Annie G’s Dairy Brings High-Tech Farming and Nostalgic Charm to Saline

Annie G’s Dairy in Saline blends innovative technology with traditional values, offering A2A2, vat-pasteurized milk through vending “milkbots”—and flavors like chai spice and chocolate.

Photo: Annie G’s Dairy photo by Sue Kelch

I found a humorous, if not eerie, futuristic cartoon from 1961 by Arthur Radebaugh that featured an “electronic driver” helping the milkman deliver milk from a “bottle escalator.”

Today, “electronic drivers” are in the works. And the “bottle escalator?” Well, I found one near Saline, at Annie G’s Dairy.

Wrapping up Our Unique Experiences

Come with me and meet David and Kat Mageean, Annie G’s Dairy owners, named after their children. Kat recalls, “We were working through names when Annie was just a baby, and Annie G’s just rolled off the tongue. When Angus came along, the G for Gus worked in nicely.” They bought out her parents’ farm in 2017, which has been in Kat’s family since her great-grandfather came from Germany in 1924.

David is an AI technician/farm manager and Kat is a veterinarian. Kat explains they have “seen all kinds of facilities, systems, and management styles worldwide, having both worked in Ireland, New Zealand, and Hungary. We wrapped up all that unique experience into the systems we built for the herd’s nutrition, comfort, walking lanes, calving, and calf rearing, to the point where they just eat, grow, and milk great.”

The systems they built include a free-stall barn, two milking robots for 100 cows (coaxed into milking with energy pellets and liquid molasses “candy”), and a grazeway system. They have a closed herd and focus on the A2A2 genetics and today the herd is 100% A2A2. Traditionally, dairy cows produce milk with both A2A2 and A2A1 beta-casein, the protein component of milk.

A2A2 means their cows produce milk with only the A2 type of beta-casein protein. Some studies suggest A2 milk is easier to digest and may be a better option for people who experience discomfort from conventional milk. By focusing on A2A2 genetics, Annie G’s aims to make fresh, local milk more accessible to everyone.

Their milk is also creamline, or non-homogenized, and vat pasteurized. Kat states, “Between the vat pasteurized, creamline, and A2A2, we feel we are ticking all the boxes to allow more people to enjoy our milk with less digestive upset.”

Locavores and Milkbots

“We knew when we took the farm on that milking 100 cows in updated facilities wouldn’t pay the bills in this day and age.”  With the consumer model of “farm to table,” they saw an opportunity with, as Kat puts it, the “Washtenaw County locavore food culture, right at our backdoor.”

She continues, “We saw milk vending machines overseas while visiting David’s family in Ireland. These milkbots offer a perfect blend of reconnecting the consumer to fresh farm products while allowing the farmer to capture more of that margin from the direct-to-consumer market. It is incredibly rewarding to meet consumers and increase transparency about our way of dairy farming.” 

Udderly Delicious

So, I tried the milkbot. I got my bottle, pushed a few buttons and voila! And if that isn’t fun enough, you can choose several flavors including chai spice, carmel, orange creamsicle, shamrock shake and the ever-popular chocolate, with all ingredients posted. But don’t take my word, here are some reviews on Facebook:

“Tried the chocolate and strawberry. This was some of the best milk I have had. Definitely will be back when we visit from Kalamazoo.”  

“Your Vanilla Coffee and Carmel milk is UDDERLY DELICIOUS.”

“I went to Annie G’s today and had the most amazing experience! I loved filling my bottles and was provided with exceptional assistance! I also met Annie G and she is adorable! She was so kind and lovely!”

Managing Small Things So We Don’t Get Big Things

Both David and Kat built their dairy farm by what Kit describes as “managing the small things so we don’t get big things” and being “perfectionists when it comes to our cows.”

Adding, “We can sit on our back porch in the evenings and watch them casually walk from the barn to the pasture and back, and thrive in our low-stress system. And that makes our crazy days worth it.” 

Yes, it looks like the cows have come home.

Visit Annie G’s Dairy at 6130 Pleasant Lake Rd and Facebook page at: www.facebook.com/reel/688505034001536