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For over
one hundred years, the Gilmer family has been farming in the
Shiloh community in Lamar County, Alabama. The farm began when
George F. Gilmer
purchased the majority of the property from his father-in-law, Evans
Jackson. He and his wife built their home and began farming in the
style typical of the times. They planted cotton as a cash crop, raised
livestock, and grew a variety of food crops to feed their family and the
animals.
In 1951, Gray
Gilmer returned home to the farm after years of service
in the TVA and USF&G Insurance. Like his father,
he ran a diversified family farm, but the dairy operation quickly
became his main focus.
He spent the next two decades cementing his reputation as a
successful, hard working dairyman.
 Gray's son,
David Gilmer, returned to the
farm after graduating from college and shortly thereafter assumed its ownership and management
once his father retired. Dairy technology has taken huge leaps
forward during David's 30 year tenure, and he has been successful by
implementing
innovative herd and crop management strategies. David's wife,
Lin, serves as the farm's treasurer.
Like his
father, Will
Gilmer returned to live and
work on the farm once he graduated from college. He is now a
partner with David in Gilmer Dairy Farm, LLC, and shares in the
operation's
day-to-day management responsibilities, keeps the herd, crop, and fertilizer
records, and maintains the farm website.
 In December 2005, the Gilmers begin milking in a new double ten,
rapid-exit herringbone parlor facility, giving them the ability to
milk twenty cows at once and 80-100 an hour. The new milking
barn is the third to be built on the farm and sits on the site of Gray's
original barn/milking parlor, which interestingly enough was constructed
partially with timbers from his parents' old house.
Today, the dairy industry shares all of
the volatility facing modern American agriculture. To survive
ever-increasing costs and the inevitable market roller-coaster, small, family dairy farms must be
efficient and make wise decisions in every aspect of their
businesses. The Gilmer family stands ready to meet the challenge
and move towards a prosperous
future.
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