CONTRIBUTED CONTENT — Dairy Farmers of America is a sweet place to start and grow your career, and not just because of the tasty ice cream they churn out. Their St. George manufacturing plant offers competitive wages starting at $19 per hour and many opportunities for advancement.
Dairy Farmers of America is currently the largest supplier of raw milk worldwide and the third-largest global dairy company. The cooperative works directly with local, family-owned farms to transform raw milk into products that consumers know and love.
“We are a community of American family farmers and employees bound by our shared values,” human resources manager Whitney Badger said. “This connection inspires us to be an integral part of all the communities we touch, starting with the local towns where we live, work and raise our families, to those communities we reach with our products.”
Dairy Farmers of America recently acquired the former Dean Foods plant in St. George’s Fort Pierce Industrial Park. The cooperative took control of many Dean Foods assets after the now-defunct milk giant declared bankruptcy in 2019.
Under new ownership and leadership, Dairy Farmers of America’s local herd takes pride in delighting customers with quality ice cream products, providing career opportunities to the Southern Utah community and fostering a positive work environment.
“The DFA team strives to simply do right because it’s the right thing to do,” general manager Ken Kaneversky said. “Doing right, making ice cream and enjoying a work-life balance is what it’s all about.”
The St. George plant produces nearly 2 million gallons of packaged ice cream, frozen yogurt and sherbets every month. These products are distributed under the Meadow Gold Dairy label, a Dairy Farmers of America regional brand, as well as private customer labels.
It takes an incredible team to deliver delicious, nutritious dairy to consumers nationwide, and Dairy Farmers of America is looking for a few good folks to join their herd. The cooperative already provides over 100 jobs in St. George, and business is booming. They’re now hiring for entry-level positions and accepting applications at weekly job fairs and online.
The plant runs around the clock Monday through Saturday. Employees work 12-hour shifts three days one week and four days the next, meaning they enjoy a long weekend every other week.
Warehouse worker Joanne Prince said she was surprised by how much ice cream the facility actually makes on a daily basis. Her favorite part of the job is getting to drive forklifts.
“(There’s) great benefits, great pay and volunteer overtime,” she added.
Along with creating jobs, Dairy Farmers of America gives back to the communities they serve through the DFA Cares Foundation. On the local level, they’re now sponsoring the farm room at the St. George Children’s Museum. The farm room is one of 12 exhibits that encourage minds both young and old to explore, play and learn. Kids can milk a cow, gather eggs or plant some vegetables, then take a walk into the farmhouse kitchen and prepare a delicious meal.
“We want the children in our community to have an interactive experience showing them the process from farm to table,” Badger said.
The cooperative has also partnered with Tan’s Treats, a Southern Utah nonprofit working to eradicate child hunger by filling meal sacks for at-risk students. Employees at the St. George plant recently donated 108 backpacks filled with food for spring break, when low-income families don’t have access to free school meals.
Established in 1998 through a merger of four dairy cooperatives, Dairy Farmers of America is now a global dairy marketing cooperative owned by 12,500 family farmers from across the country. The company is grounded in farmer ownership and always looking for new ways to grow and invest for the benefit of all participating farms.
Dairy Farmers of America manufactures a variety of dairy products, including cheese, butter, fluid milk, ice cream, dairy ingredients, at 86 plants nationwide. Employees have their fingerprints on thousands of brands across the marketplace.
“There’s a lot to learn,” clean in places operator Ramón Aldoma said. “You want great benefits and good pay, come work at Dairy Farmers of America!”
Dairy Farmers of America hosts job fairs every Thursday from 2-6 p.m. at the plant, located at 1310 E. Commerce Drive in St. George. Learn more about the cooperative and current employment opportunities at DFAmilk.com/careers.
Written by ALEXA MORGAN for St. George News.
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Resources
- Dairy Farmers of America | Address: 1310 E. Commerce Drive, St. George | Website.
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