|
|
Frequently Asked Questions
Thank you for your interest in our farm-processed grade A goats milk. We have put together this information to help our potential customers know about our farm, our goats and our milk processing procedures. We hope that you find answers to all of your questions here, but if not, please feel free to contact us for more information and we will be happy to provide answers to your specific questions. Please contact the farm to inquire about space availability in our program. We do not have surplus milk available for 'drop-in' customers, but will arrange for interested customers to purchase a half-gallon to try.
Is your farm Organic?
We do practice organic methods of management however, we have chosen not to become organically certified. We would be happy to share with you more specifics on our practices and reasons why we are not organically certified.
What do you feed your goats and do they have pasture and grass to eat?
Our does are fed the best quality eastern
Washington/Oregon alfalfa hay and locally milled grain rations that do not
contain inert ingredients. They have free choice minerals, baking soda (to keep
balance in their tummies), and Kelp meal (for added selenium). We do not use
feeds that contain hormones, additives or antibiotics.
They have pasture access year round for grazing and browsing at their leisure enjoying a variety of grasses, woody brush and windfall offerings.
How often do you milk them?
The does are milked twice a day, every day. They all have a “dry” period (where they do not produce milk) for 60 days before they have kids. This rest period assures their continued health and allows their bodies time to prepare for production again.
Do you use antibiotics?
We are proponents of responsible health care of our animals. If they are ill and require antibiotic treatment, they receive it (very much the same way a child would), however we always practice discretion in treatment and adhere STRICTLY to label withdrawal times for milk. If an animal is ill and receives treatment, any milk produced from that animal is dumped, not just for the required period of time, but for an additional period of time to ensure all residual is gone. Our primary goal is for our animals to be healthy-the natural result of health animals is healthy milk!
What measures do you take to ensure the milk is safe for my family?
All of our animals are tested annually (as state law requires) for communicable diseases and in addition, we do additional health testing of our does annual to assure their continued health. More specifics are available on the type of tests at your request and we are always happy to share out test results with our customers.
Our modest methods radiate
practical cleanliness. 
All of our does are milked
by hand into pristine stainless steel buckets in a
simple three-stanchion milking parlor. In an adjoining room (called the milk
processing room, which is separated by a swinging door) the milk is taken,
weighed, recorded and then strained into a sterilized plastic half-gallon
container. The milk is chilled immediately in an ice-bath cooler to less
than 40 degrees
Fahrenheit within two hours (exceeding WSDA standards) to ensure the best
tasting product. After the milk is chilled, it is
removed from the ice bath, labeled and placed in the refrigerator located in the
processing room for customer pickup.
We bottle milk to order, so if we have a customer coming to the farm to pick up 2 gallons of milk on Tuesday, we bottle two gallons of milk on Monday evening or Tuesday morning. This method ensures that our customers get the freshest product and we recommend that they use the milk within a week for the best taste.
We take extreme care to insure that all the milk that leaves our farm will exceed all state regulations and taste wonderful!
How can I purchase milk from your farm?
We have an on farm standing order system. Please contact the farm to inquire about space availability for the current year.
How much does milk cost from your farm?
Our milk sells from the farm for $4.00 per half gallon.