Hoard's visit to Mexico

We were among 1,100 people from around the world that descended on Mexico City for the annual summit of the International Dairy Federation. You could not imagine a more diverse industry gathering. In the trade show, massive grain combines were displayed across the aisle from machines that fill yogurt cups and cow mats were displayed amid booths that offered samples of every imaginable dairy product from around the world.

Topics covered by speakers were just as diverse. They ranged from future world dairy prices to use of methane digesters and from dairy products' role in human health to how peasant farmers in poor countries can make and market their own dairy products.

It was clear at the summit that dairy farmers and dairy companies around the world are hurting now. The big question was how soon things would improve. No one was placing any bets, but the consensus seemed to be that the situation will be dark for at least another six months or more.

Growing without more cows or much capital

On a foggy November afternoon in Chester Springs, Pa. we had the opportunity to visit with Ken and Sue Miller, owners of Birchrun Hill Farm. The farm is one of very few farms left on the outskirts of Philadelphia in Chester County, Pa. Because of their location and lack of space to expand, the Millers expanded their business to direct marketing specialty raw milk cheeses crafted with their very own hands.Varieties include Birchrun Blue (shown above), Highland Alpine (shown above) and Fat Cat, their very own creation. Although the cheese is made from raw milk that is not pasteurized, because of the 50 day aging, the cheese goes through a natural pasteurization and food safety concerns are much less than liquid raw milk. Cheese is made in a rented space at a nearby vacant cheese room. When the Millers learned that the small-scale facility had gone out of production, they saw it as an excellent opportunity to start their own value-added business without a large capital investment in facilities. Cheese is sold at a premium price at nearby farmer’s markets and in specialty stores in nearby Philadelphia and New York City. The Millers saw this as “their only option” to expand their business and according to them, have not even begun to take advantage of the demand in the area.