Don't BEE crazy

When Keith came running up to the house the other night yelling for my camera, I was mildly intrigued. He's a laid back type of guy so this behavior was unexpected. All three GK's were present and accounted for so no worry there but the camera thing...how odd. He never takes pictures.

So I meandered out to where he was behind the machine shed and found these

One big group of SWARMING bees. Look at them ! Big and little had come from who knows where and were settling into an empty bee hive we had been meaning to fill with new bees to be purchased. Now most folks would not like this particular site but we were pretty happy. Happy from a distance I might add.

After a few minutes the traveling bees settled into their new home. It wasn't long before there was virtually very little evidence of their Swarm Dance 2011.  They are good tenants who will pay us soon in golden honey you will find in bottles in our farm store. Once again traveling a very short distance before it is purchased, it will go from hive to our machine shed for cleaning and bottling and back to our little farm store which sits approximately 30 feet from this hive. Now that's  LOCAL honey.

Cream

Although a fabulous band of the 60's and the home of Eric Clapton before he was known as Clapton, the Cream I am speaking of has nothing to do with guitars. But before I continue I must YouTube them and get a little fix.



I'm a little worried about the end of his guitar though. All that smoke must indicate an electrical problem eh ? Sooo where was I ? Oh yeah, woke up, got out of bed, dragged a comb 'cross my head. Woke the GK's, drank coffee, packed up for the Farmers Market which we have done the last 6 Saturdays but today was cool 'cause another wonderful family was hosting it so all I had to do was set up (with Keith's help yeah) and then put out all my soaps in these great new display cabinets built by son Colton and Keith and then came home and made this HUGE breakfast for the GK's complete with Peanut Butter Pancakes and bacon ends which is the best bacon of all as it has the biggest fat hunks sent the kids outside to play in the "woods" which is just a patch of trees we never pulled about 50 feet from the house drank the rest of my cold coffee and decided to blog...

about cream.

(You think reading that was hard ?! You should live with all that in your head 24/7)

We have been enjoying lots of cream lately as Keith recently was able to repair a very vintage cream separator we obtained from the Jordan family. Who by the way we still owe for. They said they would take the amt due in return for milk but as yet they have not come for said milk should I just send them a check ?  (breathe Donna, breathe)

Sure you could start Frankensteins heart with this machine
could you not ?

After purchasing several new parts and playing with all those parts to get them in the correct cream separating order...Keith is now able to pour lots of raw milk into the big monster machine and get back the most awesome cream ever . The weirdest cream ever. So thick it hardly pours. Once I put it in my food processor it turns to whip cream so stiff I can tour the bowl over and it does not move. Allowing the blades to continue the butter breaks apart within three minute after that and is so bright yellow it looks tampered with. Tampered as in FD &C Yellow number 432938


Of course a bearing goes out after you've filled it with
 five gallons of milk. Murphys Raw.

And now a homestead update. Farm brochure being made by our Realtor and then MLS posting shall begin. We've had lots of interest and several phone calls. We spend our evenings looking online at small house plans but all are so goofy with their huge master bedrooms and king sized baths. We'll end up designing our own I'm sure. In the meantime junk is flying out the door and a few windows as we prepare for the biggest garage sale of our lives !

Something is a little "off"

Every year it happens. The earth revolves around the sun. I know because Sister Viola taught me this in second grade. As the earth does this, Spring becomes a reality. With spring comes warmer weather, at least that's what happens here in the Midwest. You goofballs living near a place called Iron Creek Lake in South Dakota are still dealing with snow and therefore cannot relate. You will probably feel better if you just stop reading now, grab another blanket and put another piece of furniture on the fire. You must be out of wood logs by now.

With this warmer weather (and rain if you are blessed) comes the wild phenomenon known as pasture growth. Yeah man, I'm talking about grass. Green green grass.

Cows eat grass, at least those lucky enough not to be living their whole life on a concrete feed lot. That green green grass is converted to milk, and spring milk tastes different than winter milk. Every year, one or two of our new milk customers, the ones who have only been drinking winter milk, that which comes after the cow eats dry hay all winter, will react with a little shock and awe.

Some will say "Uh, I hate to say anything but your milk tastes a little funny."
And we will say, "Does it taste bad?'
They will say "No, just funny, sort of  "off"  I guess"
And we will say, "Is it fresh ?"
They will say, "Yes, I just bought it this morning."
And we will then tell them all about grassy milk vs hay-ey milk. (Put down your keyboards spelling Nazi's I know what I am doing.)

We tell them to look at this way. When a mother nurses her baby, her milk will often reflect or taste like, what she has recently eaten. A meal heavy in onions and baby might turn away and dial Rent-a-Breast  for their next meal. This is the reason why Docs advise nursing moms against consuming strong drugs, alcohol and even caffeine.

It is the same way with cows, which is why their milk tastes different in the spring when suddenly they are consuming a very different diet than they were a few weeks ago. Soon that new taste will be just as familiar as the winter tasting milk. To ensure your milk is safe to drink though, you should follow some basic rules, winter and summer.

1. Be sure you obtain your milk from a reputable dairy. The tank room should look and smell clean
2. ASK your farmer how he milks his cows, how he cleans their udders, how he cleans the pipe system and the bulk tank.
3. Ask him about any milk testing he does, ask to SEE his milk test results.
4. Check the temperature gauge on his bulk tank. It should be 42 degrees or lower.

Now be sure to do YOUR part to keep your milk healthy and nutritional

1. Always wash your hands before collecting milk in your container.
2. Make sure your milk bottles and lids/caps are VERY clean. Wash them with hot soapy water and then a 1:10 bleach water solution. The hotter the bleach water the better. Rinse and dry well.
3. Transport your milk in an ice chest with ice packs. Keep your milk COLD.
4. Educate yourself about raw milk . One excellent resource is Raw Milk Production Handbook by Tim Wightman. Available through http://www.farmtoconsumer.org/

Now go pour yourself a tall cold one.

Grad student ? Come on down !

Really, last week was fantastic with all our numerous farm visitors. Seems everyone is interested in our Gentle Giants

From left: Pregnant Red Wattle Lacey, Pregnant Red Wattle Debbie,
Far From Pregnant Red Wattle Farmer Keith, Pregant Crossbred Leopard
and Very Pregnant Red Wattle Morticia

On Friday we had another graduate student, just like Sasha, except this one was female, did not have a beard (hey, you never know, some of us middle age women lose track of our hair chins from time to time) and attended school in Massachusetts. Specifically her name was Kristin from Goddard College. Her topic was, "The Central Illinois Farmer Photo-Dairy Project" and involved an interview, a tour, photos she took and the opportunity for me to submit photos as well. Kristin also taught me the meaning of the phrase "Visual Ethnography."  Now, over 3 dys later, I of course cannot remember the definition, but I did log the phrase into my notebook of Name Ideas for Future Alternative Rock Bands.

Kristen Thiel, dedicated grad student, fighting her way
past the ever ferocious Fannie to get photos of naughty
Freddie locked away in the feed shed.

Unfortunately, the weather was cold and rainy. Very cold, and rainy and a tad windy. Then a F3 windy. So windy that just as we were finishing up with Kristin and right before the Pollock family arrived with their girl Barbara, our large calf hutch was lifted up into the air and thrown  mercilessly to the ground, releasing several animated calves into the yard.  Herd dog Freddie, still mostly untrained , would circle one calf while three others ran past him, then he'd chase that group leaving the one he did have under control to start running the wrong way. What a zoo !

Eventually all the wind blown animals were restrained into a makeshift yard of single wire electric fencing allowing us to thank Kristen for her time and usher the Pollacks down to the barn so their gal, a stunning Red Wattle looking for love, could be unloaded between tornados. In between rain showers we were able to load Mad Max out of his pasture and into our trailer and escort him to Barbra's love lair. Funny thing about that Mad Max. Loading him required virtually no effort on Keith's part other than telling Max why he had to get into the trailer. He practically RAN into it, the little horn hog that he is.

Mad Max to the right and the petite Lady Barbara to the left

Once Babs and Max were properly introduced, "Pig, meet pig," they seemed only mildly interested in each other. They were however, greatly interested in the grain Keith spread out for them. But you learn quite a bit about someone the first time you share a meal with them, so who are we to question their priorities ? This will be Max's first girl from another farm and we are all looking forward to the results. Hopefully a happy healthy litter of the still critically Red Wattles in 4 months time. We know they will be gorgeous because that Barbara is some looker. The Lucille Ball of Red Wattles I would say. Shiny copper red hair with a glimmer of gold. Made our Max look a little dull but of course I did not say this out loud. Would hate to deflate that ego of his when he needed it most.

After dinner, the couple takes a stroll. Max waits to make his move.

Putting these two together required (by me) the writing of my first semen contract. An interesting list of do's and don'ts regarding who was responsible for what, when and where. Although it  was fairly simple, I took the contract writing  very seriously until some goofball cousin of mine, via Facebook, suggested I should now be referred to as "Semen Meister".

I get no respect. Nada

Raw Law

Raw milk evolves into raw ice cream with a little help
from farmer  Keith and the Kitchen Aid mixer

A year ago Keith and I decided to cease selling our milk to Foremost Farms after a decade long relationship with them. This decision came about right about the time they told us they would stop BUYING our milk from us if we continued to sell small amounts of raw milk  directly off our farm. Coincidence ? Hardly. If you would like to see the whole story click here  http://midlifefarmwife.blogspot.com/2010/04/rest-of-story.html

Hard to believe it has been a year. So much has happened. Our income from Foremost Farms disappeared overnight, as did quite a bit of our anxiety in regards to our raw milk sales. Many of our fellow dairy farming friends expressed concern for us. We were surprised by the number of them who were misinformed about the raw milk laws of Illinois. Some thought we would go to jail or be "shut down." These fears are not unfounded in light of the goofy actions happening across our country due in great part to legislation that is outdated and not based on research. To date it is still legal to sell raw milk in Illinois as long as the consumer brings their own container to the dairy farm. Sadly the law states we cannot advertise that we sell raw milk.( For a list of the current raw milk laws in each state go here http://www.realmilk.com/milk-laws-1.html )

Frustrating.   Beyond frustrating. How is it that one law says YES you can sell raw milk while the another law says NO, you may not advertise.?  And one more question still unanswered, what is the definition of  "advertise ".  The restriction flys in direct opposition (in my opinion) to THIS law I came across recently

505 ILCS 70/0.01) (from Ch. 5, par. 90z)

Sec. 0.01. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Farm Products Marketing Act.

(Source: P.A. 86‑1324.)

(505 ILCS 70/1) (from Ch. 5, par. 91)

Sec. 1. Every farmer, fruit and vine grower, and gardener, shall have an undisputed right to sell the produce of his farm, orchard, vineyard and garden in any place or market where such articles are usually sold, and in any quantity he may think proper, without paying any state, county or city tax, or license, for doing so, any law, city or town ordinance to the contrary notwithstanding: Provided, that the corporate authorities of any such city, town or village may prohibit the obstruction of its streets, alleys and public places for any such purpose: And, provided further, that nothing in this Act shall be so construed as to authorize the sale of spirituous, vinous or malt liquors, contrary to laws which now are or hereafter may be in force prohibiting the sale thereof.

(Source: P.A. 84‑1308.)

So lets see, I ,the farmer,  have the right to sell the produce from my farm but I don't have the right to advertise that I am selling it other than word of mouth. WHY ? How is it my neighbor can put a sign in his front yard advertising his free-range eggs, his pumpkins, her apples and berries ? How can you tell me that I cannot advertise one of our farm products from which we make a living. ?

I find these laws related to raw milk in Illinois to be  illogical and inconsistent.  It is past time that someone in Illinois took on the challenge of  getting these laws changed.

Anyone ? Anyone ?

Oh OK. I'll start walking the talk, but I could use some new athletic shoes (size 10 W)  if anyone is in the mood to donate to the cause.

A Pigcation

Enough about the pigs already ! Lets talk milk. After all this farm of ours would not even exist if it has not been for our first cow and strong milker, Kiki.

Alas Kiki has long ago gone the way of the dead animal truck, or was it the compost pile?  The family BBQ  of 2008 ? Or was she the one Keith buried but it was really hot and maybe she could have been buried a bit deeper but REALLY it was very hot and digging that hole by hand (and a shovel) before we bought a decent tractor was very hard even though it was late at night after the HOT sun went down and Keith was shoveling in his skivies and so maybe she could've been buried deeper and the next morning that one leg shot up out of the earth and we woke to find the our 3 boys playing Tether ball with a post in the yard we don't remember ever installing ? Was that her ?

Anyway, Kiki is gone but her memory and her sports abilities live on. Without her there would have been  no milk, no future calves and no dairy. No Grade A licensure, no sales to conventional Mega companies. No frustration with poor milk prices, no conversion to organic dairy, no selling of raw milk to customers who wanted it very badly. No loss of contract with Foremost, no loss of Grade A license because even though it is legal to sell milk in Illinois it is frowned upon by the government masses who feign education. No increase in milk sales, in our farms bottom line, in customer satisfaction . Without Kiki we'd probably be selling chemical supplements by the case to schools teaching children about nutrition.

Without Kiki we'd be less tired,

and less satisfied. And we are very satisfied most days. Especially on those days when customers like Bill Wilson of Midwest Permaculture http://www.midwestpermaculture.com/PDC-UWRF-March2011.php take a moment to not only thank us but then ask us to speak to his class at the University of Wisconsin. A great 45 minutes of being able to tell our story and then answer questions from young hopefuls who want to do something akin to whatwe are doing here on South Pork Ranch. That is what Keith and I did this morning.

It was an honor Bill and THANK YOU for your support of this small family farm.

Counting DOWN

If you're a follower of this blog (i.e "stalker") then you might recall our dairy situation. But for those who are new or just forgetful like so many of us Midlifarians, I'll recap. Eight months ago Foremost Coop told us to stop selling raw milk to any folks who came to the farm in need of such. Even though we'd been selling to Foremost for over a decade without any problems , even though all our IDPH inspections were good and even though  selling raw milk is legal in Illinois as long as the customer brings their own container.




Fresh whole raw milk seconds after the cow is milked just
 before it goes into our stainless steel holding tank.
 From there it goes direct to the consumer or the swine of choice.


So we stopped selling milk to Foremost and all our milk is now utilized by selling it raw (non-homogenized, unpasteurized)  direct to farm visitors or by feeding it to our pigs. Sales continue to grow (as do our hogs) every month. Funny thing happened on the way to self-sufficiency. The IDPH (Illinois Department of Public Health)  decided they no longer would grant us the Grade A license we had held for over 10 years, because they were no longer going to survey our dairy. Strange way of thinking. IDPH had publicly stated many times their belief that raw milk is dangerous yet when we asked them to please keep surveying us so we could held accountable to the high standards of Grade A licensure...they said NO.

What's a self-sufficient, responsible, certified organic dairy owner to do ?

Well..we continue to follow the IDPH standards for a Grade A Dairy, one of which is the testing of the milk for various things. One required test (if we were licensed but we are not, so its not "required" of us anymore ) is the test for SCC or Somatic Cell Count. Simply put, the SCC is an indicator of milk quality with  "somatic" referring to white blood cells. Somatic cells originate from INSIDE the cows udder and is considered one way of measuring animal health. If a cow has "mastitis" or inflammation of the udder, the SCC will rise. The SCC of Grad A Dairies should not be above one million cells per milliliter states the USDA  (United States Department of Agriculture). Cows with a SCC of less than 200,000 are considered healthy and will not likely show any signs of mastitis. The average SCC for  Grade A Dairies nationwide in 2009, was 233,000.

Our SCC last month was 90,000  (actual report available upon request to any past, present or future milk customer of ours)

Credit for this goes to our massive employee base. Both of them. Keith who milks 95% of the time and our relief milker (and son) Jason. Its because of their technique and overall herd management that our SCC is so low.

 Oh OK. I'll take a little credit. I am the one who does all the NAGGING about all the rules and regs.  Now back to IDPH.  You would think that they would WANT to survey us, to find out what we are doing well so the information can be shared with others  thus lowering SCC measurements for other dairies who sell both conventional and raw milk. Isn't that what they say they are about , a safe food supply ? I mean it just seems so logical.

Pied Piper of Pigs

Once again, because the demand for our product is growing so fast, we recently bought a "few"  feeder pigs from a neighboring farmer. Soon our breeding stock will be in full production but as our growth has been so wonderfully rapid, we have had  to "outsource" some of our pork chop crop. All hogs are still raised here but only about 75% are born here. (We believe this will be our LAST group not born on South Pork Ranch.)

So we buy piglets as young as we can and then we move them OUTSIDE. It is often the first time these piggies have ever felt dirt or been able to chew grass or bask in the sunshine.

In the beginning,  confinement hogs are very wary of people. They are used to being indoors, in tight quarters. They are often fed by automated means. They don't get the kind of behind the ear scratches and shoulder rubs our animals are accustomed to receiving. Then they come to South Pork Ranch and their lives change.

We get them on pasture as soon as we can get them acclimated to an electric fence. The REAL fun happens very quickly as Keith begins to feed them raw milk from our certified organic dairy. The pigs love it and of course fall deeply in love with Pied Piper Keith.

Medium Raw Please

            Keith brings in our herd for evening milking

They told us if we didn't stop selling raw milk they would stop buying our milk for the conventional market.  But we didn't listen. They told us we would never find enough people to buy raw milk and we'd be out of business in a month. We didn't listen. They told us they would not license us as a Grade A dairy anymore even though we'd have good inspections the last 11 years. We said fine. We'll still follow the rules just for kicks and giggles and because we believe in a good milk product. They told us people would not drive ALL THE WAY to our farm for raw milk but our customers didn't listen. They told us we'd be dumping most of our milk. Well, we do dump quite a bit of it, right into the trough for our feeder pigs.

 They look fabulous and taste scrumptious. We thought we would have to sell half our dairy herd. We've sold only five cows to four wonderful homesteads. (Yes, the Scholte family was brave enough to take TWO ) We're thinking we might need to keep more than we originally planned in order to meet the growing needs of our customers.

Keith helps our cow Pam adjust to her new home

                                               at Epiphany Farms in Downs Illinois

Supply and demand is working out very well here. Except for those days we forget to get milk for ourselves !!

So here we are 3 months into our new venture of selling all our milk...raw...direct from our farm and I have to say, its going well. On Mondays we often sell out. We've had to move some customers to other days. Since the article about our farm ran in GRAZE magazine last month,  http://www.grazeonline.com/  we've had 2-3 new milk customers every week. Some have driven as much as 3 hours one way to get to us. Thank you. Let me say it again . Thank You !

We do our best to make it worth the trip. We give tours of the farm. We let customers children actually TOUCH the farm animals.  Young children love to collect the feathers laying around. Not only do they collect the feathers, they turn themsleves into Lovely Peacock Lady and Angry Chicken Girl and write a play about those characters.

We also make it known we have 100% grass fed beef and pastured pork for sale . On good days the chickens cooperate enough to produce a few eggs to go with the bacon.

And we don't have to get up so early in order to get all the milking done before the milk truck comes. We milk on the best schedule for us and for our cows. Viva La Raw Milk !!!

Get Off Our Farms !

Again, our government, the same one whose duty it is to serve and protect us, is interfering with a farmers right to make a living for himself and for his/her family. Every week I hear of a farm who is being invaded by uninvited government officials in the ruse of "public safety" even though no illness has been reported and no claim has been filed. Please take a few moments to read about the Herschberger Family in Wisconsin
http://www.ftcldf.org/news/WI-DATCP-raids-hershberger-kennedy.htm

It is difficult to believe that small farmers like us, with a few freezers full of fresh, farm-raised meat and a few less stainless steel tanks filled with raw milk, could actually be percieved as a threat to the mega-agri businesses. But apparently we are. Instead of spending the very hard earned tax money we send our government on slightly more important issues such as terrorism and of the prevention of thousands of illegal aliens crossing over our borders every year, they chose to spend this money harrasing, inspecting and invading the small farmer.

GET OFF OUR FARMS (unless of course I invite you and then prepare yourself for a treat of homemade oatmeal cake and a tall glass of ice cold raw milk. And if you are really lucky, I'll send you home with a free sample of 100% grass fed beef )

Stay up to date with the insanity through the Farm to Consumer Defense Fundhttp://www.farmtoconsumer.org/    and Illinois ARMS (Alliance for Raw Milk) on  Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=248552160447&ref=ts

Father of Invention

I am a selfish blogger. On our farm "me" stands for Myself Entirely because that is usually who I talk about when I get in front of the keyboard. But not today. Today I talk of Keith.

Keith Parrish is my husband and partner on the farm. Together we have raised four children, and hundreds of animals, often using the same techniques for both. We have learned that what is good for the goose often applies to the out of control teenager but I digress.

Keith can make most anything out of most anything. ( Really, take ME  for example. Once a bra-burning -man-hating-hemp-dressed-unshaven-feminist , I married Keith and evolved in the logically thinking conservative I am today. But again I digress ) Most recently he created this milk fountain for our market hogs.  I wish he would have thought of this when all four kids were still living at home. Would've have saved a lot of plate washing. Anyway...when we decided to raise hogs year round we budgeted for larger DRY grain feeders. We did not plan for ways to feed extra milk from our dairy. In the past, with just a few hogs, we would just hand carry buckets of milk to the hungry hog snouts. Now, with nearly 50 head of hogs to feed we needed something more efficient and SAFER. 50 hogs running into your legs looking for milk was getting a little hairy.

So here it is. The Milk-O-Matic or MOM is you'd prefer. A nice little substitute for the real thing.

The big white barrels hold the leftover milk from our dairy, that which has not been sold to our milk customers. The barrels are old soap barrels we got FREE  from The Corner Hardware Store in Chatsworth, Illinois. Keith fitted them at the bottom with $8 valves to allow the milk to flow out of the barrels. The barrels are supported by a hard plastic pallet which allows Keith to move the barrels from the milk house to the pig pasture with the forks on our Kubota tractor.

When Keith opens the valve on the spigot and the deliciously rich  milk comes pouring out , the pigs turn into growling, snarling, beasts of carnal desire. Like me when presented with a big plate of sizzling bacon. Ironic, no? Even more ironic, the trough is made from a PVC sewer pipe, 14 feet long with a 10 inch diameter, cut in half lengthwise. Yes, it was a clean, unused sewer pipe purchased from Kafer Tiling in Fairbury, Illinois for $120.

The trough is stabalized and blocked  at the ends with scrap iron and wood from Keiths "inventory".

The pipe width is perfect for many snouts to get their fair share of certified organic raw milk from 100% grass fed cows on pasture. Every day we get thank you cards from these little piggies. Some write better than others but all are special to us.

Some pigs get far enough into the trough to get little milk facials, making their skin that much softer and sweeter for our chefs (like Jared Van Camp of Old Town Social in Chicago) who love to make tasty dishes like Porchetta di Testa from the pigs head   . See how he does it at    http://www.somepig1.com/sta

Farming.  Everyday an adventure.

Illinois Department of Public Confusion

I don't get it. We open a dairy. We complete paperwork. The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) inspects us , pats us on the head, and grants us a Grade A Dairy Permit. We sell milk to Foremost and to individual customers. After 11 years Foremeost tells us we can't sell raw milk even though IDPH says we can. So Foremost stops picking up our milk.

Being the law abiding citizien I am, really I'm sort of a "rules girl", I decide to call IDPH to inform them of our status change in regards to our no longer having a conventional buyer. I also want to clarify which milk tests we will need to do independently since Foremost will no longer be testing our milk. I leave messages. LOTS of messages. But no one returns my calls. Hmmmmm. After THREE weeks I try the Supervisor of the Champaign Region and he does return my call. (Thank you again Larry Mohr)

Larry admits that the department has not been returning my calls because "The department doesn't really know what to do with you Donna. You don't fit into one of their boxes". He goes on to tell me in regards to our Grade A permit. "You don't need it anymore, for all I'm concerned you can tear it up today" He also said "No more inspectors will come to your farm" When I asked about milk tests he said since we no longer have a permit (keep in mind we had the permit 30 seconds ago before I called Mr Mohr) we were not required to test our milk BUT if we wanted to, once a month would be good.

So lets see if I understand this tangled web. Foremost won't buy our milk anymore because we sold some of it raw to private customers. IDPH  says its OK to sell raw milk but they tell the public it is dangerous to their health if they consume it .Because we no longer have a conventional buyer, Illinois will not maintain our Grade A permit EVEN THOUGH this would allow them to continue to inspect our farm regularly and thus help us maintain clean and sanitary conditions which would logically decrease the risk to the public, which if you recall, is what IDPH is suppossed to be all about. Please note we have had a Grade A permit for 11 years and have always had good inspection results.

Really, IDPH, thats OK . We did not maintain your cleanliness policies just for you anyway. We followed them because we wanted a clean safe product for our consumers. We followed them because we felt it was the right thing to do. We will continue to follow IDPH standards for a Grade A Dairy even though you no longer care if we do. We're just that way I guess.

Like Gilda said "Its Always Something"

Yup, its always something. As the sun goes down on one phase of our farm, it also rises on another. Keith and I have never been satisfied with leaving things the way they are. First we had to be certified organic, then we decided to stop dehorning calves, then we opted to eliminate all grain from all our cattles diet. This included milk cows, new borns, steers, you name it ,we took the corn from it. Nine months ago we thought it would be entertaining to try our hand at raising the critically endangered Red Wattle hog, so we bought some and then bred some. After that we thought "Hey ! Lets sell more raw milk". So we did, but the folks at Foremeost, never big supporters of the entrepeuneur type farmer, decided thaey didn't like that. So they told us to stop. I mean really why should we keep selling it directly to consumers at twice what Foremost was willing to pay us ?

We were oppossed to this directive being as THIS WAS OUR FARM and it was never in writing . No contract given to us to sign and nothing in the bylaws to support their directive. Not to mention, but I must, that we had been selling raw milk for years and Foremost knew it. Thus we chose to do it "our way" by continuing to sell raw milk the way Illinois State Law says we can and Foremost rewarded us by refusing to buy our milk any longer.

Thus on May 15, the milk truck picked up our last load of milk. The last time our excellent high quality milk from our very healthy herd will be mixed in with milk across Illinois, heated and homogonized beyond recognition and good taste and turned into a varity of equally taste-free products now appearing on your local grocer shelf. To Foremost we say whole heartedly...Good Riddance, and of course "Don't let the tank room door hit you in the ass on your way out !"  (Just channeling my mother a little)

. The recent news stories,http://bulletin.aarp.org/yourhealth/policy/articles/raw_milk_personal_decision_or_public_danger.html    blogs by others, http://thebovine.wordpress.com/page/8/   word of mouth communication regarding this story about our wee farm has helped us tremendously . Our customer base is growing , our name recognition is , well, being recognized, and I have three more restaurants on our waiting list for pork and beef. Our customers are thrilled that there is cold fresh milk in the tank EVERY DAY and no longer do we Aricept minded folks have to remember if this is "milk-truck day" or not.

A neighbor of ours is planning  to buy more of our milk to use as a field fertilizer. Recent research supports this and he is ready to give it a try. http://www.greenpasture.org/community/?q=node/228 Our hog herd has tripled in the last 3 months which means more hungry mouths to feed. More pigs drinking more raw milk makes an even better pork product for our restaurants , grocery stores and farm direct customers.

 So basically,  Don't cry for us Agentina. We're going to be fine, one way or the other.

The Rest of the Story

If you are regular reader of my blog, skip to paragraph 2. If you are new to my blog or just have short term memory issues like your truly, start here.

Our small diversified farm has a Grade A Dairy which is also Certified Organic by MOSA. For the last 11 years we have sold the majority of our milk to Foremost Farms USA in Baraboo, Wisconsin. We have never signed any written contract with them other than the one that said we would not use growth hormones on our cows. That was easy to sign. We have never used hormones. All those 11 years we sold a small portion of our milk direct to the consumer who came to our farm. About 10% of total milk produced the first 5 years. Fact: It is legal to sell raw milk off the farm in Illinois. Over the last few years the amount of milk we sell direct to consumers who come to our farm with their own containers, has gradually increased to about 30% of our total milk produced. Fact: There is no state law in Illinois limiting the amount of raw milk sold. The field man who is an employee of Foremost but also is supposed to be the farmer liasson,  has known for many years that we sell raw milk. He in fact told us to "tread lightly" in late March and warned us that if  Foremost discovered our milk sales to private customers we'd probably get a 30 day notice to quit. No one from the main office of Foremost in ELEVEN years has ever contacted us about our off farm milk sales, until earlier this month.

On April 14 we received a letter from Foremost telling us "Foremost Farms cannot condone the practice of selling raw milk for direct consumption due to the very real risk of food-borne illness. These sales also put Foremost Farms at risk for actions by the various regulatory agencies should food-borne illness be traced to your farm as a result of your raw milk distribution and/or sales. For these reason, please verify in writing by April 20, 2010, that you are not selling and will not sell or provide raw milk directly to consumers or small artisan processors." 

So there you have it. Stop doing what the State of Illinois says you can do. I called Dan Belk Director of Procurement at Foremost on April 15. He was polite and cordial. I wanted to know why our selling milk direct to consumers was suddenly a problem after 11 years. He said "It was not brought to our attention until recently". I asked where I could find the written policy from Foremost regarding this issue. He said "There is a policy our there but not about raw milk. Our bylaws say you cannot sell your milk to anyone but Foremost." I asked him where those bylaws could be found. He said he would send me a copy. He did. Under the section of Membership , this sentence was highlighted (By Mr Belk ? His staff ? ) They must be currently delivering their milk to or through the cooperative.  

Please note blog readers, the bylaw DOES NOT state that the member (farmer) cannot sell their milk to anyone but Foremost. Hmmmm I'll bet someone in that corporate office will get that changed real soon. Be warned fellow Foremost Farmer Members. That milk you've been providing to your elderly aunt to save her a trip to the store might just not be "allowed" by Foremost in the near future. And hey !, what about that milk you "deliver" to your own kids in your own kitchen.?  No, I don't think I'm being overly dramatic or paranoid. I think I'm being very realistic about the possibility of losing even more control over what belongs to you and your family. The loss of basic rights never starts with a big parade and loud sirens, it comes in through YOUR back door and oozes up your back steps and into your own kitchen before you even hear the screen door creak.

Now about the 6 day warning we were given, in all fairness when I told Mr Belk that our fieldman verbally told us we'd probably get a 30 day warning, Mr Belk agreed to extend the deadline from April 20 to May 15th. We appreciated that. It gave us 30 WHOLE days to downsize our herd by 50% and find good homes for  good cows. 30 Days to figure out how to replace our monthly income from Foremost which averages about $2500 a month. 30 days to find an independent lab to test our milk so we can maintain our standards of low somatic cell counts and high percentages of butterfat.30 days to tell our story (Special Thanks to Tim Jones and Chris Walker from the Chicago Tribune for the excellent story they did about raw milk and our farm which is in todays edition. One side note. That Chris Walker did a fab job of running backwards in out pasture over rocks, holes and cow piles just to get good video of Keith who happens to walk very fast.
 http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/ct-met-raw-milk-20100422,0,2185455.story

We also have just 30 days to double our raw milk customer base to make up for the lost revenue from Foremost. That task has to be done without formal advertising since the State of Illinois says it is legal to sell raw milk but illegal to advertise it .( Don't ask. Don't tell. Our government is so good at that little mantra aren't they ?)

But enough whining ! 30 days is better than 6 days. Keith and I have a diversified farm so our revenue is not limited to the dairy. I have an off farm job for which I am extremely grateful.We have tons of meat in our freezers, dozens of eggs and gallons of milk in our frig.We have the support of family and friends Our situation does not even begin to compare to the pain that the State of Wisconsin has slathered all over hard working Farmers Max Kane ,Scott Trautman and their families

But, be warned fellow dairy farmers. If you sell milk to another company and all you have is a verbal agreement , be careful. Ask for a copy of those bylaws.READ THEM. Ask for clarification of them. Become a member of the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund. Touch base with your attorney and your farm insurance agent. Dig into those Illinois State Laws. Education is the best defense. And when you are done with all that, grab a big tall glass of cold fresh raw milk , sit down for a spell on your back porch and enjoy the labors of your very hard work.Don't forget to thank the cows.

Raw Milk Renegades , the sequel

First of all the pin. It amuses me therefore I have it on my blog, but I do not for a moment think raw milk is the answer to all the illness in our lives. No one food product can heal on its own. I do however, believe raw milk is a great PART of a healthy diet and I also believe that as adults we have the right to ingest whatever food we choose to , be it raw milk, 100% grass fed beef, Java Stout beer (which is great with the beef) or a great big plastic wrapped Twinkie. This is still, although sadly a rapidly changing, America.

Which brings me to our issue with the company who buys our milk, or I should say, the issue our milk company is having with us .To recap, for the last 11 years we have shipped milk to company A. They pick up the milk every other day.On the off days we have several people who buy raw milk from us directly following Illinois State law. They come to our farm with their own containers , fill them and then drink the unpasturized, non-homoginized milk in the privacy and comfort of their own homes. Renegades, all of them. Recently milk company B made an uninvited visit to our farm suggesting we sign up with them as company A was planning to stop buying milk from dairies in our area.

The catch; company B tells us we must sign a statement saying we will not sell raw milk to private customers. Even though it is legal to do so in Illinois. Even though there is not a single proven case of raw milk related foodborne illness in Illinois, even though farmers have the right to sell products from their farm as a manner of making a living. Even though the conventional milk company pays us only 1/3 the price our private customers pay us.

.We asked for a copy of this written contract over 10 days ago. We have not received it.

Today a representative from company A called to inform us the head office was now "aware" of our selling raw milk and they wanted us to stop. Company A has never in the past given us anything in writing telling us it was against their policy to buy milk from farmers who sell raw milk off the farm. In fact, Company A, who again we have been selling milk to for ELEVEN YEARS, has never asked us to sign anything related to raw milk sales. Nor have we ever hidden the fact that we sell raw milk since it is legal to do so.

The representative went on to tell us we should expect to receive a letter in the mail very soon which would give us 30 days to stop selling an important farm product that has been proven to be very healthy for both children and adults. A product that provides needed revenue for us. A product people want. A product that Illinois State Law says we may sell.

All of this begs the question "Why don't you sell ALL of your milk direct to customers ?" We would like to, but our dilemma sits with Illinois State Law which states we can sell raw milk but we cannot advertise that we sell raw milk. What ?!?! Let me say that again. What ?!?! I can advertise my raw ground beef but not our raw milk ?  Seems the "Don't ask, don't tell " mentality isn't limited to the military. And what about this blog ? It appears I am practicing free speech, but what if every time I write the oh-so-frightening words RAW MILK in the same sentence as our farm South Pork Ranch, it is considered "advertising ?" The law, as written ,does not offer any interpretation of "advertise." I suppose I need to put a new item on my to-do list for tomorrow. Call the Illinois Department of Public Health and ask for some clarification.

We have options. Several of them. Once we make a decision on which path to follow I'll update you. Oh man, will I ever update you.