Cody Nash 4th generation dairy farmer took some time out of his busy day to show us his family business. Sitting on close to 500 acres in Chapel Hill is Nash Family Creamery, he along with his family and parents live on the farm. The family made the decision to move their dairy business to Tennessee from California, and we are glad they chose our beautiful state. In 2014 they made the move with 1800 head of cattle.
Opening in September 2020: 5 members of the Nash family run the dairy farm, with over 40 employees between the farm, storefront, and cheese plant. They have 4 different breeds of cows Jersey, Holstein, Brown Swiss, and Red Holsteins. Each cow will produce a calf to continue the lines. They keep the cows for 7-8 years.
Watching them milking the cows was impressive with 2 sides to the milking barn and 24 on each side it’s amazing to see. As the cows enter the milking barn an RFID tag on their ear tells them who this cow is and how much milk she gives. The cows know the routine and when they finish giving their milk they line up to get a drink of water, each cow drinks an average of 55 gallons of water each day.
Their milk is pumped into a tanker then transported to Heritage Farms in Murfreesboro, TN where it is processed and packaged. If you’ve bought milk at Kroger you’ve enjoyed their product.
Another product you’ve probably enjoyed is their I ice cream which is sold in Publix Grocery Stores. At their farm, they have a cafe that serves up sandwiches featuring their homemade cheeses, ice cream, milkshakes, and sundaes. Including the Cow Trough with 7 generous scoops of their premium ice cream and 4 homemade cookies and toppings. You need to come hungry!
The cheeses are cheddar-based, white, yellow, and jalapeño. Oh, and they also make cheese curds.
Their farm hosts many events including a car show, dairy day, farm day, their anniversary, and a corn maze. They average 15,000-20,000 visitors monthly. Tennessee is very lucky that the Nash Family chose Chapel Hill to settle with their cattle.
Go visit them, tell them DanO said HEY YALL!