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?
32 acres, 50 beautiful goats, and 20 happy cows.
How have we been rotating the pasture?
We move the animals between pastures depending on the growth and time of year. Starting with intense grazing cows are grazers eating 4 inches and lower and goats are browsers eating mostly 4 inches and higher, w/chickens following to scratch and dung beetles spreading the manure around.
What is our fertilization process on it for the last 5 years?
Only two and a half years so far, w/cow, goat, and chicken manure on it, winter rye, clover & peas plowed in. We will be using tea compost this year as well.
What are we doing for weed/insect control?
Goats follow cows and then chickens right after.
Do you use any pesticides or herbicides?
None
What kind of livestock/breed do we milk?
Jersey, Nubian, some lamancha
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. We also have Texas A&M vet students come out
Which lab do we use?
Washington Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory.
What do we do for preventative illnesses?
We give Diatamaceous Earth for parasites.
Do we use any supplements or antibiotics?
No, only organic food supplements such as alfalfa, kelp, selenium, vitamins, minerals all from Coyote Creek Organic Feed Mill. We also supplement with none pesticide sprayed hay. NO Genetically modified organisms or Genetic Engineering.
How do we treat an infection?
We believe infections, aliments, diseases are an imbalance in the animal’s system. First we try to bring the animal back into balance through natural and holistic remedies. If these doesn’t work we let nature take its course. We do not believe in “domesticating” our animals on this farm. They are as wild as naturally possibly. If I interfere I diminish the immune system of the animal and therefore the herd. They would be on what I call human welfare. Once I help them I always have to help them.
What’s our protocol for infected animals while lactating?
When your observing your animals 2-3 times every day, most times there are symptoms you can notice when something is wrong. We administer natural herbal treatment to the sick animal, they are then labeled and charted. Milk production from that point on will not be for human consumption of any kind.
Depending on the situation, we will give time for healing and eventually back into production.
What do we feed our animals?
The cows can live on grass alone so are pasture-fed and given hay after milking as well as organic supplementation. Because goats are “browsers” they prefer to eat brush and trees we also give the goats organic supplementation to.
Our feeding schedule:
In addition to their pasture feeding we feed our goats twice daily with alfalfa.
Our cows pasture fed. We rotate them based on the size and condition of the pasture they are in. In winter, they are given additional alfalfa, good quality hay, and organic supplement & minerals while milking.
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?
It should be noted, according the Texas Deparment of Health, there as not been a pathogen in any raw milk in the Greater Houston Area within the last 10 years. In the state of Texas there has not been a case of Listeria within the last 3 years.
Our procedure for sterilization is to clean each teat with individual sterilized wipes and use a machine to pump. The milk goes from the teat directly into a filter, then to our iced stainless steel and air tight container. We use stainless steel utensils and containers that 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 in a closed sanitized production room.
The inspector checks our facility every month.
What approvals and certifications do we have or plan to acquire in the near future?
We’re a Grade A licensed “Raw for Retail Dairy” by the State of Texas. We also have our license to sell beef and goat meat and cheese .
(We plan to acquire any license that will allow us to be a one stop shop for customers to purchase their food and dairy directly from our farm.)
Do we foresee a sharp rise in our prices due to changes in our feed and health administering protocols?
There may be small increases as we try to keep up with govt. regulations, certifications, and fees as well as going organic and all natural.
However, most of our loyal customers are people of average means and we understand people are having a hard time right now. Because of the fact our farm products are important every day staples we are trying to not pass on any increase until the economy gets better.
We would like to thank everyone who has helped us become who we are today.