Farm Name | Green Field Farms | |
Rating | (4) | |
Location | Fredericksburg, OH | |
Products | Chees | |
Market Area | Nationwide | |
Web Site | www.gffarms.com | |
Green Field Farms has set up its own standards in addition to organics. There are many products that claim to be Amish. However, only our seal guarantees that a particular product is produced by our plain community farms, and upholds our standards for quality. They write: Each member family of Green Fields Farms follows a strict set of principles to ensure we produce high quality and wholesome food products. Traditional farming methods are maintained for two reasons. First, we want to remain good stewards of our precious land. Second, we believe there is no better way to instill core family values that raising our children on working farms that grow food for the community around us. Our farms grow most of their own animal feed, redistribute animal waste as earth-friendly fertilizers, and naturally control pests and weeds. Fields are cultivated with horse-drawn plows so we can constantly monitor the health or our land and crops- an impossibility when sitting atop a massive tractor. Hence, we don’t need to rely on harmful chemicals to discourage weeds and pests. In short, each farm is a small ecosystem that promotes natural ways for plants, animals and soils to thrive. Many of the farming techniques we use today date back to the 1600s from our Swiss and German forefathers. It all starts with our appreciation of livestock manure. While many think manure is a waste product, we know there is not a better, safer fertilized ever invented. And its free! We annually rotate our crops and use lime to sweeten the soils. Legumes are planted to naturally extract nitrogen from air and convert it to plant food. We produce an abundance of hay that is stored so our animals are well-nourished throughout the winter. And, of course, our livestock-- cows, chickens, pigs, and goats provide more manure that re-starts the growing process. |
Criteria | Points | Comments |
Ownership Structure | 90 | Cooperative |
Milk Supply | 90 | Co-op members |
Disclosure of Information for Verification | 100 | Full and open disclosure |
Certifier farms | 100 | OEFFA/GOA |
Certifier processing | 100 | OEFFA |
Cows on pasture time/acreage provided | 100 | Strong/enforced cooperative policy |
Health and longevity of cows | 100 | Very low cull rate! |
Replacement animals only from organic farms | 75 | Organic animals purchased/minority conventional |
Antibiotics used on young cattle | 100 | Never |
Reproductive hormones used | 100 | Never |
Farm support oversight | 90 | All dairies are visited regularly by staff |
Outside dairy ingredients purchased | 100 | None |
TOTAL SCORE | 1145 |
FOUR COWS (excellent) |