The Dairy & Beyond

We have a multi-faceted farming operation with cows, dairy and cheesemaking at the center of what we do. Everything else builds from there. Our perfect herd size seems to be milking about 25 to 30 cows. Our original herd was mostly Holstein and Jersey but we have added in high cheese merit genetics on the Jersey and Holstein side as well as brought in some Ayreshire and Devons into the herd to breed our “perfect cow”. That cow is a vigorous animal that produces high-component milk for cheesemaking, is suited to a living a life outside on green grass, walking up and down hills, smaller profile, solidly built and able to maintain body condition on a primarily grass based diet.

At the end of 2019 we switched to a seasonal dairy model. We dried up the herd in late December and everyone took a break until calving began in mid-February. This approach allows us to walk in better step with the natural rhythm of the seasons, gives us all (cows and humans alike) a little coordinated break, and allows time for us to do much needed maintenance and repairs outside of the demands of twice a day milking. It is the way many small family dairy farms operated before they were pressured to get larger, milk more cows, and financially incentivized to milk year round by the milk cooperatives. We don’t sell to milk cooperatives so we don’t need to succumb to that pressure. We can be seasonal and small because we use all the milk from our cows to make cheese right here on the farm and serve most of our cheese in the form of cheeseboards and grilled cheese sandwiches to our customers right here in our on-farm cafe. Sometimes bigger isn’t always better.

We added hard apple cider making and feed the spent apples back to the cows. They love it. In 2021, we added preserve production to go with our cheese and a demonstration garden for visitors to enjoy. 
In 2025, we added hogs to help complete the circle. They love the spent whey from cheesemaking, apple scraps from the cider press and lots of room to root in grass and the forested areas we move them through. We chose purebred Gloucester Old Spots aka the "Orchard Pig" due to their docile nature and the history of the breed. They acclimated well to the farm and were easy to move around with mobile fencing. They have been a great addition to the farm. 

We have transitioned all of our fields to permanent, diversified grass pastures and retained one six acre field for sunflowers in the summer and beneficial cover crops to improve soil in the winter. As we grow and evolve we don’t want to become a larger and larger dairy producer, we want to build a diverse and sustainable farming operation and bring people here to enjoy, learn and experience what we are doing. We want to become experts at grass and soil management and continue to build on the healthy foundation of the farm. Our loyal customers and informed cafe staff are our best ambassadors, just ask them!