The Creation of our On-Farm Creamery

We’re in the process of building and equipping an on-farm creamery to bottle milk from our cows for retail sale. There is an interested in purchasing products directly from the farmers who produce them. Our creamery will allow people to purchase fresh milk from a local farm.

We will produce small batches of non-homogenized, whole milk in white and flavors. The creamery is located just steps away from where the cows are milked. You can’t get any fresher than that! Very few dairy farms in Ohio, or across the country, make products on-farm for retail sale. We’re excited about this new adventure!

We remodeled a portion of office space in the barn for the processing room. Here are some pictures from the construction of the Creamery which started in February. . .

The office space before becoming a Creamery

A local Amish family remodeled this space

The room with it's new ceiling

Me in the Creamery after the walls were complete

Experts from Burton Carpet carefully install the tile floor

Preparing the concrete mix for the Creamery floor

The tile floor during installation

The 250 gallon vat pasteurizer being delivered

Lad moved it with the loader while I watched nervously

Lad moved the pasteurizer onto the front porch with the skid steer

Moving the vat pasteurizer into it's new home

Discussing the next steps to installing equipment in the Creamery

We plan to sell milk at the farm, at local retail outlets and restaurants. We hope to be producing milk for sale by mid-June. For updates, check this blog or the Hastings Dairy Facebook page.

Is Milk Safe? How do I Know it’s Free of Antibiotics?

Did you know none of the milk in the grocery store, conventional or organic, contains antibiotics? Regardless if milk is labeled as being free of antibiotics or not. All milk is tested for antibiotics and discarded if it tests positive. Of the 3.19 million loads of raw milk delivered to processing plants across the country in 2013, only 445, or 0.014%, tested positive for antibiotics. This milk was dumped and never reached the grocery store shelf.

 

In this video, I share how dairy farmers keep antibiotics out of milk;

 

In my experience, milk safety and quality systems in the U.S. work. Milk quality begins at the farm, but is carried through all the people responsible along the way including the person who hauls milk from the farm to the processor and the processor who prepares the product for retail sale.

 

Here’s what fellow dairy farmers, a veterinarian and a dietician have to say about milk safety;

 

Milk Testing…If it’s not perfect, we pitch it! By Shannon Siefert, Minnesota Dairy Farmer

"I bet you didn't know that each dairy farmer is required to keep ANY cows treated with antibiotics separate from the other cows that are not treated with antibiotics. The milk from all treat cows is usually disposed of and does not enter the human food supply. If it's not perfect, we pitch it, every time, everyday!"

 

Antibiotics in my Milk? by Dairy Moos Blog, California Dairy Farmer
"I can say confidently that there are no antibiotics in any milk because it’s illegal for antibiotics to be in the milk."

 

Cows, Antibiotics, and You by Will Gilmer, Alabama Dairy Farmer

"When antibiotics are deemed necessary for the sake of an animal's health, we have a process that allows us to help the cow while protecting the safety and integrity of the milk that leaves our farm."

Veterinarians, Farmers Have Shared Goal of Producing Safe Milk Supply

From coast to coast, dairy veterinarians around the nation feel similarly about using antibiotics responsibly. Chick here to watch how veterinarian, Dr. Richard Veeman, cares for cows in Oregon. 

 

Food for Thought – A Perpetual Post by Melissa Joy Dobbinson, Registered Dietitian

 

Click here for a great resource that shares brief videos with answers to common questions about milk safety. 

 

I want to assure you U.S. dairy products are safe. They are among the most highly regulated and tested products on the store shelf today. You can feel good about serving milk and dairy products to your family!

 

It's National Agriculture Day!

It’s National Agriculture Day! I’m celebrating because dairy farming has been a way of life for me and my family for generations. My husband and I are glad to be raising our boys on a farm. But agriculture doesn’t only impact farm families, it’s far reaching touching everyone’s life.

Today is a great opportunity to reflect on how agriculture makes a positive impact in our lives; 

Food quality & choice – there is a larger variety of quality food in the store today than ever before

Fiber - plants, like cotton, and animals, like sheep, goats, and alpacas, produce wonderful fibers

By-products - many household items, medicine and other goods contain plant and animal products

Open space - large flat fields, small rolling fields, barns and tractors create beautiful landscapes 

Economic impact - farmers purchase lots of products and services which support local businesses

Strong community - farms are the backbone of viable rural communities 

This is one of my favorite photos of my sons, Garrett and Jack, and my husband, Lad

As dairy farmers, we are interested in making improvements that benefit the animals we care for and the land we grow crops on. Part of working smart is utilizing technology and other tools available to do a better job producing food using fewer resources.

My 2013 National Ag Day blog post shared the Evolution of Dairy Farming featuring improvements dairy farmers have made over the years. It includes thoughts from my father, Tony Souza, and my father-in-law, Duane Hastings, both dairy farmers who have experienced many changes in dairy farming over the years.

Dairy farming is a unique and challenging business. In order to sustain farming and the food choices people enjoy today, it’s necessary to embrace farmers of all types and sizes. Successful farms producing quality food can be large, small, organic, or conventional. Healthy animals can be fed a variety of feed stuffs and be housed inside or outside. It’s ok if we adopt different practices. The goal for all farmers is caring for land and animals to produce quality products people want to consume. After all, we live on our farms and eat the food produced here!

National Ag Day is the perfect time to celebrate the food quality and choices we enjoy in this country. Thanks to farmers who work hard every day and to consumers who support what we do!

Is Farm Animal Cruelty Common?

I just read a story in Rolling Stone Magazine titled "Animal Cruelty Is the Price We Pay for Cheap Meat”. If I was reading this as someone who has never been on a farm, I would be mortified. What a horrible picture this story paints of animal agriculture!

What the Rolling Stone story describes is NOT an accurate description of a dairy farm. I’m a third generation dairy producer who grew up on a dairy farm. I know lots of dairy farmers and have been to a number of farms. I’d like to share my experience. The Rolling Stone article discusses several types of livestock operations, but I’ll only cover dairy because that’s what I know.

Rolling Stone (RS) article info & the Reality on our Farm

RS: Livestock are “raised for our consumption in dark, filthy, pestilent barns. Milk cows are raised, like pigs, on a concrete slab in a stall barely bigger than their body.”

Reality: Our cows live in large, comfortable freestall barns with individual beds. Fans keep them cool in the summer and curtains/doors can be rolled down to enclose the barn keeping the animals warm in the winter. They have free-choice fresh water to drink and nutritious food to eat. They can move about to eat, drink, rest and socialize whenever they like. They are healthy, comfortable and content in this calm environment which was created especially to meet their needs.  

Inside the freestall barn; cows can eat, rest, walk around or socialize

Relaxing in her individual sand bed

Cows socializing by the water trough in the freestall barn

RS: “A cocktail of drugs, combined with breeding decisions, has grossly distended the size of a cow’s udder so they trip over it if allowed to graze, which of course they’re not.”

Reality: Cow’s udders come in all sizes, some are small and some are large. They tend to sag as cows age. We don’t breed our cows to have giant udders. We do want cows with good milk production, but the size of udder doesn’t necessarily correlate to the quantity of milk she produces. I’ve never seen a cow “trip over her udder”. Our milk cows spend the majority of the time in the barn and are quite happy there. When weather permits, some animals are housed outside. We make these decisions based on what is best for the animals.

Cows walking to the milking parlor - their udders come in a variety of sizes

During warm months, some of our animals are outside.

RS: “Cow’s hooves are rotted black from standing in their own shit, their teats are scarred, swollen and leaking pus – infected by mastitis – and they’re sick to the verge of total collapse from giving nearly 22,000 pounds of milk a year.”

Reality: Our barns are cleaned remove manure several times each day because we don’t want cows standing in manure. They also get their hooves trimmed regularly (like a pedicure). It’s import to keep cows udders and teats healthy. That’s why the milking machine is lined with soft rubber and stays on the cow a limited amount of time (usually 5 minutes/milking). Occasionally a cow can get mastitis, if she does we put her in the hospital pen where she receives treatment and special care until she’s well. Our cows are healthy because we make sure they are cared for properly; they eat well, drink plenty of fresh water, live in comfortable, dry conditions and receive medical treatment when necessary.

The barns are kept clean - manure is removed from the barn several times each day

The milking process is comfortable for the cows; the machine is on her about 5 minutes

RS: Animal rights activists are, “infiltrating farms and documenting the abuse done to livestock herds by the country’s agri-giants.”

Reality: Farming is a family business. Many farms are multi-generational. Ninety-eight percent of U.S. dairy farms are owned and operated by families. Larger farms depend on employees. In addition to our family labor, we have nine full-time staff at our farm. We are still a family farm. 

Lad feeds a newborn calf colostrum as our son, Garret watches

Taylor works at our farm, he's great with the cows and we're lucky he's on our team

RS: “The U.S. Department of Agriculture is so short-staffed that it typically only sends inspectors out to slaughterhouses, where they check a small sample of pigs, cows and sheep before they’re put to death."

Reality: Dairy farms are inspected regularly. A state licensed milk inspector comes to our farm, unannounced, several times each year. There are many rules and regulations we follow to ensure the milk produced on our farm is safe and healthy. Any dairy farm producing Grade A milk, regardless of size, must follow the same rules to maintain a milk producer license.   
 

After being milked, cows can hang out on this deck then walk back to their barn when they're ready

RS: Cattle and hog farmers “dump antibiotics into the grain they fed the stock.”

Reality: Our cows are not fed antibiotics. All milk is tested for antibiotics before it is allowed to be unloaded at a milk processing plant. If the load tests positive for antibiotics, it is discarded. If we fed antibiotics, we would not be able to sell our milk. For example, if one cow is being treated with antibiotics at our farm and her milk accidentally gets into our 4,000 gallon milk tank, that entire tank load of milk will test positive for antibiotics and be dumped. As a result, we would not be paid for that tank load of milk and would face disciplinary action from the state department of agriculture. There is no economic advantage to overusing antibiotics.

Cows love to eat! These girls are enjoying a well balanced diet.

The real animal advocates are farmers and ranchers who care for animals daily. They are the people who dedicate their lives to animal welfare. 

These heifers love the people who care for them!

The undercover videos I’ve seen show one or two individual employees doing the wrong thing. It’s never ok to abuse an animal. People who make the wrong choice should face justice and suffer the consequences of their actions. These are rare cases that get lots of attention. Though uncommon, abuse happens. It can happen to humans and animals in homes, assisted living facilities, daycares and sometimes on farms. It’s not normal or acceptable behavior.

If you have questions about farming, I urge you to talk to a farmer or visit a farm. You'll be pleasantly surprised at what you find!

Meet dairy farmers from around the country at Dairy Farming Today’s “Farmer Spotlight”.

Read what other dairy and livestock farmers have to say:

Sometimes we are mean to our cows by Dairy Carrie, Dairy Farmer
Animal Curelty is NOT the Price we Pay for Cheap Meat, by Wanda Patsche, Hog Farmer

Why Do Hog Farmers Keep Their Pigs Inside Barns? by Chris Chinn, Hog Farmer

Cattle producers want you to see inside the Barn  

Take a look inside a beef processing facility at Glass Walls Beef Plant featuring Dr. Temple Grandin, Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University and widely considered to be the world's leading expert on humane animal handling at meat packing plants.

The Rolling Stone article is very one-sided, full of false information and written with an agenda in mind. You don’t have to be vegan to be compassionate. It doesn’t appear that they bother talking to any farmers before writing their story. That’s disappointing. The majority of farmers do a great job caring for animals and operating their farms. If you have question about food and farming, I urge you to ask a farmer.

Why I’m a Farm Bureau Member?

Last week I participated in the 95^th Ohio Farm Bureau annual meeting in Columbus with 345 other voting delegates representing 201,000 members statewide.

Geauga County Delegates: Me, Gene, Bob & Dave

General Session at the 95th Ohio Farm Bureau Annual Meeting

As I participated in this event, I was reminded of the reasons I value being a Farm Bureau member.

My involvement in Farm Bureau began when I was Junior in high school. I grew up in Tulare, California where I participated in the local Farm Bureau’s Youth Leadership program. After graduating from college, I returned to my hometown where I became involved in the Farm Bureau Agriculture Education Committee. This involvement continued until Lad and I moved to Ohio.

Within weeks of arriving in Ohio nine years ago, a Farm Bureau member arrived at our farm to talk with me about joining Farm Bureau. I was happy to join. A few years later, I was asked to run for the county board. Now I’m serving in my 6^th year as a board member.

Why am I a Farm Bureau member?

People – I’ve meet some great and inspirational people at Farm Bureau events. Being involved at the local and state level has provided the opportunity to meet people from around the state who share my interests in agriculture.

Policy - Farm Bureau does a good job representing my interests as a farmer and resident of a rural community. Policy adopted in Columbus and Washington D.C. impacts my family and farm. It’s important for agriculture to have a voice shaping policy.  

Promote - I believe it’s important to promote the benefits of a strong agriculture economy in my community and state. Healthy and plentiful food choices are good for everyone! Farm Bureau staff and volunteers work tirelessly to preserve a strong agriculture presence.

Protect – Protecting food production makes it possible for farms and rural communities to thrive. Farm Bureau provides support in navigating farm regulations and works to ensure these rules don’t become overly burdensome. I appreciate how Farm Bureau works to bring all Ohio agriculture organizations together to collaborate on projects that are important to all farmers.

Partnership - It’s vital for farmers to engage with consumers who have questions about food and farming. I like Farm Bureau's mission; to forge a partnership between farmers and consumers.

I’m proud to be a Farm Bureau member. Thank you to Farm Bureau staff and fellow volunteers for everything you do to help agriculture thrive in Ohio!

Farm Bureau is a national organization with members all over the U.S. Check out this post from The Farmer's Wife, a fellow blogger from Washington. She writes about why she fell in love with the Farm Bureau.

For more about the OFBF Annual Meeting, check out:

Ohio Farm Bureau Delegates Set Policy 
OFBF Sets Policy at 9th Annual Meeting, Ohio Country Journal

Mom Blogger asks “Dr. Oz – Where’s the Farmer?”

I recently read a post by Confessions of a Farm Wife, regarding Dr. Mehmet Oz’ promotion of food fear asking “Hey Oz! Where’s the farmer?” She listed six reasons Dr. Oz hasn’t invited “an educated, well intentioned farmer to sit on a panel: Money, Spin, Pop Culture, Fear, Justification and a Reason, Pride”. I found her insight interesting and encourage you to check out her post.

What are your thoughts on Dr. Oz’ portrayal of food, farmers and farming?   

Today, food quality and safety are better than ever. Our food choices are more abundant than any time in history. Farming methods, animal care and environmental sustainability have improved and continue to improve. For example, today it takes less land, water, feed and resources to produce a gallon of milk than it did 50 years ago. 

Scenes from our dairy farm

Despite these improvements, food fear seems to get a lot of attention. There are many books, movies and TV shows dedicated to “warning” people about food and farming. Why all this fear about food? Why the need to promote mistrust of farming methods? Maybe the bigger question is why do people seem quick to buy into negative stories about food and farming?

I feel very confident purchasing, and feeding my family, products that come from the grocery store. I trust the food supply in this country. I know how animals are cared for, how much detail goes into planning an animal's diet, and how many rules are in place to insure food safety. I know almost every farm in this country is owned by a family who cares about the food they are producing. Farming has evolved and improved from one generation to the next. New methods and technology are a good thing, not something to be feared.

Generations of Hastings family dairy farmers: Chief, Duane, Lad, Jack

The dairy farming community is trying to connect and share information with people who have questions. We know less than 2% of our population works in agriculture and that very few people have ever met a farmer or visited a farm. Wonder who’s producing your milk? Click here to meet a dairy farmer!

If you have questions about why dairy farmers do certain things on their farms, just ask. Click here for a list of dairy producer bloggers – they would love to hear from you! 

If you have questions about food, check out these reliable sources.
 

When it comes to information about food and farming, more is better. I hope I’ve provide some resources you can use to make the best food choices for you and your family.