It started with an hour and a half exciting journey through the Wisconsin countryside to the Holmes Dairy Farm which is a part of a 20 year old cooperative of over 1300 farms across the US. I never understood the level of commitment to organic farming until I visited Nicaraguan organic coffee farmers two years ago and today’s visit to Wisconsin opened my eyes to what I took for granted for the five years I have been a barista but no more.
The Holmes dairy farm has 30 Jersey cows, some of the smallest of dairy cows but the most efficient grazing machines in the business. These beauties are milked twice daily for seven days a week, thus making dairy farming hard work. The Holmes have six daughters ranging from 9 to 16 years old and their parents have complete confidence that these girls can run the entire farm on their own. Our tour group was split into three smaller groups to be taken on this educational tour of how to milk, feed and take care of 30 or more dairy cows.
This family relocated to their home state to transform a conventional farm to organic. Where there were no earth worms or dung beetles due to pestisides and atibiotics from 100 years of irresponsible farming, the Holmes family transformed an almost dead land into an organic beauty which sustains their lives as well as their cows, horses, cats and chickens. Purchasing this farm 14 years ago, they have finally seen the return of worms and dung beetles which are vital in enriching the soil for healthy organic pasteurs for dairy cows.
The Holmes kept us warm and dry in the Wisconsin rain as we visited the fields, watching their daughters lead these 30 cows to new grazing pasteurs after they had been milked for the first time today; then we moved to the actual milking facilty where we learned how they are milked and saw where the Holmes store their milk until the arrival of the Organic Valley Farms truck visits twice a week to take the milk to be bottled. I even had the chance to drink raw milk. Very creamy body with a light mouth feel and sweet aftertaste. Too bad it has to be homogenized before we get it at home.
They fed us and the lovely Holmes girls graced us with an acapella version of Amazing Grace and we were on our way home and they were on their way to a second milking. Enjoy the pictures.
Must have: ,