Links:

Branched Oak is a family farm. The dairy cows are given no artificial hormones or antibiotics and we don't use any chemical herbicides, insecticides or synthetic fertilizers anywhere on our farm. All of these things help us grow nutitious food while keeping the air and water clean and the soil alive.

ShadowBrook is a small, family owned specialty vegetable farm. We are committed to sustainable farming practices and are devoted to being good stewards of our land. We want to help move towards a "regional food system" where food is sold directly to the consumer rather then traveling many miles to reach your plate.

Clover Cove emphasizes the benefits of organic dairy products, grass-fed livestock, low-impact living, and encourages the exploration of raw (unpasteurized) dairy products. Clover Cove is family-run, and has been in the Gotschall family for four generations.

Resources

Small equipment:

• microdairydesign.com

 

Cultures & supplies:

• Glengarry Cheesemaking
• Nelson Jameson,
• Chez source

 

"Charuth Van Beuzekom-Loth and Krista Dittman met through connections with Nebraska Sustainable Ag Society and because their husbands went to the same high school.  Kevin and Charuth started their certified organic vegetable farm in 1996 and Doug and Krista began farming in 2000 and certified their grass-based dairy organic in 2007.  Farmstead First grew out of a cooperative vision between these two farms."

We love food, especially food that is produced by people we know.  Over dinner together one winter night in 2003, we decided it was time to develop the artisan cheese scene in our community.  A long time customer of ShadowBrook Farm had been offering help and encouragement to write a grant to start this project.

We applied for two different grants:  a SARE grant and a USDA VAPG.  When we began this process, there were three individual farms interested in working together in an effort to pool resources and inspiration.  By the time we were finished with the application process and received these two grants, only the folks at ShadowBrook Farm and Branched Oak Farm had decided they wanted to move forward with the process. 

When we started our research, we discovered that in 1984 there were 1,070 grade A dairies in Nebraska.  By 2002, there were 428.  There were also 1,600 manufacturing grade producers in 1984 and only 32 left in 2002. 

We also discovered that there has been incredible growth in the public’s awareness of the American food system.  This has in part fueled the number of shoppers wanted to find authentic food grown close to home.  These parts of our research inspired us to reestablish dairy terroir in Nebraska.

By establishing a model for a cooperatively-owned and managed dairy processing facility, we want to demonstrate the continued viability of the small, family farm and an economically feasible alternative for the next generation of young farmers to continue the rural way of life.

We began visiting  farmstead cheese makers in 2004. By 2009, we had visited 28 cheese making facilities in six states and three countries and made friends and professional contacts everywhere we went.  It was encouraging to see these small, but successful businesses producing wonderful food.  These visits were invaluable to us as we made important start-up decisions:  where to start building, should we consider a mobile cheese plant, how big our facility should be and what equipment we would need to buy.  

Our grant funding helped us educate ourselves about the process and business of cheese making.  We completed courses in cheese-related topics at Cal Poly Tech at San Luis Obispo in California, at the University of Wisconsin Madison and River Falls. We have also invited different cheese makers to visit Nebraska and teach classes here.  We have also attended and presented at cheese making workshops at the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture’s annual conference as well as the Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Society.

As to date, there have been five cheese makers who have used the Farmstead First dairy processing plant. We have expanded from our original 12x16 space to include an additional 24x16 room. This includes a 6x12 walk-in aging room for surfaced-ripened cheeses and a 5x16 incubation room where we will be able to begin making yogurt. Facility usage fees are a fixed rate of $40 / batch plus a variable rate of $.40 / gallon.

Our first formal class was offered in the fall of 2006, and we continue to offer these classes in by personal arrangement with the cheese makers. These cheese making classes are intended for food hobbyists and restraunteurs who are interested in the gourmet and local food scene.

Part of our mission is to be an incubator for new producers and small dairies interested in beginning a farmstead dairy or cheese making operation. Farmers who want to create a value-added product from their milk are invited to take classes or use our facility to develop their own variety of cheese. We offer free tours of the facility and initial consultation. A consulting fee of $35 / hr will be asked for resources, materials and information beyond the initial visit.

We invite a professional cheese maker to host a 1-3 day class every year in the fall. There are also day classes for $40 / person, $60 / for two, or $80 for a maximum of three people. Please email us to arrange a class or to be on our email list for upcoming events.

 

 

Farmstead First Story

We love food, especially food that is produced by people
we know. Over dinner together one winter night in 2003, we decided it was time to develop the artisan cheese scene in our
community. A long time customer of ShadowBrook Farm had been offering help and encouragement to write a grant to
start this project. Read full story.

What we offer