Author: Paul Herndon

Happy Thanksgiving. Today, we are thankful for low risk raw milk. We are also thankful for all of our healthy cows and calves, our employees, and for all of our customers who appreciate quality, locally sourced food that is life and health to the body. We strive our best 7 days a week, every week

Deregulation of 2021 had the potential to negatively affect raw milk quality throughout the state. Raw Milk Rule in Idaho In June of 2021, there was negotiated rulemaking in Idaho across all departments at the order of the Governor to remove administrative rules.  Raw milk was one of those rules that went through negotiated rulemaking. 

Did you know that in the state of Idaho, the only requirement for selling raw milk to the public is that the cows be annually disease tested for tuberculosis and brucellosis? Otherwise, there are literally no standards at all. No standards for facilities, no standards for cleanliness, and no standards for testing. On the one

Have you ever heard of cow snuggles? This morning, during the review of the herd and grass, I found Jade, a bred heifer, resting under the trees while her fellows were out eating, so I visited her to give her scratches. Jade is sort of a loner heifer. She is in the general vicinity of

I had a customer message our Facebook business page recently with the following message: I asked the guy if it would be “absurd” to charge a $3.75 bottle deposit if the bottles were in fact $3.75 to replace, or even $4. He responded, “Yes it is absurd when other bottle deposits are $2 and I

The last dandelions and fresh grass Cows like Dixie are on their final days this season consuming a 100% live grass diet, and with this come seasonal production fluctuations. Within weeks, we will be feeding hay and haylage. The bees on that dandelion know the days are numbered also and are busy gathering their last

This year has presented many challenges for our small dairy management, and over the years, we have seen at least two other dairies, who were in fact slightly bigger than us, go out of business suddenly and after only a few short years because of the challenges presented for direct-to-consumer dairies of our size. Some

Governor Brad Little, so he could claim bragging rights about being the “least regulated state” in the nation, ordered all departments within Idaho to do “zero-based” rule re-writing this past spring. The goal was to reduce words: hence regulation. We would call this “deregulation”. Raw milk was always legal in Idaho without statute or rules.

I had to eat a big bite of humble pie this spring in regards to bovines, and specifically to dairy cow pneumonia. Normally, I wouldn’t post about such a topic – the hard lessons of livestock farming – except in this case I feel it could be instructive for someone else who might land on