Lincoln County’s got milk. Of the approximate 100 dairy farms in Mississippi, Lincoln County boasts 11 of them. This makes for a fun-filled national Dairy Month, and an especially delicious Dairy Day for all local lactose lovers.

“We love celebrating dairy month in Lincoln County,” said Rebecca Bates, county director of the Mississippi State University Extension Center. “There is a long history of dairies in Lincoln County, and almost everyone who grows up here has been touched by dairies. There are 11 dairies here – the second largest dairy county in the state by numbers.”

The next event to celebrate Dairy Month is Dairy Day, which will be part of the June 12 Brookhaven Farmer’s Market and will run from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Bates said Prairie Farms chocolate milk and ice cream will be given away, as well as freshly grilled Lincoln County sweet corn given out for free thanks to Farm Bureau agents.

Local dairymen will be on site at Dairy Day to talk about what they do and how they produce milk for the area. Children will have the opportunity to pet and feed dairy calves, and the Southeast United Dairy Industry Association will be there with T-shirts, recipes and lots of fun dairy freebies.

For the competitive chef, there will be a dairy recipe contest held at the Brookhaven Lincoln County Chamber of Commerce. There will be two divisions: youth, for ages 7 to 17, and adult ages 18 up. Each dish must contain at least one cup of dairy product and fit into a category of appetizer, main dish or dessert. All dishes must be checked into the Chamber between 10 and 10:30 Friday morning, along with a written or typed copy of the recipe, with the contestant’s name and division on the back. The judging starts at 10:45 and after noon the dishes will be open for tasting.

With all of the dairy activity in the region, it is no wonder why a team of local 4H students will be competing in a dairy quiz-bowl at the national level in November. Lincoln County 4H Agent Brandon Albertson said the team won the state competition at the State 4H Congress on May 28 and will head to Louisville, Kentucky, for the national championship. Local 4H students Rachel Mcdaniel, Haley Britt, Shannon Pendleton and Emily Scafidel learned facts about the dairy industry and animals and ranked first above Pontotoc and Lee counties.

The farmer’s market, which kicked off Friday, is held from 7:30 a.m. to noon on Fridays in Railroad Park and from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays in the Amtrak Station throughout the growing season. Bates said she could not believe how many great products and produce the market had to offer for opening day, including: squash, cucumbers, beans, peppers, okra, potatoes, onions, sweet corn, dairy products such as artisan cheeses, locally grown beef and pork, eggs, fresh baked bread and cakes and more.

For more information about the recipe contest, contact Latoya Evans at the Extension Center at 835-3460. For more information about dairy month or Extension activities contact Rebecca Bates at the Extension Center, 835-3460.