WHERE TO BUY OUR MILK
Where to buy our amazing Guernsey Goodness? Our farm is located in Sagle, Idaho in the Dufort Valley, but because our customer base is so diverse, we have partnered with some great grocery stores to get Guernsey Goodness as close to you as possible:
- Winter Ridge Natural Foods in Sandpoint, Idaho
- Super 1 Foods in Sandpoint, Idaho
- City Beach Organics in Sandpoint, Idaho
- Yoke’s Fresh Market in Ponderay, Idaho
- Pilgrim’s Market in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
- Super 1 Foods in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
- Super 1 Foods in Athol, Idaho
- Super 1 Foods in Rathdrum, Idaho
- Yoke’s Fresh Market in Post Falls, Idaho
- Super 1 Foods in Hayden, Idaho
- Super 1 Foods in Bonners Ferry, Idaho
- Super 1 Foods in Oldtown, Idaho
- Super 1 Foods in Post Falls, Idaho
Stores to our North typically get their deliveries on Tuesdays and Saturdays, while stores to our South get their deliveries on Mondays and Thursdays.
WHAT THE COWS EAT
Pasture: Our cows are on pasture 7 days a week (except when the weather is bad) between mid-April or early May and late October. They have continuous access to two clean pack-bedded barns, with their bedding being pine planer shavings from a nearby sawmill. Depending on the season, some cows choose to sleep inside, some on the grass out in the open, and some under groups of trees.
We are the only dairy in North Idaho that can guarantee fresh grass for all of our cows for 6 months of the year, thanks to our extensive irrigation system, and the blessed abundance of water the Lord put below us in the earth and in our creek. Without irrigation, and with dry western summers, the cows would only get three months of fresh grass, and then the fields would be dried out and the cows back on hay by August.
Hay: We grow our own clover/alfalfa/grass hay and fertilize using ducks, chickens, our own composted cow manure, and various elemental products which are OMRI listed, or otherwise approved by ISDA or WSDA.
Grain: The cows eat approximately 6 to 8 pounds per cow per day of certified organic grain from Big Sky Organic Feed in eastern Montana (a division of Montana Flour). This blend is corn, soy, and canola free. The primary ingredients are barley, lentils, and peas.
THE HEAD DAIRYMAN
Paul Herndon was born in Richmond, Virginia and raised in northern California outside of Sacramento.
He went to an all-male military academy in Missouri for high school, and then got his Bachelors in Operations Management from Arizona State University. At the age of 29, he was fortunate to meet and marry Debra, who is from southern California.
In 2004, Paul and Debra decided to move to northern Idaho. They purchased a 20 acre forested property in Sagle, Idaho and a house in Sandpoint. Paul then built a barn on the Sagle property and moved the family into it. Over the course of several years, thereafter, he built a custom timber frame home. Paul and Debra were fortunate to add more acres to the farm as well. Currently, 150 acres are used for grazing or certified organic hay production.
After finishing his house, Paul earned a Master of Accountancy with emphasis in taxation from Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA. He manages another business that does small business tax at Herndon CPA.
The Herndons purchased their first Guernsey cow in 2011 as a family milk cow. Because the cow was such a good producer, they began selling milk to others and then added a second cow. Since then, they continue to expand. Currently the herd is about 22 milking.
A little more about our start and a similar tale can be found on our blog here: NPR Planet Money – Raw Milk Deal