FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Farmstead means that our yogurt is made right on our own farm. This is good news because it means we use only one source of milk – from our own herd. Our milk is never pooled or hauled, keeping it in top condition and minimizing our ecological footprint. We have control over our products from start to finish. We believe that this is hands down the best approach to quality assurance there is. Farmstead also means that you can see where your food comes from, how our cows and land are treated, and watch your yogurt being made.
No, we prefer to leave the whey products in tact as whey has nutritional value so we add a milk protein concentrate to our milk to increase the proteins yet still leaving the nutritional whey in the yogurt. We also do not have to worry about getting rid of the whey acid by-product which can lead to environmental issues.
Our herd will seasonally graze & are out to pasture but most of the time they are in a large 28,000 square foot free-stall barn where they are able to roam about & socialize with each other. They are also bedded in sand which makes it comfortable for them. We feed them a Total Mix Ration which is a healthy combination of whey, ryelage, silage & mixture of nutrients. We work closely with a nutritionist to make sure our cows remain healthy.
We offer a variety of Original & Greek yogurts in many flavors in 1% Low-Fat as well as Whole Milk Plain Greek.
•Premium Frozen Yogurt Mix: We also have a Premium Frozen Yogurt Mix that works with any soft-serve machine. Please inquire to find out more. It is made with the same 4% low fat yogurt and 7% of mixture is yogurt so it is a true frozen yogurt. This is a healthy alternative to soft-serve ice cream which is normally 10% fat or hard ice cream which can be well over 20% fat.
•Premium Hard Pack Frozen Yogurt: In 2020 we introduced a line of premium frozen yogurt in hard pack form in both single serve cups & 20 ounce retail size in 15 different flavors.
•Sour Cream: -We added Farmstead Sour Cream in 2019 which comes in retail & food service sizes.
•Whole Milk Cream Top Fluid Milk In 2019, we also started packaging whole milk gallons-Barista’s Best which is a low-temp vat-pasteurized milk that works great for both coffee shops & to serve at your family's table. Be sure to also check out our award-winning Chocolate Whole Milk.
Our yogurt processing plant is located right on our farm. Milk is piped directly from the milking parlor while the cows are being milked into the creamery so our yogurt is made using the freshest milk possible. Thus, even though our yogurt contains no preservatives, it still boasts a long (56-day) shelf-life.
Homogenization is a mechanical process by which milk is given a uniform consistency. Non-homogenized means that the milk is left in its natural state, allowing a layer of cream to rise to the top. Homogenization was originally invented to spare consumers time spent shaking up their milk. It was not invented to make milk healthier in any way. Homogenization changes the molecular structure of milk, making it harder to digest and some say, less nutritious as it changes the mechanisms by which nutrients get delivered to the body. Large dairy operations also use homogenization processes to give pooled milk a more consistent look. We prefer to leave the milk in it’s natural state allowing the cream to rise to the top.
The milk used in Country View Dairy yogurt is non-homogenized. This is how we are able to create a delicious, low-fat yogurt with cream on the top.
We look at our cows like we do our family. If one of them is sick we don’t want to watch her suffer and do nothing so we will give her a shot of antibiotics until she is better. During this process her milk will be dumped and then tested until it no longer shows any trace of antibiotics. At that point her milk will once again be used.
