not completely heal those wounds, I have been able to generate enough income through sales to offset many family living expenses. That's a good feeling," she said.

Though not raised on a dairy, Olson grew up hearing dairying stories from her father. It was marrying Sam, and returning to his home farm near Chetek, Wisconsin, that immersed her in a 124-year-old dairy business called Berglane Farm.

The fifth generation on the farm is now raising the sixth generation, the couple milks around 30 Holsteins and Jerseys and raises corn and hay. With a background as an agricultural journalist and photographer, Olson still depends on those skills to bring home some additional freelance revenue. But these days, she is also dipping into those communications skills to promote the lotion business. Her wry sense of humor spills over into a social media presence where she uses the handle "@cynicalmilkmaid" to promote her industry and lotion.

There's a pun intended in the overall "Mammary Lane Body Lotion" brand, too. Cow's milk is listed as the first ingredient in the lotion that is blended with shea butter, coconut oil and a binding emulsifier.

The first steps toward a sideline business came in the winter of 2018.

"It started with the thought of doing soap. But with soap, there's a four-to-six-week cure time. Lotion can be made the same day if I need to fill an order," she said.

She calls the product lotion, but the product is a creamy moisturizer (think soft butter) that soaks into the skin without being oily. The recipe consumes about a quart of milk per dozen 4-ounce jars. Shelf life is at least six months, she said.

"I'd seen goat's milk used in skincare products. But I didn't see a lot of people using cow's milk. I wanted to come up with a product that was fresh and made with natural ingredients and it took a bit of tweaking to get the recipe right. I have a lot of repeat farmer customers who say it has really helped heal up their chronic chapped hands and other skin issues," she said.

The beginning stages of launching the product were slow going. She relies on creative posts on Facebook and social platform X to inform and tempt customers. Repeat customers keep the business flowing.

THOSE SPECIAL SNIFFS

Seasonal smells and scents to which farmers might relate are business signatures. "Fresh cut hay" is said to "bring you right to the field as the discbine whirs through knee-high alfalfa on an early summer afternoon." "Rainwater" is said to "dance like raindrops bouncing off a windowpane."

Editor's note: Full disclosure -- my favorite scent is called "Morning Chores." It hints of that first sip of morning coffee and slap of fresh air that comes at daybreak.

"I've had customers who will order a specific scent because it reminds them of someone they loved and lost. Or perhaps it reminds them of a place in time. Smell is so powerful when it comes to triggering a memory," she said.

Orders are mostly taken online. Olson produces, bottles, packages and mails the orders herself. Each 4-ounce container retails for $15. Special scents for Valentine's Day need to be ordered by Feb. 10. Some scents are available year-round. There also is an unscented version for those sensitive to fragrances.

Olson knows lotion isn't going to cure all the financial pressures for a small dairy -- although she was able to do a Christmas sales push that exceeded $20,000.

"We have talked about the possibility of processing and selling our own milk, but state rules and regulations currently make it nearly prohibitive. We're still hoping and dreaming to find some other ways to make dairying more profitable," she said.

"The current inversion of milk prices and milk cow prices is driving consolidation. That's not a good scenario," Olson added.

For now, she's fighting back one container of lotion at a time. Let the healing begin.

Order Mammary Lane Body Lotion at www.Berglanefarm.com or call (715) 977-7185.

Pamela Smith can be reached at pamela.smith@dtn.com

Follow her on social platform X @PamSmithDTN

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