Every Monday is Member Photo Monday where we feature a member photo on our Instagram and Facebook pages. Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF) is proud of our members, and we take great pleasure in highlighting their operations and the awesome work they are conducting in sustainable farming, animal husbandry, artisanal production, and homesteading. See below for a roundup of June’s member photos!
Ewe and Me Creamery
Ewe and Me Creamery is owned and operated by Delaney and Ben Drake in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The Drakes provide raw sheep milk to their community through herd shares. Delaney suffered through years of stomach pain and no answers, until she discovered she had a variety of stomach issues and food sensitivities. She healed her stomach but learned she had to avoid goat and cow milk. Delaney was devastated since her favorite food was ice cream and dairy desserts. She had never heard of sheep milk until she tried Manchego, which is a pure sheep cheese. Her stomach and tastebuds were finally in agreement. Within 6 months of this discovery, the Drakes had their own flock of sheep and their first milking season was this past spring. They share their milk so that others can enjoy the benefits of sheep milk. Delaney is passionate about helping others create clean desserts where they have control over the ingredients with zero guilt or stomach aches! Depending on the time of year, the Creamery offers these events to the public: farm tours, bottle feeding lambs, milking sheep, wool processing, shearing, and butchering. The photo is of their daughter kissing a lamb.
Anna’s Chestnut Oaks
Jacalyn and James Hicks run Anna’s Chestnut Oaks, LLC a 6-acre farm, tucked among beautiful chestnut oak trees in Spotsylvania County, Virginia, a short drive from Lake Anna. The retired couple raise 60 American Dairy Goat Association (ADGA) and American Goat Society Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats for dairy, breeding, and showing. Their herd is an ADGA Performance Herd and receives monthly milk tests. They maintain a carefully managed, disease-free herd. By keeping their herd small, they are able to devote the care and attention that brings out the best in the personable breed. Their goats stand at 17-24 inches tall at the withers and are a well-proportioned dairy goat in miniature. Milk production averages 1-2 quarts per day, with a butterfat content between 6-10%. The lower milk average makes them ideal for a small family and the high butterfat content makes an excellent choice for homemade cheese, yogurt and ice cream. Nigerians are perfect for just about anyone to handle with their gentle, friendly personality and smaller size.
Consider Bardwell Farm
Consider Bardwell Farm is owned and operated by Angela Miller and Russell Glover. Located in Pawlet, Vermont, and spanning the rolling hills of Vermont’s Champlain Valley and reaching into New York, the three-hundred acre farm was established in 1864 by a man named Consider Stebbins Bardwell. It was Vermont’s first dairy co-op, then called The Pawlet Cheese Company, where small farmers in the area brought their milk. A century and a half later, Angela and Russell are revitalizing the tradition with pasture-based raw milk from cows with the support of their neighbor farm partner, Indian River Farm. Most milk in America is pasteurized and almost always from large operations raising black-and-white Holstein cows. Their cows, however, are predominantly Jersey, and produce milk with almost twice as much fat and protein as what you’d get in the supermarket, is rich in omega-3s, and even changes in flavor depending on which grasses they eat. The photo here shows Assistant Cheese Maker Ashlee holding a freshly-turned baby wheel of raw milk Pawlett cheese.
Tabula Rasa Farms
Tabula Rasa Farms is a small pasture farm located in Oregon wine country just minutes from downtown Carlton in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Founded by artist-turned -farmer Brenda Smola-Foti, it is dedicated to regenerative agriculture practices and maintaining a sustainable farm ecosystem where animals thrive, the land is enriched, and the community is welcome. Tabula Rasa Farms raises grass-fed, grass-finished beef, pastured pork, and pasture-raised laying hens, naturally and respectfully. The property includes a Farm Stand featuring its flavorful, nutrient-dense meats as well as locally made artisanal products and wines along with a Farmhouse vacation rental home and guided tours of the surrounding acreage. The photo shows some Tabula Rasa Farms’ American Guinea Hogs napping.
Membership
Thank you to all of our wonderful members! We are membership-based and couldn’t do the work we do without you! Learn more about membership here.
If you’re a member and would like to share your photos with us, email Amelia@farmtoconsumer.org for more details.
YOUR FUND AT WORK
Services provided by FTCLDF go beyond legal representation for members in court cases.
Educational and policy work also provide an avenue for FTCLDF to build grassroots activism to create the most favorable regulatory climate possible. In addition to advising on bill language, FTCLDF supports favorable legislation via action alerts and social media outreach.
You can protect access to real foods from small farms by becoming a member or donating today.