Winter at the creamery

This time of year things slow down a bit at the farm and creamery. As we patiently wait for spring to truly show up (Mother Nature likes to tease us with a few fake springs around here...) there is plenty to keep us busy.

Winter might be cold, but we get some beautiful sunrises!

At the creamery we keep on producing your favorite cheese curds and milk, as well as begin to plan ice cream production so we are ready to go as soon as ice cream season hits. We also spend extra time cleaning up the plant and organizing the warehouse in preparation for our busier summer and fall seasons. This time of year is also when we start to dream up new cheese curd, cheddar and ice cream flavors!

We're spending winter dreaming up new cheddar and cheese curd flavors for 2023!

With the busyness of planting and harvest seasons done on the farm, we switch our focus to planning. Decisions about planting for the next year are well thought out and take into account what we'll need to feed our milking cows and young stock through the whole next year. Tom, Marshall and Anna also spend most of there spare time cutting firewood to heat the milking parlor, barn and office spaces. When the temperatures get freezing cold, we can burn through a whole pickup load of wood in one day!

During the winter months we devote some time to special projects at both the farm and the creamery. There is always maintenance to do on farm equipment and we can have down days at the creamery that allow us to get things replaced or fixed without having to shutdown production. In the next month or so, we are hoping to add a viewing window to our milking parlor which would allow our farm tours to take a peak inside! We've also made plans to update our viewing hallway at the creamery with more information for those of you who come visit and take the self-guided tour.

Hazel giving her cows some head scratches while milking. Our plan to install a viewing window will let all our tour groups take a peek into the milking parlor.

Winter might be a reason to hibernate for some, but we have plenty to keep us busy! What do you spend your winters planning?