**READ OUR FRQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS BELOW**
NEW NEW NEW - COW KEFIR - READ THE BLOG "COW KEFIR" ABOVE!!!!!
Greetings and thank you for the milk/eggs/kefir/whey/cheese inquiry. You may have been sent to this page because you wrote me an email. I apologize for the lack of a personal note but we get dozens of inquiries weekly and I have found that answering each one individually takes time from tending to the animals. If you have any questions after reading all our frequently asked questions below, feel free to contact me or once you have read the FAQ’s, contact me at [email protected] and we can set up a time to pick up your milk. Please note: If you come to pick up dairy products, please bring a cooler.
Our milk and kefir is carried at Nature's Food Patch in Clearwater (Cleveland Avenue and Missouri, near downtown Clearwater) if that is more convenient for your purchase.
Also you can find it at Abby's on North Dale Mabry in Tampa, Chucks on N. 56th Street on Tampa and in the Brandon store and Southers in Dover.
You can find us on Thursdays at Longleaf Market (Starkey, just north of 54 in NPR), Saturdays at Saturday Morning Market in St. Pete (saturdaymorningmarket.com)and Sundays at Sweetwater Farm in Tampa (sweetwater-organic.org).
What are the goats fed?
The goats are fed a combination of sweet grains - oats, corn, barley, black oil sunflower seeds and alfalfa pellets for optimum conditioning. Our goats are competition dairy goats and get the finest care we can give them. Grain is well under 10% of their diet. They are part of our family and loved dearly. The milkers get alfalfa hay and the dry goats get grass hay 24/7. No, they are not grass fed. It is a fallacy that goats can sustain milk production on Florida grass hay. Unlike cows, goats are not grazers but browsers, thus they eat from 12-18 inches off the ground. The taste of the milk is seriously affected if the goats are eating strange weeds and brush and we want your pets to be happy with the taste of their delicacy. Our goats are in large pens where we actually have to mow the grass that grows in there in mid summer. By keeping the goats in the pens, we do not have a parasite problem as many in the tropical regions face. Our goats receive “wormers†normally twice a year and within 6 hours of giving birth. We use Safeguard as our anthelmentic (wormer) of choice and it does not have a milk withdrawal time. However, when we “deworm†our goats, the milk is withheld by us for a minimum of one week and fed to the cats and chickens. Nothing is wasted at this little ranch-ette!
Do you use soy products, antibiotics or growth hormones?
We avoid soy in all feeds, and never give growth hormones or antibiotics. Antibiotics are used only in life threatening situations which have not responded to alternative methods. An animal in this situation would not be milked so there is no chance of residual antibiotic transference.
Can I drink this milk/kefir (eat the cheese)?
Our milk is sold for pet consumption only. Florida law states that you must be a Grade A Dairy to sell for human consumption and that is a $10,000 process which would be reflected in the price of milk. There are no Grade A Dairies that sell raw milk, goat or cow! Only pasteurized milk is permitted to be sold for human consumption. We have been using the farm fresh raw milk in our household for over 6 years but cannot sell for you to use in yours. Plain and simple. Please do not ask any questions relating to the milk for human consumption and put me in jeopardy! Our milk is not pasteurized or altered in any way. It is strained immediately after milking and put in an ice water bath to speed the cooling process - we follow the same procedures as the mini-dairies that have been approved out west (Oregon, Washington, etc.). Frozen milk is available upon request for those who wish to pick up less often but keep a continuing supply. All milk which goes in the freezer is frozen within 48 hours of milking. We have found this prevents separation when thawing the milk. We have maintained TB and Brucellosis Free Certification through regular blood tests until 2006 when the State of Florida relaxed the requirement of testing for competitions due to the fact there has not been a case of either in goats in over 25 years in the State.
Why sell the milk if it isn’t legal for human consumption?
The dairy product and egg sales offset the cost of maintaining this competition herd. Many foals are born that need supplemental milk, same with llamas, alpacas, puppies, kittens and even squirrels and rabbits delivered to my door by well-meaning neighborhood children have been raised on goat milk. My children and I travel to shows and compete with the animals. I am attempting to raise wholesome children that understand responsibility and compassion for creatures big and small. It takes a village to raise a child and you will usually find several extra children hanging around the barn as I try to give the livestock experience to any who are interested.
What do you mean by a competition herd?
We have “show goatsâ€. Goats are judged on confirmation, just like horses and dogs. For a dairy competition, the udder is 35 of 100 points of scoring. The animal must also have a nice level top line, strong legs and body capacity to carry multiple pregnancies, lactations, and possess a symmetrical udder that does not drag the ground which would allow bacteria to enter the teats. A perfect udder would be held tightly under the rear legs, and be seen 1/3 in front of the back legs and 1/3 behind the back legs when looking from the side and full of milk. I am Dairy Goat Youth Superintendent for the Florida State Fair every February and love to have my customers come to visit and see how we do things in competition.
Do you sell your goats for meat?
No, we do not sell our goats for meat. The majority go back as competition goats but a dairy goat does not have the meat on them to make them worth eating. Meat goats have an entirely different structure and put their efforts into developing loin coverage where dairy goats put everything into an udder. I suggest looking for meat goats at www.FMGA.org, the Florida Meat Goat Association website.
Do you sell your goats at all?
Currently, we do not sell any of our milkers. They are family members. We do sell kids (four legged) in the spring when they are born as we cannot keep all born here. All of our kids will have the best genetics we can obtain. I give a discount to FFA or 4H kids. If you are interested in the purchase of a goat, please inquire. Our goats are not lawn mowers and will not be sold for the purposes of land clearing. Our prices are much higher than the sale barn because of the care we take of them and the genetics behind the animals. We practice CAE prevention and all births are attended. This takes time and effort. You get what you pay for in most circumstances, and with goats that is especially true. The females will continue to be competition goats and the males will be neutered and normally go as horse companions. Price of a kid will depend on when you take it. We will vaccinate all kids before leaving the farm, if old enough. No goat is to be returned to the farm due to bio-security. If I have to keep it and feed it for 4-6 weeks, it will be a substantially higher price than if you take it at a week old and raise it yourself. I do not sell any goats to an inexperienced owner at less than 4 weeks old. I do ask that you do your homework and learn what goat keeping entails before inquiring. There are many good websites available. All kids are bottle fed to encourage social skills. We do not leave any on the dams as we want to maintain perky udders for the show ring.
What are the chickens fed?
Our chickens are pets first, all with names and are fed grain, primarily a corn base, and hay. No, our feed is not organic or the price of the eggs would be at least triple! We supplement with oyster shell to add additional calcium to their diet as well as veggie cuttings from our (and our friend’s) kitchen. They are the project of a 14 year old daughter and provide her with spending money. They are free range but kept in large pens, not cages. They have free access to bugs and insects. Egg production slows considerably in the summer heat but resumes as the temperatures subside in the fall. We also must contend with possums, raccoons and other wildlife that may enter our pens and steal eggs and/or chickens. By not being caged, the obstacles of raising chickens becomes an adventure. Please note that during the fall, i.e. August, September and October, the chickens are moulting and suffering like us in the heat. Egg production goes to an all time low at that time. All eggs are reserved for milk customers at that time until production increases as the temps drop.
Do you wash the eggs?
Our eggs are neither washed nor refrigerated in order to slow the aging process. Occasionally we wipe off mud and pen debris with a damp cloth just because it looks ugly! Because of this you may find “treasures†of mud, bits of hay and the occasional feather in your cartons. Once an egg is refrigerated it must remain refrigerated and the aging process has begun. Washing takes the “bloom†off an egg which is nature’s way of preservation. Due to our “no wash†policy, we ask that everyone wash their eggs before use. Eggs easily last at least two weeks on the shelf and up to a month refrigerated. Empty cartons are gladly accepted of any type! Flats, dozen, 18 pack - styrofoam, cardboard or plastic!
Where are you located?
I do not just give out our address to anyone that inquires. I am near the Oldsmar Flea Market. Once we speak I give more specific directions.
What are your hours?
NOTE: We are very happy with the markets this season and are limiting pickups (with a few exceptions of existing customers) to those markets in order to try to streamline time management on the farm. While we love to visit and show off the animals, it takes time from our work (and I do work off the farm as well) and we find ourselves getting farther and farther behind. After the market season we will be having farm pickups on Friday, Saturday and one week day. We ask that our customers make arrangements to pickup products on those days and hopefully we can make time to show off the animals if you want to see them.
At that time, pickups hours will be posted. Other pickups are sometimes available but I am a mom with other jobs as well that take me away from the house. Please don’t call before 9:30 am on the weekends/holidays or after 9:30 pm in the evening at any time - our jobs have us working late on Friday and Saturday nights often and chores are done a bit later than during the week. During the school year you can call after 9am. We have to balance our animals around raising two kids and other jobs and 7-9am is the chaotic period of each school morning. If you are going to be late for a pick up, a telephone call is appreciated to verify if I can wait.
Can I see the animals?
I offer the “nickel†tour on your first visit and encourage you to look at the animals as we are very proud of the care and love they receive. It is important that you see how we do things here but please be courteous and leave dogs in the car and keep your children under control. Boisterous children, no matter how well intentioned, can upset our calm animals and that can affect milk production. The choice of classical music in the barn is not by chance, but has been scientifically proven to be the most soothing and contributes to the well being of our animals.
Whether you buy from us or someone else, take a look around. Are the water buckets full of water? Are the feed buckets reasonably clean? Ask about management of the animals. Does the premises smell of urine? Look for the coats to be shiny and smooth. Look for the nostrils to be clear and the eyes bright and alert. Is the milking area clean? Does it look well organized? Remember you are in a barn, not a kitchen so be reasonable about your assessment. Ask about milking procedures? Are the udders cleaned before milking and with what? We use only baby wipes. The only stupid question is the one not asked! While I don’t have time for a tour every time you visit, you are welcome to take a stroll through the barn and visit with the animals.
Want to bring treats for the animals? They are allowed the occasional indulgence. The horses love carrot chunks, apple slices and peppermint candy. The goats like animal cookies, crackers, bananas and will kill for tortilla chips. The chickens will eat veggie cuttings from the kitchen and your stale (no mold) bread. No chocolate of any kind, please.
Are there quantity discounts and do you ship?
We do not ship milk or eggs. We do not have discounts as a goat eats just as much producing the first gallon as they do producing the last gallon. Unless you actually spend a little time watching the work involved which ranges from being a weight lifter with large bales of hay and 50 pound bags of feed to midwife to milk maid to stall cleaner, you will never realize how much work actually goes into tending our animals. We spend a minimum of 6 hours a day in the barn for milking and chores and it isn’t unusual to find us in the barn over 12 hours a day on the weekends. And remember, this is 7 days a week, 365 days a year - and we have been doing this for over 6 years (as a hobby)! Taking the time to deal with shipping is something we cannot fit in our schedule.
What is the price of milk/eggs/kefir/cheese?
Prices vary according to the outlets and overhead to be at that outlet. Farm pickup is the least expensive but not always convenient. I do several drops around town and the milk is carried in a Health Food Store in Clearwater. We are attempting to get to more Health Food Stores for your convenience. We have only been licensed as a pet food distributor since August so everything is in the works. All prices are subject to change as we are at the mercy of the feed companies / hay suppliers. Gas prices severely affected the price of feed in 2006 causing a $2 increase per bag in the past year. We also bring in hay from Canada and upper New York State due to the richness of the soils where it is produced and trucking is expensive. This is not our living but our hobby so we try to do it as economically as possible. And while we try to meet all orders, we are dealing with Mother Nature and sometimes stuff just happens. Please confirm all orders via email the night prior to pickup.
Part or all of your gallons can be ordered frozen. I will freeze milk as long as I have freezer space. While I anticipate always having extra milk, the regular customers will take first priority.
Containers?
We use approved plastic dairy jugs for the milk/kefir/whey. We gladly recycle your empty egg cartons of any kind. Please bring a cooler for your dairy products.
