| Farm Name | Thistle Hill Farm | |
| Rating |
(5)
|
|
| Location | North Pomfret, VT | |
| Products | Tarentaise Cheese | |
| Market Area | Nationwide | |
| Web Site | http://www.thistlehillfarm.com/ | |
| Thistle Hill Farm is a certified organic dairy farm located in North Pomfret, Vermont, owned and operated by John and Janine Putnam and their four children, aged ten to eighteen. The Putnams have been farming organically for over fifteen years, beginning with vegetables and beef, and culminating in organic cheese making. Other than incidental part time help, the family makes Thistle Hill Farm Tarentaise from the ground up. Every aspect of creating the cheese, from caring for the hay fields and pastures, bringing in the hay and caring for and milking the Jersey dairy cows is done on the farm by the Putnam family. | ||
| Criteria | Points | Comments |
| Ownership Structure | 100 | None |
| Milk Supply | 100 | Single Farm |
| Disclosure of Information for Verification | 100 | Full and open disclosure |
| Certifier farms | 100 | NOFA-VT |
| Certifier processing | 100 | NOFA-VT |
| Cows on pasture time/acreage provided | 100 | 20 jersey cows out on pasture all day and night |
| Health and longevity of cows | 100 | Very low cull rate |
| Replacement animals only from organic farms | 100 | Closed herd |
| Antibiotics used on young cattle | 100 | Never |
| Reproductive hormones used | 100 | Never |
| Farm support oversight | 100 | Owner Operator |
| Outside dairy ingredients purchased | 100 | None |
| TOTAL SCORE | 1200 |
FIVE COWS (Outstanding)
|