Our dairy in Kennedyville, Maryland, was certified organic in 1998. It was our second company-owned farm, following our orginal farm in Paul, Idaho.
Our farm consists of 760 acres and is home to 500 milking cows.
The farm has helped to protect the sensitive nearby Chesapeake Bay by turning previously mismanaged land with dangerously high phosphorous levels into permanent organic pasture.
Our farm inspired neighbors to convert their farms to organic, further improving the environmental health of the Chesapeake Bay region.
Because no pesticides or chemical fertilizers, like nitrates, are used on the ground, and no added growth hormones or antibiotics are given to the cows, the Maryland farm is dramatically more sustainable and earth-friendly than a conventional dairy farm of the same size.
The best thing about farming organically is that it makes you be a better dairyman. To keep a herd healthy organically, you have get to know the cows the way our grandparents did, with close supervision and hands-on care, every single day. It's a better way to do things, and I'm proud to be a part of it.
Without the medications available in conventional dairy, you need a lot of experience and wisdom to care for a herd. Luckily, we've got some of the country's top professional herdsmen, veterinarians and nutritionists available to help us along. We've built a new state-of-the-art maternity barn, to make sure our cows are healthy, calm and comfortable during pregnancy and calving. Once the calves are born, we raise all our baby heifers right here.
Our cows and our land are our top priority, but that's not our only commitment. We also care a lot about how our dairy affects the community we live in. That's why we always work with our neighboring organic farms first when we need to buy feed.
There's plenty to say about organic dairy, but it all boils down to one basic idea: If we don't take care of the cows, they don't take care of us. It's just that that simple - and simple works for me.
