Plains Dairy

Plains Dairy and its hometown, Amarillo, have a lot in common. Both were established to meet the demand for a central entity that could regularly deliver products and services needed by an emerging population of pioneers settling over the Southwest. The Texas Panhandle was raw rangeland when Col. Charles Goodnight drove the first cattle to the famous JA Ranch along Palo Duro Canyon. That was near the time railroad companies built crossings in the central Panhandle and settlers staked claims. In 1887, Amarillo officially became a town. As families moved to the new frontier community, visionary rancher and businessman Henry S. Sanborn built the Amarillo Hotel. Appropriately, it was painted yellow by the man known as the Father of Amarillo. The city was named the Potter County seat in 1893. Between 1892 and 1897, the Fort Worth and Denver railroad shipped some 100,000 cattle from the growing city. History says that more cattle were shipped from Amarillo that any other rural point in the United States. Those were cattle raised to meet the beef demands of a growing nation. A few cows were undoubtedly singled out for milking. Most rural homes, and many in town, had their own milk cows. Many households likely wore out a butter churn or two long before modern dairies were established across the sprawling nation. “By the 1920s, more families called Amarillo home” As Amarillo grew, so did the need for more milk and other foods. By the 1920s, more families called Amarillo home. J. Lindsay Nunn, who had moved to Texas in 1905, saw a dairy investment opportunity. Nunn’s father, J.E., had helped start the Amarillo Daily News in 1907. He was a media mogul operating numerous newspapers and other publications. But the younger Nunn sought more business ventures on his own. Eager to diversify his income potential, in 1929 Nunn lent a man money to buy 70 cows and a section of land to start a local dairy that is now the Tradewinds section of Amarillo. Nunn had graduated from Georgetown College and had some business sense. His milk-minded borrower apparently did not. Within two years, Nunn saw that his investment for milk production was going sour. His borrower was virtually broke. After realizing he wasn’t meant to be a dairyman, the man walked into Nunn’s office and declared, “I’m busted – you can have the whole thing.” With his investment in jeopardy, Nunn had no choice. He took over the dairy himself. The dairy operation had monthly revenue of about $1,700. Nunn saw an opportunity for profit. “In 1934, the soon-to-be-familiar name “Plains Creamery” was adopted.” In 1934, the soon-to-be-familiar name “Plains Creamery” was adopted and the dairy moved into Amarillo. It became incorporated and added a second truck for deliveries. The business quickly grew at its location at Second and Taylor. Its prominence in the city also grew. Familiar Plains Creamery delivery trucks were a welcome sight to local homes and businesses. In 1937, Amarillo newspapers carried one of many holiday advertisements from what had become the city’s Home Town Dairy. The catchy slogan, “Drink Plains Milk for Health, Beauty and Charm,” helped assure customers they were receiving the finest dairy products available. Nunn admired Amarillo’s business leaders and the dedication they showed in building the community. He was an original contributor to Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch, a regional home and school for youth. Nationally, he expanded in media ventures like his father. He owned more than 25 newspapers and five radio stations. He was also involved in telecommunications and electric utilities. By the early ‘40s Nunn had also moved his diversified business operations to Lexington, Ky. In another livestock-oriented venture, he started the Kentucky Hereford Association and also published the Kentucky Hereford Journal. Nunn needed more assistance in keeping the dairy running in an efficient manner. In 1943, A.F. Madison came to Amarillo from Roswell, N.M. to manage the operation. Madison was a friend of the family. In fact, as a boy he even threw newspapers for the Nunns. In those World War II years, the dairy had about $100,000 in capital and had gross annual sales of about $400,000, according to reports in the Amarillo Globe-News. Madison quickly became heavily involved in the local business community. He served as president of the Amarillo Downtown Kiwanis Club and was eventually elected president of the Amarillo Chamber of Commerce. Strong growth continued through the ‘40s and into 1950. In 1951, Plains moved to Third and Taylor. By the early ‘50s, gross sales reached some $3.5 million. In the fall of 1954, Plains Creamery became affiliated with National Dairy Products Corp. It was accomplished via exchanges of stock. It continued to operate as Plains, a Texas corporation, and carry National’s “Sealtest” brand. Sealtest was well known, with its products distributed to “virtually every country in the western hemisphere,” according to a Globe-News report. In 1955, Plains became eligible for the Sealtest trademark after meeting strict laboratory regulations for cleanliness. New additions were made, including a cottage cheese processing vat and more modern pasteurizing equipment. Besides the Amarillo main dairy, branch plants were now operating in Arnett, and Pampa and Borger, Texas. “All in all, the dairy turned out pretty well.” The Globe-News reported” “I hired A.F. Madison to run the thing and added modern equipment as we went along,” Nunn said. “All in all, the dairy turned out pretty well.” The Globe-News reported “the creamery has expanded its market to cover the North Plains of Texas and Western Oklahoma, both in sales and as a milk supply area.” It was now running about 115 trucks to distribute its products and to bring milk to Amarillo from such distant points as its Arnett, Okla. plant. More advanced refrigeration systems enabled the dairy to gather Grade A milk and ship it to Amarillo in cooled tank trucks.