Q: Is your milk organic?
A: Our milk is not certified organic. The primary reason for this is because we do not feed our cows a 100% organic diet. However, we do NOT use rBST injections on our cows. (rBST is a hormone injection given to cows to increase their milk production.) Our cows are also grass fed and are allowed to freely graze. The milk from grass-fed cows contains more cancer fighting agents than milk from non-grass fed cows. Not all organic farms allow their cows to freely graze.

Q: What is the difference between the raw milk and pasteurized milk that you sell?
A: Raw milk is milk that has been harvested from the cow, cooled, and then bottled. It has not been processed in any way. To sell raw milk in the state of Pennsylvania additional lab testing is required for safety, as well as a label that warns people with weakened immune systems against consuming raw milk. Pasteurized milk is milk that has been heated and then cooled to kill any harmful bacteria that may be present in the milk. We use a High Temperature Short Time system (HTST) so we can rapidly heat and cool the milk to retain its taste and integrity. We also offer milk called cream line, or non-homogenized, milk.

Q: What is cream line milk?
Cream line milk has been pasteurized for safety but has not been homogenized. Homogenization is the process of breaking the fat particles in milk up to be smaller so that they stay in suspension. By not homogenizing, this allows the cream in the milk to rise to the top and form a cream line.

Q: How much milk does a cow give in a day?
A: It varies greatly depending on the genetics of the cow and where she is in her lactation cycle. However, on average our cows give between 6 and 7 gallons of milk each day.

Q: What breed of cows do you have?
A: Most of our cows our purebred Holstein but we have recently begun to crossbreed them with Jersey and Dutch Belted cows. We introduced Jersey cows because they naturally have a higher level of butterfat in their milk. We skim the butterfat off to make our butter and we hope to also use the butterfat in our own ice cream in the near future. Dutch Belted cows have been introduced to our herd because they are more efficient at grazing and because they are fun for our visitors to look as they resemble an Oreo cookie!

Q: I heard you have a closed herd. What does that mean?
A: A closed herd is one that does not allow cattle from other farmers into the herd. Our herd has been closed for forty years. New genetics are still introduced to our animals through artificial insemination. The advantage of a closed herd is that many diseases that are prevalent throughout cattle in the nation are not found on our farm.

Q: Where do your cows live?
A: We provide a free stall barn with sand stalls for our cows. A free stall barn is a barn with stalls that cows are allowed to freely enter and leave so they can graze in the pasture when they choose. Our stalls are filled with sand, which provides comfort since the sand conforms to each cow's body. Sand is also healthier for them because it contains no organic matter, which prohibits the growth of bacteria. This helps prevent disease and results in better quality milk.

Q: What is stored in your silos?
A: Although many people think we store milk in our silos, that is incorrect. In our silos we store two main things. One is high moisture corn, which is combined in the fall and stored in an airtight silo so it does not spoil. Our other silos contain corn silage, which is corn that is chopped in the fall and stored in the silos so it can be fed to our cows throughout the year.

Q: What did you do with your milk before you bottled it?
A: We sold it raw to Land O' Lakes. They would take it on big tanker trucks to be made into chocolate at Hershey's or butter at the Mt. Holly Springs plant. Our excess milk is still picked up and used by them.