The farm was started in 1980 with 2 cows and has grown significantly since then. In 1992, Francis and his wife took over the farm. Right now, they have about 80 cows that they milk twice a day. The farm has about 450 acres, which is mostly grass, and it is split up into small pastures that are about 2 acres each. Twice a day, after milking, the cows move to a new pasture area to graze. If the cows were allowed to continue grazing in the same area for a longer period of time, they would graze it down very close to the ground which kills most of the different types of grass. By rotating the areas that the cows graze in, it allows the grass to grow and increases the diversity of grasses. The cows are able to graze from April to December- they only need to use stored feed for a few months out of the year.
Allowing the cows to graze means that the cows are able to harvest their own feed. This saves time and energy because the farmer doesn't have to use machinery to harvest the grass and bring it to the cow, and doesn't have to collect the manure from the cow being in confinement. By allowing the cows to graze- they harvest their own feed & spread the manure right back into the field to fertilize (meaning they are using natural fertilizers instead of synthetic).
Radiance Dairy is very different than most commercial dairies where the cows are in confinement facilities and are fed a diet of mostly corn. According to Francis, corn is high in energy so it produces a lot of milk, but it is not what a cow is designed by nature to eat. Their stomach is designed to eat forage. Corn can cause a variety of metabolic problems for a cow, which usually shortens their lifespan significantly.
Radiance Dairy is a certified organic farm which means that they do not use synthetic herbicides, pesticides, or fertilizers on the fields. They do not give growth hormones to their cows. Their cows are very healthy because they are raised in the natural environment. They do not use antibiotics on a regular basis. In the rare occasion that a cow is sick & needs antibiotics the cow is removed from the herd and the milk is kept separate.
One unexpected part of our trip was meeting a calf that was born the day before. That had not decided on a name for the calf yet and I am pleased to share that her name is now Marieta (named after me!)
While visiting the farm, we had the opportunity to watch to cows being milked and saw the area where they pasteurize the milk and make the cheese and yogurt. The best part of the day was sampling the delicious products. Francis gave us a gallon of the creamline yogurt. The cream had separated to the top of the gallon and had become very thick. It was similar to the consistency of brie cheese. It was tangy, rich, and wonderful. After the top cream portion, the yogurt was thinner and lower in fat. It may be the best yogurt I have ever eaten. We also bought a gallon of skim milk- which despite being skim- was incredibly rich & creamy. We sampled the jack cheese- which had the same rich, tangy flavor as the yogurt. We also bought a container of cream that I plan to make homemade butter with.
Unfortunately for me, Radiance dairy products are only sold in Fairfield, Iowa. I am glad that they have enough support in Fairfield, but it makes me sad that I cannot eat their products on a regular basis. If you are ever in the Fairfield area, treat yourself to some of the wonderful products from Radiance Dairy.
