Organic Milk
Nathan Burkholder is a dairy farmer in Chambersburg, Pa., less than 100 miles from our stores. I had a chance to visit his farm recently because his cows are very important to MOM’s. When you reach into the dairy case to purchase MOM’s bottled milk products, you can rest assured that we really do know where that milk comes from; Nathan is one of our farmers.
During my visit I got a chance to see Nathan’s entire family farm operation. I saw the calves born this spring and a small herd of heifers fenced in just a short walk from the back door of his house. I was really impressed by the cleanliness of the milking parlor.
The best part of the visit was when I had a chance to walk the pasture with the actual milking herd of about 65 cows. I hopped the fence and there I was “up close and personal†with the large lactating bovines that are responsible for our MOM’s milk products.
Nathan has several Holsteins but the vast majority of his herd are Jerseys. This breed is known for being “quiet.†That means gentle, affable but also, quite curious. They certainly were not shy and actually seemed glad to see me as they slowly surrounded me out in the middle of the pasture. There is no more appealing dairy animal than the well-balanced Jersey. This was really a treat.
Nathan’s cows are typical in weight, in the 1,000 lb range. His Jerseys had a wide range in color. Their tongues are black and so is the switch of the tail. Their bodies are a fawn color with some broken patches of lighter fawn to black. Nathan names each one alphabetically in order of their birth that year, very much the same as they name hurricanes. My favorite was “Cream†born third, four years ago. She’s a beauty!
From the farm I traveled about 15 minutes down the road to the Trickling Springs Creamery where the milk is pasteurized and homogenized according to the USDA organic standards. It is bottled separately to insure that our milk is never mixed with any other.
Our MOM’s milk label boasts “Organic & Grass Fed.†The cows I met have access to pasture year round, weather permitting, and the pasture itself is certified organic, no pesticides and no synthetic chemical fertilizers. Nathan does not use growth hormones of any kind and the milk is produced without antibiotics. We believe that the health of these animals is reflected in the wholesome taste of our milk.
We respect Nathan Burkholder and his small family farm. We support his commitment to the health of his animals, and his efforts to restore and sustain the surrounding air, soil and water. You too can be a part of this connection to the farm whenever you purchase MOM’s milk.