By Kim Buddington
You’ve made it to part 2 of our tour, thanks for sticking around! We still have more great dairy farms and foods to discover together.
Stop #8- Montana
Lifeline Farm in Victor, MT is a USDA Certified Organic dairy, producing milk products from grass-fed Brown Swiss and Braunvieh cows. They pride themselves on sustainability and are also a certified Demeter Biodynamic farm. If you’re curious about what this means, check out their webpage for more information. Lifeline Farm’s dairy products offerings include pasteurized fluid milk and cheese. (8)
Their delicious sounding cheese menu includes aged and fresh cheeses, like, extra sharp to mild cheddars, raw milk cheddar, Montana jack, and Mozzarella. In addition to milk, they also sell beef and pork products. Whey, which is a byproduct of the cheese making process, makes a great feed supplement for pigs. Lifeline Farm products can be purchased from the farm store, or at over thirty select retail outlets in Montana and neighboring states! (8)
If you’re interested in learning about how they make their cheese, there is a nifty, interactive step-by-step explanation on their website to click through. Follow the Lifeline Creamery & Farm Store on Facebook or Instagram for more. (8)
Stop #9- Massachusetts
In picturesque Westhampton, MA, the Parsons family of Mayval Farm have been dairy farming for a long time…all the way back to 1778! There are several breeds of dairy cattle that call Mayval Farm home, as the herd is comprised of a mix of Jersey, Holstein, and Brown Swiss. Back in early 2015, the Parsons began bottling milk in their new on-farm creamery facility. (9)
From the creamery, you can enjoy fantastic minimally processed chocolate and whole milk. In addition to that, you can also satisfy your cheese cravings with fresh cheese curds, Mayval’s signature skyr (of Icelandic origin (14)), and more. All of this, as well as other products such as maple syrup, are available from their lovely little farm store attached to the creamery. Products are also sold at a handful of local shops, and at area farmer’s markets on select days.(9)
We’ve also visited Mayval Farm and had personal interactions with the Parsons family. This arm is and excellent example of the traditional New England dairy, and the family is devoted to providing their animals with the best care and making high-quality products. Do stop by the farm and taste for yourself, if you live in, or are ever passing through western Massachusetts. If you want to stay up to speed with all the happenings at Mayval Farm, connect with them on Facebook and or Twitter. (9)
Stop #10- Texas
In McGregor, TX, the Mill-King dairy farm has been in the family since the 1940s. It has been handed down through multiple generations and evolved to where it is today. In 2010, the family began retail sales of raw milk. By the end of 2011, in part due to low commodity milk prices, they were selling pasteurized milk from their creamery plant.(10)
The minimal processing of milk is vital to the mission of Mill-King Market & Creamery, as they saw dairy allergies among family members be alleviated through the consumption of raw and gently pasteurized milk! The cows that produce this wonderful milk are grass and forage fed and are treated as naturally as possible. (10)
Even if you don’t live nearby the farm, you may still be in luck when it comes to sourcing Mill-King Market & Creamery milk. They distribute through retailers in multiple cities including Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, Houston, and San Antonio. Raw milk, however, is only available directly from the farm. Also available at the farm store, are a wide variety of food products for folks with allergies to items such as eggs or gluten. To stay up to date with Mill-King Market & Creamery, check out their Facebook, Twitter, and or Instagram! (10)
Stop #11- Iowa
In Guthrie Center, IA, we make our next stop at Sheeder Cloverleaf Dairy, another pasture-based dairy operation. The family pays special attention to the health and condition of the soil in their fields so that the cows are consuming feeds of optimum quality. Like many other farmstead creameries, Sheeder Cloverleaf dairy opts to use the low-temperature pasteurization method, but then homogenizes their milk. They package their products in old fashioned glass bottles. (11)
From this dairy, you can enjoy chocolate, whole, 2%, and skim milk. They also carry cream, and on a seasonal basis, egg nog! Oh, and who doesn’t love ice cream? Sheeder Cloverleaf Dairy produces ice cream using their very own recipe. Their flavor offerings sound amazing, like chocolate coffee, lemon custard, and cookies and cream. (11)
If that was enough to entice you, and you’re local to the Des Moines area, there are many retail stores and restaurants listed on the farm website that are said to carry their products. Their Facebook page is full of photos of happy cows on grass, as well as regular updates, so make sure you follow along! (11)
Stop #12- Kansas
Skyview Farm and Creamery in Pleasanton, KS, is all about cheese! Skyview Farm is a small family operation, owned by Bill and Sheri Noffke, and located on a plot of 80 acres. They utilize rotational grazing for their milking cows, feed non-GMO grains, and strive to use organic farming methods whenever possible. (12)
Their Jersey cows provide all the milk for the cheese they create, as the wonderfully high butterfat ratio of Jersey milk helps to make a great finished product. The Noffke’s are passionate about making high quality aged cheeses, and even have their own aging cave where the transformation happens. Some of the cheese varieties that Skyview Farm offers for sale include Jalapeno, smoked, and plain Goudas. They also make Asiago, Fontina, and a specialty cheese called “Skyview Prairie.” (12)
Hungry? You can visit Skyview Farm and purchase cheese right there, or at the farmers market in Overland Park, KS or from select stores around Kansas City. Their website features a blog to follow, or you can stay updated by connecting with them on Facebook. (12)
Stop #13- Alabama
Last but not least, we conclude this tour way down south in Slocomb, AL, at Working Cows Dairy. Jan and Rinske de Jong moved across the Atlantic from Holland to the United States in 1985. Their dream was to establish a dairy operation, and they did just that. After several years of working from leased farms, they finally moved to their current location in Slocomb by 1991. (13)
In 2006, they made the switch from conventional farming to organic. Cows raised on grass became their focus. Becoming an organic dairy is a long, slow process, which you can read more about on their website if you desire. (13)
As far as the milk you can purchase from Working Cows Dairy; they offer whole, skim, 2%, and 1% chocolate, as well as heavy whipping cream for your culinary needs. Quite recently, they dove into cheese making. They now make quite a selection of aged cheese, and some of them are even USDA Certified Organic. Some of the unique varieties you can sink your teeth into include Gouda with cumin seeds, chive and celery blend cheeses, and even a nettle flavored cheese! (13)
Working Cows Dairy products can be bought at the farm, or from a number of retail stores throughout Alabama, Georgia, and Florida. Follow along with all the happenings of this farm on Pinterest, Facebook, and or Instagram. (13)
Well, there you have it, folks. This concludes our special #JuneDairyMonth Virtual Farm Tour! We hope you enjoyed, and maybe even found your next favorite dairy delight! Isn’t it neat how all of these farms are very much the same, yet all so very different? The story of each farm and family is diverse, which means everyone has something unique to bring to the table.
So again, we hope you’ll join us in celebrating dairy this month, by supporting your local farmers and helping them spread the word about what they have to offer. But don’t just do it this month, do it all year long!
References
9.http://mayvalfarm.com/index.html
11.http://www.sheedercloverleafdairy.com/index.php
13.http://www.workingcowsdairy.com/
14.https://www.icelandicprovisions.com/what-is-skyr/
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