Yesterday: Dairy days

Published 12:00 am Monday, July 18, 2011

In this Salisbury Post photograph from the newspaper’s Aug. 16, 1948, edition, Robert S. Edmiston Sr., left, stands in front of an Edmiston & Sons Dairy truck with four of his six sons: Allen, Billy, Henry and Richard. Robert S. ‘Sam’ Edmiston Jr. was absent when the photograph was taken, and eldest son John was stationed overseas with the Army. Robert Sr. took over the family’s 200-acre farm in Mount Ulla Township in 1929 and, by the time of this photo, it was 660 acres, growing alfalfa, oats, barley and wheat, with 200 acres in pasture grasses. The farm had 120 dairy cows, putting out an average of 400 gallons of milk per day that was delivered to customers in Mooresville. Edmiston & Sons Dairy installed its pasteurizing plant in 1947, and the farm’s herd furnished about 75 percent of the milk sold. At the time, Sam Edmiston was in charge of retail milk sales for the dairy.