Gramen Farm

Natural Animals fed with the

goodness God brings.

20158 Bauer Hockley Rd
Tomball , TX 77377
ph: 281-642-4937
fax: 281-255-4418

Frequently Asked Questions

Recently, we were asked very good questions about our farm. Hopefully, this will answer them all but please don't hesitate to call with more.
How much pasture land per animal do we have for the milk stock?
15 acres, 40 beautiful goats, and 5 happy cows
How have we been rotating the pasture?
Starting with intense grazing and w/chickens following to scratch
What is our fertilization process on it for the last 5 years?
Only two years so far, w chicken on it, winter rye, clover & peas plowed in.
What are we doing for weed/insect control?
Goats follow cows and then chickens right after. Someone told us about torching the burrs.
Do you use any pesticides or herbicides?
None
What kind of livestock/breed do we milk?
Jersey, Nubian, some lamancha, 1 alpine
How long have we personally been milking and testing this livestock’s’ milk for public consumption?
Two years
What tests do we perform on our animals?
Our goats:
TB
Brucellosis
CAE- Caprine Arthritis Encephalitis Virus
Our Cows:
TB- mandatory by the government
Brucellosis- mandatory by the government
Not required but we took the testing up a notch
JD- Johne’s Disease
BVD- Bovon Viro Diaria
BLV- Bovine Leukemia Virus
IBR- Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis
Who is our veterinarian?
Dr. Baker in Waller comes out to our farm
Which lab do we use?
Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory
What do we do for preventative illnesses?
We give Cydectin for worms. Even though the label does not have a with draw period for lactating animal we still use caution and give our kid goats her milk for one week to worm the kid.
Do we use any supplements or antibiotics?
Yes , please see below
 

How do we treat an infection?
We give the sick animal antibiotics & pull them from production. We’re looking for alternative ways to treat but have not found anything else to be as effective as using antibiotics.
 
What’s our protocol for infected animals while lactating?
  1. We administer treatment to the sick animal
  2. They are then labeled and charted
  3. Milk production from that point on will not be for human consumption of any kind
  4. Pending on the situation, we will give time for healing and eventually back in production
What do we feed our animals?
The cows can live on grass alone so are pasture-fed and given hay while milking. Because goats are “browsers” they prefer to eat brush and trees.
Our feeding schedule:
We feed our goats twice daily with grain, beet pulps, and alfalfa hay.
Our cows pasture fed. We rotate them based on the size of the pasture they are in.
 
What do we do to prevent transport/cross contamination of pathogens such as E. coli, salmonella, campylobacter, and listeria? What are our procedures for sterilization of the milking and the storage equipment?
The inspector came out July of 2008 and showed us what we needed to do. We are preparing an enclosed room made especially for our milk and its almost ready!
As for our procedure for sterilization we clean each tit with sterilized wipes and use a machine to pump. The milk goes from the tit directly into our stainless steel and air tight container. We use stainless steel utensils and containers. They are cleaned thoroughly before and after each use with soap and water. After the milk has been cooled to its ideal temperature we package the milk and seal them for cleanliness.
 
What approvals and certifications do we have or plan to acquire in the near future?
We’re getting our Grade A license for pasteurized milk and for those wanting raw :)
 
Do we foresee a sharp rise in our prices due to changes in our feed and health administering protocols ?
There may be a small increase because we’re trying to get non GMO supplemental feeds. We’re always searching for all natural and best methods of caring for our animals.
 
We would like to thank everyone who has helped us become who we are today.
 

20158 Bauer Hockley Rd
Tomball , TX 77377
ph: 281-642-4937
fax: 281-255-4418