Farm Name | Paradise Springs Farm | |
Rating | (5) | |
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Location | Victor, ID | |
Products | Milk and raw cheese | |
Market Area | Teton Valley and Driggs, ID | |
Web Site | http://www.paradisespringsfarm.com/ | |
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They write: Paradise Springs Farm was started in 1999 with the intent to grow the finest quality plants and animals through Biodynamic practices. The first 2 cows arrived in 2001 to provide raw milk and to provide fertility for the farm. Soon after that Mike Reid began to build his Grade A facility to comply with the Idaho Raw Milk Ordinance and in 2009 Paradise Springs Farm became the first raw milk dairy ever to operate under the Idaho Raw Milk Ordinance, permit #001. Perhaps the best comment that adequately describes the cow’s environment here is from a former worker who had worked on several organic dairy farms where the cows had names but he had never worked on a farm where the cows knew their names. Some people have dogs and cats for pets; we have dairy cows. We grow all of the food for the cows on our nearly 420 acre certified Biodynamic, certified organic farm in Teton Valley, Idaho, including pasture, hay and barley. Only rarely are off farm inputs required; when things like extra bedding are needed, they are sourced locally from another organic farm. Our irrigation water emerges in the form of Paradise Springs, from the bottom of a hillside adjacent to thousands of acres of National Forest and is pure enough to drink right out of the spring. Every
effort has been made to retain nature’s purity and goodness and to
block out
the constant increase of radiation and chemicals in the
environment. On
the application form to become a licensed Grade A dairy, Mike explained
that he
didn’t start this farm to have the best dairy in Teton County or Idaho
but to
have the best dairy in the world and I work towards that goal every day. |
Criteria | Points | Comments |
Ownership Structure | 100 | Family farm |
Milk Supply | 100 | Single farm |
Disclosure of Information for Verification | 100 | Full and open disclosure |
Certifier farms | 100 | Stellar |
Certifier processing | 100 | Stellar |
Cows on pasture time/acreage provided | 100 | 190 acres, 15 milkers/calves, 200+ days/year |
Health and longevity of cows | 100 | Extremely 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 | Single family farm |
Outside dairy ingredients purchased | 100 | None |
TOTAL SCORE | 1200 | FIVE COWS
(Outstanding) |