Pleasant Meadow Creamery began in 2011, incorporated in 2013, and sold its first retail raw milk at Winter Ridge Natural Foods in Fall 2013. We then began to sell milk and cream at Pilgrim’s Market in Coeur d’Alene in Fall 2016, and at select Super 1 Foods stores in 2018.
We are the longest standing raw milk dairy in North Idaho and one of the longest standing raw milk dairies in the state of Idaho.
Three generations of Herndons live and work on the farm along with more than a handful of very excellent employees.
We were the first raw milk dairy to milk Guernsey cows in North Idaho and we were the first to bottle in glass milk bottles.
We test every batch of milk produced and bottled on the farm and our results are excellent – producing a flavorful milk that, when kept cold, has an exceptional shelf life. Our Standard Plate Count average for 2026, with 16 to 20 tests per month, is around 450 cfu/mL, while our coliform count average is less than half a cfu/mL. Learn more about our quality assurance program here.
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 was born and raised at the beach in southern California.
In 2004, Paul and Debra moved to North 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, around 200 acres are used for grazing or hay production.
After finishing the house, Paul earned a Master of Accountancy with emphasis in taxation from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. Just as he earned his Master’s, he also earned his Certified Public Accountant license. He manages another business that does small business tax.
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. Working with those first several cows, the Herndons discovered a love for dairy cows and especially for Guernseys. Since then, the herd has continued to expand. Currently there are around 35 milking cows. We raise 15 to 20 heifer calves per year and our bred and pre-bred heifer group is about this same size.
Christopher Herndon was born in Santa Cruz, California to Paul and Debra. He has been milking cows since the age of 14 and is the main milking person at Pleasant Meadow Creamery, along with performing many other tasks. He married Nicole, who also works on the farm, and they are starting the third generation of Herndons to be associated with Pleasant Meadow Creamery.
A little more about our start and a similar tale can be found on our blog here: NPR Planet Money – Raw Milk Deal