Lonely Goat Hill
Milk Safety
Our top priority as a dairy is milk safety. We pride ourselves in the healthiness of our livestock, the cleanliness of our facility and in the frequency of our milk testing. If fact, we have our milk tested twice as frequently as recommended by the Kansas Department of Agriculture.
Milk Testing
We have MQT Labs test the SCC (somatic cell count) of our milk twice a month. An elevated SCC is an indicator of increased bacteria in the milk. This increased bacteria can come from unclean milking protocols or from a sick animal. High SCCs can be a sign of pathogens in the milk that may compromise milk safety. An increased SCC can also reduce the shelf life of the milk and can lead to lower cheese yield. The Kansas Department of Milk requires an SCC of less than 1,500,000 cells per ml for goats. Our milk has never tested higher than 140,000 cells per ml. Our bi-monthly testing results are available to the public and are published here. We pride ourselves in our transparency.
Milk Taste
In the past we've milked cattle and dairy sheep. We've tried raw milk from several farms and pasteurized milk from many farms. We love our milk and we challenge you to come to the farm and try it for yourself. It tastes very similar to whole cow's milk--no goaty flavor, no dirt flavor, no hay flavor, no weird residue, not bland. It's really, really good. It's taste can in no way be compared to the horrid goat milk you can buy at the grocery store. It's naturally homogenized, though the cream will separate out if you give it long enough. And the shelf life of our milk is unbelievable. Because we chill our milk immediately and process on a daily basis (and maybe because our SCCs are so low?) our milk will last for three weeks in the fridge. So...super fresh, A2A2, less lactose, more calcium, more magnesium, more potassium? Seems like a no brainer.
Goat Testing
Our goats are tested yearly for CAE and Johnes. So far we have never had a goat test positive for either. Current results are published here (1) (2). We have also never had CL in our herd. Like humans, goats do get sick now and then. Any goat with a suspected "cold," usually a respiratory illness, is taken out of the milk lineup and milked individually. This milk is dumped. If we needed to treat a goat with antibiotics that goat would be taken out of the milk lineup immediately and not added back in until she had been off treatment protocol for a minimum of one week.
Healthy Goats​​
We believe our goats have been so healthy because they are happy. They spend most of their day out browsing and grazing. When it is windy or wet they have multiple shelters so that there is no overcrowding. Unlike cattle and dogs, our goats do not like to sleep on the ground so they have elevated beds. This also helps with livestock management, as they are never sleeping on wet or soiled bedding. Perhaps most importantly, our goats are given loads of daily attention. This helps build bonds with the goats, making them easier to manage, and also allows us to notice small differences or changes before they become issues. We want the best for the animals we love, and that means clean living quarters without overcrowding, healthy food and daily affection.