2. How long does your milk last?
3. What is vat pasteurization?
4. What breed of cows do you have?
5. What do you feed your cows?
6. What does it mean to be Certified Organic?
1. Where is your milk produced?Top
All of the milk that we process in our bottling plant comes from our own cows, which are milked in our parlor across the road.
2. How long does your milk last?TopOur products have 21-day or 23-day sell-by dates. Milk needs to be drinkable for at least 7 days beyond that date. However, as with all milk, it only lasts 5 to 7 days after opening.
3. What is vat pasteurization?Top
We have 2 large, sealed vats which hold around 200 gallons each. After the milk inside reaches 145 °F, we hold that temperature for 30 minutes, and then quickly cool the milk to about 39 °F. The lower heat leaves more of the good proteins, providing our milk with a richer flavor, while still effectively destroying any pathogens that may have been present.
Most plants use an HTST system, which is a continuous flow process, heating the milk to at least 161 F for about 15 seconds between metal plates that are heated on the outside by hot water pipes. Ultra-pasteurized processing holds the milk at a temperature of 250 °F for a fraction of a second. Of the 3 processes, this extremely high temperature leaves the milk with the least amount of its natural goodness.
We predominately have Holsteins, a few Jerseys, and some that are a cross between Holstein and Jersey.
5. What do you feed your cows?TopDuring the growing season, April to October, the cows graze on fresh grass in our pastures (weather permitting). After milking, they get a mixture of grass silage, long-stem hay, and a small amount of grain, then head back to the field. We are unable to pasture during the cold, wetter months of our area. All of their feed is Certified Organic.
6. What does it mean to be Certified Organic?Top
Everything we feed our cows must come from land that is Certified Organic by an accredited certifying agency. The land needs to have had no fertilizers, herbicides, or other chemicals applied to it for at least 3 years. Our cows receive this feed from the day they are born. Also, our animals cannot be given antibiotics, synthetic hormones, or other banned substances. However, if a cow needs antibiotics, she is treated promptly, and then sold to a conventional dairy when she is well.
We are certified as both a producer and a processor of dairy products. All records and facilities at both the dairy and the plant are inspected annually by the Washington State Department of Agriculture, which adheres to USDA's National Organic Program standards. For more information, visit www.ams.usda.gov/nop.