FUNSTON — Wednesday, Georgia Commissioner Tommy Irvin gladly sampled some of Sparkman’s Cream Valley’s antioxidant-rich blueberry ice cream, made with blueberries from local growers.

Just before that, he savored a glass of decadent chocolate milk to the delight of dairy owner Ricky Sparkman and his family. Irvin wasn’t the only one treated to the rich and flavorful tastes of Sparkman products. A sizable crowd showed up at the dairy on Rossman Dairy Road for its official grand opening. As they congratulated the family on its new venture, they paired the range of milks offered with cookies made with Cream Valley butter and spooned a variety of the dairy’s ice creams. Blueberry was a particular hit.

Among those joining Irvin were Deputy Commissioner Terry Coleman and Assistant Commissioner Oscar Garrison. The group not only toured the dairy but also visited Sanderson Farms and Ice House America.

Three generations of Sparkmans have grown their business since 1967. For nearly all of that time, they sold their raw milk for processing elsewhere. The Sparkmans now have diversified into marketing their “gourmet milk” (free of artificial hormones and packaged in biodegradable containers), butter and ice cream. On the horizon — perhaps by the end of the year — will be the introduction of Cream Valley cheeses on the market.

Sparkman noted in his speech to the crowd he had several grandchildren and one on the way.

“That’s the reason this is all happening,” he said to a round of laughter.

“Diversification is the thing of the future in all of agriculture,” Irvin said, making sure to mention agritourism as part of the mix.

“… The deputy and I were in Central America over the weekend, and we were on a farm where they were converting their Jersey cow milks into cheeses. I don’t think they marketed any fluid milk at all. This has both,” he said.

Calling milk a “precious commodity,” Irvin committed the state department’s resources to promoting the Colquitt County line of dairy products.

“They have a quality ice cream, high butterfat. Jersey cows are known for that,” the commissioner said.

Half of Georgia’s milk goes to Florida, said Michael Culpepper, milk specialist with the Georgia Department of Agriculture.

“The thing you can’t prevent is mergers,” Irvin said. “When I became commissioner (nearly four decades ago), we had over 3,000 dairies in Georgia. Now, we have less than 300. They’re larger and more productive. They’ve trimmed down. For those that stay, I think they will do extremely well.”

“That a local dairy can provide a fresh, wholesome product for its constituents, that’s a plus,” Culpepper said. “We want to nurture that and carry this on not just here, but we’d love to see it in other parts of the state so we could have our customers within the state of Georgia have a local supply of milk. That’s where Deputy Coleman and the commissioner — they’re pushing that now as far as markets to give us a fresh and wholesome product.

“… We do have them moving interstate right now,” he said.

Sparkman’s Cream Valley has the attention of Atlanta chain Whole Foods Market, Sparkman said. Distribution is expanding into South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama and Florida.