[Ag-eq] Dairy

Zachary Mason zmason.northwindsfarm at gmail.com
Tue Aug 25 01:11:46 UTC 2015 

Actually Nella, as a commercial dairyman, former intern for the National
State Departments of Agriculture, and student of all things dairy, I'm sure
commercial dairy farmers would be happy to see the upper limit on raw milk
sales go up. The food safety people are who are behind the limits on sale of
raw milk. 

Motzerella will most likely not be Okayed by the department of ag if soft
cheeses are not. It's more to do with the 60 day aging requirement than
whether the cheese is hard or soft though. It just so happens that most
cheeses aged for 60 days happen to be hard. 

Are you regulated by Arkansas department of ag or also the health and human
services? In New Hampshire if you sold retail dairy products you were
subject to both agencies where as if you sold whole-sale dairy products you
were only inspected by the department of ag. Here in Mississippi the Health
department regulates all dairy. 


Zac

-----Original Message-----
From: Ag-eq [mailto:ag-eq-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Nella Foster via
Ag-eq
Sent: Monday, August 24, 2015 1:40 PM
To: Agricultural and Equestrean Division List
Cc: nfoster at extremezone.com
Subject: Re: [Ag-eq] Dairy


Tracy:

I really have no idea, I'm just following the state guidelines.  Maybe
because cheese involves food preparation, not sure.

The guide lines are really odd.  Consumers have the right to ask to see your
livestock and your milking facility.  However you don't have to show your
kitchen, where most small dairies are straining and bottling the milk.  You
can milk the animals by hand or with a machine, just as long as you are not
selling over 500 gallons per month.  If you sell more than 500 gallons you
have to meet all the regulations to be a comercial dairy.

Oh, I was told that I can sell hard cheeses, but not soft cheeses, which are
the ones that I'm good at making.  I wonder if mozarella is considered a
hard cheese.  I've made it with the goat milk and it turned out good.

You can set up a small dairy like a comunity supported aggriculture farm and
sell cheese.  If there is a strong demand for the milk and consumers ask for
cheese I will probably do that.

It has just been in the last few years that people are allowed to legally
sell raw milk in Arkansas.  I also have to provide a disclaimer for every
purchase. 
It states that there are some risks in using raw milk and that the farmer is
not responsible for any illness.  The departmetn of ag provides this and I
just have to make copies and give one out whenever someone buys milk.  I
suspect that the comercial dairies had a hand in all this.

Nella


Quoting Tracy Carcione via Ag-eq <ag-eq at nfbnet.org>:

> How come you can sell milk, but not cheese?  I would think cheese is 
> less likely to have problems than milk, but then what do I know.
> I can buy fresh Mozarella at my farmers' market.  If I could buy goat 
> cheese, I'd snap it up!
> Tracy
>
> > Tracy:
> >
> > I plan on keeping the young doe goats asuming they are healthy and 
> > grow well.
> > My dose have all kidded easily and are good milkers, so hope their 
> > daughters will be the same.  Two of the dose are getting older so 
> > can probably only breed them one more time.
> >
> > I will casterate the young bucks and they will go to someone's table.
> > I've made
> > contact with a couple of butchers in the area that specialize in 
> > grass fed and GMO free meats.  I plan on following their guidelines 
> > so they will buy the kids I don't want.  This is hard for me, but I 
> > cannot keep all of them.  I could sell any unwanted doelings as milk 
> > goats since they come from good milking lines.
> >
> > I will be selling milk; we are allowed to sell raw milk here as long 
> > as it's picked up from the farm.  There are a few regulations you 
> > have to meet to sell the milk, that is why I'm building the milk 
> > barn.  I've met a family that live a few miles away that are selling 
> > fresh Jersey milk and they cannot keep up with the demand.  
> > Unfortunately I'm not allowed to sell cheese, only the milk.
> > I can sell the goat milk soap since it's not being eaten.
> >
> > Nella
> >
> >
> >
> > Quoting Tracy Carcione via Ag-eq <ag-eq at nfbnet.org>:
> >
> >> Hi Nella.
> >> Chocolate sounds very nice!
> >> What will you do with the kids?  Will your herd get bigger and 
> >> bigger, or will your neighbors be eating roast kid?
> >> Tracy
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: Ag-eq [mailto:ag-eq-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Nella 
> >> Foster via Ag-eq
> >> Sent: Saturday, August 22, 2015 9:30 PM
> >> To: Agricultural and Equestrean Division List
> >> Cc: nfoster at extremezone.com
> >> Subject: Re: [Ag-eq] Apple harvest
> >>
> >> Tracy:
> >>
> >> I recently got a dehydrator and so far have only dried some peppers 
> >> and herbs.
> >>
> >> The buck goats can get aggressive, but this little guy has been 
> >> handled since birth and I continue to spend time with him.  He is 
> >> very friendly and will follow me around like a puppy.  I think he 
> >> will be o.k. as long as I keep handling him and don't let him get 
> >> away with bad behavior.  I've met several bucks that are friendly 
> >> and the people were petting them and spending time with them.  I've 
> >> seen a couple that were aggressive, but they were just out in a 
> >> pasture and didn't have a lot of human interaction.
> >>
> >> The worse thing about a buck goat is how stinky they get.  so far 
> >> Chocolate isn't very smelly because he is still young.  They get 
> >> more smelly when they reach adulthood.  His name is Chocolate, 
> >> which fits right into my heard, the girls all have candy names.
> >>
> >> I purchased Chocolate from a nice Amish family.  All their animals 
> >> were so healthy and friendly.  He is registered and their herd has 
> >> been tested for certain diseases, which is what I wanted to find.  
> >> They even called to make sure he is doing o.k. and didn't get to 
> >> stressed by the move.  I've kept their contact info so that we can 
> >> do business again.
> >>
> >> I think they had to call from a neighbors, they don't use phones.  
> >> When I called I spoke to the neighbor; it was strange, but all 
> >> worked out.
> >>
> >> Nella
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Quoting Tracy Carcione via Ag-eq <ag-eq at nfbnet.org>:
> >>
> >> > Hi Nella.
> >> > My apples are Golden Delicious, sweet/tart, the way I like them.  
> >> > I'd forgotten about drying, and I have a dehydrator.  I'll have to
try it.
> >> > This morning, I separated the apples into "use today" and "will 
> >> > keep a
> >> bit".
> >> > After lunch, applesauce!  And maybe more.
> >> >
> >> > Your barn sounds great! And your buck sounds cute.  Do male goats 
> >> > get aggressive, when they reach maturity?
> >> > Tracy
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > -----Original Message-----
> >> > From: Ag-eq [mailto:ag-eq-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Nella 
> >> > Foster via Ag-eq
> >> > Sent: Friday, August 21, 2015 5:00 PM
> >> > To: Agricultural and Equestrean Division List
> >> > Cc: nfoster at extremezone.com
> >> > Subject: Re: [Ag-eq] Apple harvest
> >> >
> >> > Tracy:
> >> >
> >> > What kind of apples?
> >> >
> >> > I'm so jealous, love fresh apples.
> >> >
> >> > Wonder how long until my little trees start bearing fruit?
> >> >
> >> > Do you ever dry them?
> >> >
> >> > I'm still getting tomatoes, peppers, squash and cucumbers.
> >> >
> >> > I bought a little buck goat and put out with my doe goats.  He's 
> >> > kind of young, so don't know if he is old enough to do his job 
> >> > yet!  He is very cute, will grow up to be a handsome boy.  He and 
> >> > 2 of my dose have genes for spots, so hoping I get some spotted
babies.
> >> >
> >> > I'm turning my shop building into a milk barn.  The guys are 
> >> > working on it right now.  There will be a room to store hay, a 
> >> > room for milking and a room to put the goats when they kid and to 
> >> > keep the really young kids out of the weather.
> >> > It is going to make milking so much easier.  There is a pen on 
> >> > one side where I will bring the girls, then I can take them into 
> >> > the milk room to milk and put them out a door on the other side.
> >> >
> >> > I finally have goat proof fencing around the whole pasture, so 
> >> > the goats and Cruiser can all be together.  Hopefully by next 
> >> > spring I will have more fences up to divide the pasture so I can 
> >> > rotate the animals around.  They graze it more even that way.
> >> >
> >> > What is everyone else up to?
> >> >
> >> > Nella
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > Quoting Tracy Carcione via Ag-eq <ag-eq at nfbnet.org>:
> >> >
> >> > > The apple harvest is starting to roll in.  Literally, since I'm 
> >> > > picking them up off the ground and often finding them by 
> >> > > accidentally kicking them.  My young retriever is also good at 
> >> > > finding apples.  He has a soft mouth, and can pick them up 
> >> > > without a scratch, but I'm trying to teach him not to pick up 
> >> > > miscellaneous
> >> things
> >> off the ground.
> >> > >
> >> > > Yesterday, I took a medium-size bucket and filled it to the top.
> >> > > I'll have to sort them this weekend, green or ripe. Then I'll 
> >> > > start making
> >> > applesauce.
> >> > > I've also found a pandowdy recipe that sounds yummy.  
> >> > > Applesauce is the easiest though, since all I have to do is 
> >> > > boil the apples 10-15 minutes, then run them through the 
> >> > > whatchamacallit that squeezes out the good stuff and leaves the
seeds and skins in the pot.  Yumaroo!
> >> > >
> >> > > They're little apples, 2-3 inches across, so it will take quite 
> >> > > a few to make a pie.  But it could be worth it.
> >> > >
> >> > > And then there's just plain eating them.  Or wrapping some up 
> >> > > to store for later.
> >> > >
> >> > > Tracy
> >> > >
> >> > >
> >> > >
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