Hodgdon dairy farm looks to fill raw milk niche

Angie Wotton, Special to The County
11 years ago

It’s not every day that you hear about someone going into dairy farming. Even though Maine has fared better than other states, the trend is still one of losing, rather than gaining, dairy farms. If you ask Joel and Katie Duff of Hodgdon why they would enter such a risky business at this time, the answer is pretty simple — their kids (Samuel, 9, Abigail, 7, and Adeline, 1).
Apparently, this is not a new idea. Joel and Katie have been discussing starting a small dairy for about five years and decided to act on the idea for several reasons. Joel’s reasons included the fact that he is a fourth generation farmer and grew up with dairy cows. His childhood experience was such that his fervent wish is to provide a similar childhood experience for his own three children. Katie’s reasons included a desire for a more simple life for their children and strong family values. Also, after deciding to stop working as a teacher and stay at home when their youngest daughter was born, she realized that helping with the dairying was a way to continue to contribute personally to the family farm.
Once the decision was made, things moved pretty quickly. Fourteen cows were purchased from a retiring farmer in Winterport, licenses and state inspections took place, and on April 3, the first of Duff Farms milk was being produced.
As part of growing up on a dairy farm experience, it was important to both Joel and Katie to offer raw milk for sale locally. In addition to building a customer base for their raw milk, they also sell to Houlton Farms Dairy.
Katie admitted that part of her hesitation of getting milk cows was the thought of “being tied to the farm.” She was surprised at how quickly it just became part of their routine and how they still “have a life.” They both admitted that the first couple of weeks it would take them two hours to do all of the chores and milk. At this point, they have it down to 45 minutes but it sounds as though Katie still hasn’t quite learned how to dodge a cow’s kick through a fresh cow pattie. Yuck.
Building a customer base for raw milk sales has been mostly through word of mouth. The Duffs felt that there were enough people around requesting raw milk and they could fill that niche. They have faced some criticism for selling raw milk and recognize that public education is also key. To do it right, Joel recently attended a bottling raw milk session as part of a food safety workshop in Augusta. Their milk is also tested every two weeks.
The dairy cows are out on pasture with feed supplemented with non-GMO grain. That brings up another aspect of education. Some raw milk customers noticed a different color or taste in the milk when the dandelions were in full bloom and when the cows were first out on grass.
Direct from the farm allows you to experience first-hand the subtleties of seasonal changes. Try it for yourself. Half-gallon glass bottles are available at the farmhouse at 525 White Settlement Rd. for $2.50 with an initial $5 bottle deposit. Call 532-3843 or check out their farm on Facebook.
Angie Wotton loves her work as district manager for the Southern Aroostook Soil and Water Conservation District. She also raises pastured pork and vegetables with her husband on their small West Berry Farm in Hammond. She can be reached 532-9407 or via email at angela.wotton@me.nacdnet .net.