Summiting New Heights

Summiting New Heights

By Ann Thelen

Kelly Cunningham blends passion as a dairy farmer with a love of mountain climbing

As a dairy farmer, Kelly Cunningham is accustomed to rising above challenges and summiting new heights in his sustainable operation. As an adventurer with a passion for mountain climbing, the same steadfast endurance Cunningham has on the farm fuels his treks to the world’s highest peaks.

Since he began mountain climbing during a youth group exercise, Cunningham has never looked back. With a doctorate in dairy cattle nutrition from Purdue University, he saved money for years to fulfill his dream of owning a dairy. While the journeys of farming and summiting mountains may seem as different as night and day, Cunningham thrives on the parallels.

“On a dairy farm, consistency and hard work yield rewards with healthy cows and quality milk production,” he says. “On a mountain, consistency and hard work yield the summit.”

Cunningham hauls dairy cattle across the nation with his beloved semi-truck

Sustainability is the Destination

Cunningham and his wife Christy are the operating partners of Milk Unlimited in Atlantic, where 3,400 cows produce more than 800,000 gallons of milk monthly on their farm. The Cunninghams were honored in 2019 with the Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award for their outstanding care of animals and the land.

“Our cows are inside climate-controlled free stall barns, during inclement weather our cows rest on beds created solely of sand,” Cunningham explains. “I like to say that our cows get to lay on a beach every day of the week.”

The cows – a crossbred mix of Holstein, Montbéliarde and Swedish Red – efficiently produce milk with higher butterfat and protein content, making it ideal for cheese.

“We are part of Associated Milk Producers Inc. (AMPI), which is the largest cheese cooperative based in the U.S.,” Cunningham says. “Our milk is processed in nearby Sanborn, and our main end product is cheddar cheese.”

Cunningham was an early adopter of cover crops on his 1,000 acres of farmland. These crops are planted to cover the soil rather than to be harvested. Cover crops help manage soil erosion, soil fertility and soil quality.

“On ground that isn’t robust for growing corn or soybeans, we plant forage mixes in both the spring and the fall,” Cunningham says. “These forages are harvested, yielding similar tonnage as corn silage, and used as economical forage source for the cows.”

In addition, the manure from the dairy cows and steers raised for beef is used to fertilize crops. This process creates a full circle of sustainability, something that’s a high priority for Cunningham.

“The cows are the ultimate recyclers, taking in things humans can’t digest, such as leftover soybean and corn byproducts (from making vegetable oil or ethanol) and turning it into nutritious milk. In turn, the milk is converted to cheese, ice cream and other delicious products,”

Cunningham explains. “It’s a wonderful cycle of sustainability.”

“Sustainability must also go beyond the day-to-day, yearto-year or generation. It takes hard work and perseverance. Sustainability is a continuous process that keeps cows healthy and improves their longevity, along with keeping our soil and our farm productive.”

Cunningham regularly checks his calves' health

Tackling the World’s Steepest Elevations

While dairy farming is a demanding, around-the-clock profession, Cunningham’s mind and spirit are reinvigorated by tackling the world’s tallest and steepest elevations.

The world has Seven Summits, which are the highest mountains in each of the seven traditional continents. Cunningham has climbed three of the seven, including reaching 22,837 feet on Mount Aconcagua in Argentina. He’s climbed to the top of Mount Elbrus, the highest mountain in Europe, at 18,510 feet. In May, Cunningham stood atop the summit ridge of Denali, also called Mount McKinley, the tallest mountain in North America, located in southcentral Alaska. With a peak that reaches 20,310 feet above sea level, it’s the third highest of the Seven Summits.

To put this in perspective, Hawkeye Point, at an elevation of 1,670 feet above sea level, is the highest point in Iowa. At 14,443 feet, Mount Elbert is Colorado’s tallest summit.

The same endurance it takes to run a highly laborious dairy farm – milking most cows at least twice a day – powers Cunningham’s strides uphill.

“Denali is about a 28-day trip. I flew to the mountain in an airplane, landed on the glacier and for the next 28 days, I was on frozen snow and ice, living in a tent, and melting snow and ice for water,” Cunningham explains. “All my food was in a backpack, and then I inched up the mountain. I did a trek up to leave some supplies, and then went back to get more supplies. Essentially as a climber, you stairstep up and down the mountains.”

Only about 300-350 people climb to the top of Denali each year. “To know that you’re one of those people really gives you a lift. The scenery of God’s creation is magnificent,” Cunningham adds.

Cunningham is quick to credit his wife and team of 30 employees for supporting his climbing passion.

“Being gone nearly a month on a mountain comes at a cost for all your people. They don’t get their days off, and they might not get to enjoy their family as much while I’m away,” he says. “When I get back, my priority is to make it fair and equitable and pay their kindness forward.”

While his hobby is about embracing the peaks of nature, in business, Cunningham focuses on reducing the typical peaks and valleys of dairy production. “Just like climbing a mountain, I focus on incremental, steady progress,” he says. “Consistency is the key. It yields sustainable rewards and allows you to summit the challenges.”

Climbing reinvigorates Cunningham's mind and spirit