Shareholder Update
Hey Everyone,
I hope you're hanging in there this summer -- it has certainly been a doozy here on the farm. The dry heat hasn't given us much grass growth in the last two months, so soon, I'll be feeding hay.
Besides that, the cows are doing well. Our first calf came a few weeks ago and the second one arrived yesterday, both without a hitch, so hats off to their mothers, Artemis and Aphrodite. My estimated due dates were about a week early. I've attached a few pictures ... but we're still picking names. Both were heifers, but no surprises there: the vet bred the cows with sexed semen, so I was expecting girls! (Wild, right?) The third calf is due in late September.
Best of all, I expect to start milk pick-ups again in about a week! As supply permits, I'll be following up with you separately. Here are few updates as we start back up:
- Bottles: I'll be labeling specific jars for each herdshare member and bottling your milk in those jars. There will be two sets with your name on them, so please return the previous set (clean and dry) whenever you pick up your milk. I'll sanitize them before filling them back up.
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Prices: Sadly, I have to charge a little more this time around. I started this project thinking, "why does good dairy have to be so expensive?" Now, I can answer that question at length . It adds up: supplemental feed, hay for winter (and summer, as it turns out), regular replacements for hoses, fittings, and gaskets, filters, cleaners, vet visits for dehorning and breeding... and on top of that, ongoing capital investments like corral panels, water troughs, hay bale feeders... phew!
My plan is to start charging weekly instead of monthly, so months with 5 pickup days will be more expensive. Sorry!
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Behind the scenes: I've been working with folks at the Raw Milk Institute to improve my workflows and cleaning protocols. My goal is to complete their risk management training program and be "RAWMI Listed" later this year. To that end, I've been reorganizing my workspaces (to achieve more separation between livestock and milk handling), upgrading some equipment, buying new cleaners (specifically, adding an acid rinse to the end of my daily cleaning routine), and working up detailed written documents for farm management processes.
Also, I've been approved for a project with the Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District. Through that organization, Virginia taxpayers (thanks, y'all!) reimburse farmers (in-part) who install equipment for soil- and water-friendly farming techniques. On the whole, their work seems to be working: the Chesapeake bay is in better shape than it has been in decades. At Lake Road Farm, we'll be getting in-ground water lines, cattle waterers, and several division fences, added to improve my rotational grazing practice. It will make my work a lot easier to have more permanent infrastructure. Hopefully it will go in before Fall.
- Bird Flu: Big news this summer was that bird flu has been circulating among dairy herds. I haven't seen any signs of it at Lake Road Farm yet. I keep a close eye on new findings about this, and so far, I'm comfortable serving raw milk to my family. If this changes, I'll let you know -- and at that point, I'll stop distributing milk for my own conscience's sake. I'd be happy to discuss this further if you're interested, just let me know.
Keep an eye out for another email from me in the next week or two about getting started back up again, and please let me know if you have any other comments or questions!
Best,
Robert