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Goats… what makes goats so fascinating? Is it their friendly inquisitiveness? Their obvious affection and sense of humor? The odd horizontal pupils in their eyes? Or is it simply the fact that they have been part of our lives for thousands of years? 
At Larkhaven Farmstead Cheeses, Clare Paris and her husband Sam Howell have been producing aged raw milk cheese for nearly 20 years and began marketing commercially about 5 years ago. Today, Clare and her husband Sam are members of a very exclusive club! 
Tucked into a Ponderosa pine woods at an elevation of about 2,300 feet, Pine Stump Farms, Omak Washington, is just 30 miles south of the Canadian border in the central Washington Okanagan Valley. A high-elevation pine/shrub-steppe environment with 12 to 15 inches of annual rainfall means it is necessary for Carey Hunter and Albert Roberts to take a holistic approach to farming and balance a wide range of business activities to succeed. 
Josh Wolbeck, who is new to the organic farming industry, stands by his herd of cows on his family’s farm outside of Sauk Centre. As of this fall, Wolbeck’s entire farm, including 223 acres of tillable land and 60 dairy cows, is certified organic. Wolbeck hopes the transition will provide a more stable income for him as the market for conventional milk continues to fluctuate. 
Quick! What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the words “dairy cows?” Probably black and white cows in a grassy field in front of a red barn, right? That’s the image that every confinement dairy operation would like you to imagine, but very few cows are raised that way. Rick Adamski, Full Circle Farm, Seymour Wisconsin, is a grazer. No, he doesn’t eat grass; he milks about 90 cows that do. 
Sue Brown, cheese maker, goat herder, and owner with her husband Mel of Amaltheia Dairy in Belgrade MT, describes how her farm and dairy are “closing the circle” by finding ways to profit from waste products like whey and manure. Sue answers the “unspoken” question: What to do with those male baby goats since they aren’t likely to earn their keep? 
At Amaltheia Organic Dairy, Belgrade Montana, Mel and Sue Brown milk between 250 and 280 goats and produce award-winning organic cheeses that are sold across the United States. While the dairy and cheese plant may be small by some standards, size makes no difference when it comes to careful and sanitary handling of food products. 
Dairy farming has made a full circle on the land where you’ll find Fresh Breeze Organic Dairy; five generations of Dutch farmers have made their living here, just south of the U.S./Canadian border. Farming methods have changed over the last hundred years, yet Shawn Langley’s great grandfather would surely have been comfortable on the farm today.
Mel and Sue Brown milk more than 150 goats and, in their small cheese plant, they turn out award-winning chevre, ricotta, and feta cheese. The chevre comes in four flavors and Sue is experimenting with aged cheeses. 
On a busy workday in early September, FDA inspectors made their “routine” visit to Amaltheia Organic Dairy. Garbed in hazmat suits, hair nets, face masks, and disposable gloves and booties, a team of inspectors examined the small cheese processing plant from top to bottom. The result? Mel and Sue Brown and their cheese company passed with flying colors. |
Montana Organic Association Annual Conference
Click for more information here. Daryl Lasilla: Montana Grain Farmer
Daryl Lasilla, grain farmer, grows buckwheat, barley, spelt, and lentils in just outside of Great Falls, in north central Montana. Daryl has befuddled his neighbors growing conventional grain; especially when his organic spelt tops 4 1/2 feet high! Bonus Video:Dr. Jill Clapperton on Soil Health
Dr. Jill Clapperton, soil scientist, says that farmers need to focus on building diversity of organisms within soils. Poor soil biology produces poor crops in terms of both crop yields and nutrient content. Click here to see more videos. |
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