Hershey's Farm Market : Raw Jersey Milk
Introducing Our New Dairy CSA (Community Sustained Agriculture) Rich, Raw, Certified Jersey Milk Straight From Hillacres Pride Farm.
Enrollment is now open for the following pick-up dates: Oct. 20, Nov. 3, Nov. 17, Dec. 1, Dec. 15, and Dec. 29.- all Thursdays.
Gallons- $6.59 Half-Gallons- $3.99
Please Come in and Pre-Pay For the 6 deliveries for the amount you would like to order.
Hillacres Pride Raw Milk…Nature’s Most Perfect Food
What is raw milk? Raw milk is simply milk that has not been pasteurized. Pasteurization was originally intended to sterilize raw foods and is a heating process designed to destroy all bacteria and enzyme activity. Along with sterility, the pasteurized product then has a longer shelf life.
Is raw milk safe? If it is properly collected from clean cows and cooled rapidly. We are licensed by the PA Dept of Ag to sell raw milk off the farm. This requires us to have our milk tested at an independent lab twice a month (in addition to our usual milk tank tests to ship our milk). We also have farm inspections and must have an automatic filler and capper.
How long will raw milk keep? When kept at the optimal temperature of 36-38° F. you can expect fresh raw milk to last from 7-10 days. Higher temperatures allow the normally occurring lactobacilli to get busy making lactic acid, which gives soured milk its characteristically tangy taste and reduces its shelf life. Bring a cooler bag and ice or gel packs with you when buying milk on hot summer days or if you have a long drive home - it'll stay fresher tasting longer. (source-raw-milk-facts.com).
What are the health benefits of raw milk? Many scientific studies have shown that pasteurization kills beneficial enzymes and bacteria in milk. We are not scientists, but do believe in the healing effect of raw milk. There are many opinions on this subject and we suggest that you research this further if you are interested-rawmilkusa.com is a good place to start.
What do our cows eat? Our cows are fed a primarily grass diet in the spring, summer and fall. They are supplemented with corn silage and grain. When the weather does not allow the grass to grow enough for grazing, we feed hay harvested from excess summer grass. Even in the winter the cows are out each day for exercise.
How are the cows housed? When the animals are not outside, they are in mattress lined comfort stalls in our barn. In the heat of summer, they are kept cool with several fans. In the winter, they are kept warm and dry. All of our heifers are kept in loose housing and most have access to pasture.
What about the warning on the container? As part of our licensing, we are required to include a consumer warning (word for word) on our labels. We believe that raw milk, properly cared for, is safe. We drink our milk every day-the same milk we sell you. We have been raised on it and we raise our children on it as soon as they start drinking milk. They are very healthy and well grown!
Why is there a cream line? Our milk is not homogenized either. Homogenization forces the milk through small orifices under pressure to break up the fat molecules. We do not find this necessary, thus the cream rises to the top.
Do you use antibiotics or hormones? The milk we sell contains no added hormones or antibiotics. If we have a sick cow, we will at times give them antibiotics (just as you might get for pneumonia or other infections). However, the milk is with held and dumped until it tests negative for antibiotics.
For more information, go to www.hillacrespride.com.
Farm History
In 1959 Bill & Geraldine Arrowsmith had the opportunity to make a dream come true. They were offered the chance to purchase Hillacres Jerseys from the Gatchel Family. The Gatchel’s were ready to retire and they worked with Bill and Geraldine to help them purchase the 120 acre farm, 50 Registered Jersey cows and their offspring and the farm equipment. Bill and Gerry worked with the Gatchels on a rent to own basis until 1964, when they were able to get a loan to buy the farm. Through their dedication, they were able to grow the herd size and in 1967, they purchased 27 acres neighboring the farm to expand their land base. Over the years, they raised their six kids on the farm and supported them as they chose their careers.
Tom, the second to the youngest, fell in love with the cows and decided that he would like to continue on the farm. After high school, he worked full time on the farm and over the next several years management of the farm transitioned from Bill to Tom. In 1999, Tom married Mandy Graves and the two of them began managing the farm together in 2001.
As their family grew, Tom and Mandy became aware that the farm income would have to grow to support two families. They looked at options, such as an off farm career for Mandy, farm expansion (which was limited by land base and not what they desired) or diversifications. The third option seemed to make the most sense. Mandy would still be able to raise the kids on the farm and the farm income could grow.
After several meetings with PA Dept of Ag and a local cheese maker, they began making cheese at a nearby facility in 2003. Originally cheese was sold to local markets and through Holiday gift packs. In 2005, they set up a stand at their first farm market, with Mandy’s mother Judy joining the business as Market Manager. The business continued to grow at the farm markets and soon pasture raised beef was added to the product line.
In 2008, after many customer requests, it was time to further diversify the cheese selections. A new facility was planned and built on the farm. A vat pasteurizer would allow Hillacres Pride to offer a new line of pasteurized cheeses, such as ricotta, mozzarella and cheese spreads. The cheese house was up and running for the 2009 market season.
As the cheese selections grew, so did requests from retailers to add the cheese to their stores. In 2010, a formal delivery route was started. Talking with retailers prompted us to further explore the raw milk farmstead aged cheeses and our first cheese, “Susquehanna” started to hit stores by the end of the year.
In 2011, we are still exploring what cheeses work the best with our Jersey milk. We anticipate the addition of a few new cheeses this year, including a couple of aged cheeses in wheels, a bloomy rind cheese , and feta that is packaged in brine.
Farm facts:
- The farm is 150 acres, with 102 acres of tillable ground and pasture land. We grow several varieties of grass, as well as corn for silage and grain.
- The cows are milked two times each day and we milk 365 days a year.
- Cows calve through out the year, it is not a seasonal herd.
- In the summer months cows graze on the grass and extra grass is harvested for hay that is used in the winter.
Cows
- 55 milking cows.
- 10 dry cows (cows have at least a two month break from milking before calving again).
- 40 heifers under 2 years of age.
- 40 steers being raised for beef.
- All of the female cows are registered and have names.
- Cows are not treated with rBGH or fed therapeutic antibiotics.
- The milking herd is tested annually for TB and Brucellosis and has been an accredited free herd since at least 1920.
- All calves are calf hood vaccinated for Brucellosis.
- Milk is tested bi-weekly monthly by Lancaster DHIA for coliform and bacteria.
- The farm consistently received the gold award for milk quality from our milk co-op.
Cheese
- All of the cheeses are made with a microbial rennet that is vegetarian.
- We do not use any preservatives of additives in our cheeses.
- All of the raw milk cheeses are aged a minimum of 60 days.
- Cheeses are made with 100% whole Jersey milk.
Current Farm Facts & Our Vision
Our animals
We have about 65 Registered Jersey cows. Usually about 55 are milking and the rest are dry. The animals are milked two times each day, 365 days a year. We are not a seasonal herd, thus animals calve all year round. All of our calves are raised on the farm. We currently have about 40 heifers and 30 steers.
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