Hopkins County has often been called the Dairy Capital of Texas, and for good reason. At times over the last 50 years, the county has been home to more than 600 dairies.

“Today there are about 160 dairies in Hopkins County, but we’re milking as many cows as we were 20 years ago — 30-some thousand of them,” says Larry Spradlin, Hopkins County agricultural agent.

“The number of dairies has declined, but the size of the dairies has increased. Our production is amazing.”

Still Meadow Dairy Inc. in Pickton is the largest in the county, with 2,600 mature cows and 2,000 calves and heifers. Owner Jack Kempenaar started the dairy in 1986 after immi­grating to the United States from his native Holland.

“I had been dairying in Holland since 1968, but it got crowded and there were lots of government regulations,” Kempenaar says. “I got tired of that, and I had seen some dairies moving this way.”

When he started his dairy career in Holland, Kempenaar had 50 cows, and by the time he left for America, he was milking 200.

“I started over with 75 cows here, and we’ve been in expansion mode ever since,” he says.

Kempenaar brought his wife, Saakje, and son, Luute, with him when he came. Luute plans to eventually take over Still Meadow Dairy, which employs nearly 40 people. In the meantime, the dairy is striving to incorporate the latest advancements in dairy technology into every aspect of the business.

“I’ve always been on the forefront of technology,” Kempenaar says. “My dairy in Holland was one of the first freestalls in the world. And here, we have all our cattle in freestalls, which is unusual.”

Still Meadow Dairy is working on a project that will allow it to turn manure into useable energy. The dairy already recycles manure by using it as fertilizer for the crops it grows for feed.

“We barely buy any commercial fertilizer,” Kempenaar says.

Two years ago, Still Meadow Dairy built a new rotary milking parlor that increases comfort for the cattle. The rotary parlor features a carousel that holds 80 cows, and as the cows enter the stall, milkers are attached from behind. The cows rotate around a constantly moving platform until they complete their milking cycle and exit through an exit lane.

“The cows feel more comfortable and are a lot more quiet with this system,” Kempenaar says.

More than 300 dairy producers attended an open house at Still Meadow Dairy after the rotary parlor was installed to catch glimpses of the most modern technology in dairy farming. Tours of the dairy are available upon request.

Now a U.S. citizen, Kempenaar says he’s happy to be running his business in the Right Corner of Texas, and he plans to stay here.

“This area is an old dairy area, so people are very dairy-friendly,” he says. “And I like that.”