Change In the Making?

For a few years now, we have been examining the direction we are going with the farm. We have considered getting a raw milk license so we can "legally" sell raw milk.  Or we could sell cow shares where the customer would actually own the cow and they would just pay us for taking care of her, milking her and making them butter, cheese, etc..  It would be a totally legal thing to do in PA.  Or should we just sell the cows and concentrate on raising meat, as in beef, chicken and pigs.  Or, we could try to find a niche market.  Well, yesterday we were contacted about purchasing 10.......want to guess what?........it would certainly fit our niche market idea........water buffalo!  Let me tell you about water buffalo.  First, this is what they look like:


Following is some information that we come across in doing some research:

"Water buffalo produce far fewer pounds of milk per lactation (3,300 pounds), but their milk has 10 percent fat and 5 percent protein component levels. They also exhibit more longevity, living to be 18 to 25 years old and having between 10 to 15 lactations. (A water buffalo gestation period is 10.5 months.)  One of the benefits of water buffalo is feed efficiency.

Buffalo milk is a totally natural product that can be consumed like any other milk. Time after time participants in tasting trials pick out buffalo milk in preference to cows, goats and artificially manufactured milks. They just love the taste.

Buffalo milk is very white and beautifully smooth. It is significantly lower in cholesterol and higher in calcium than cows, sheeps or goats milks. And unlike the array of industrially produced soya and other cereal milks it is totally free of additives and chemical formulations.

   
Unlike the modern dairy cow the buffalo can thrive without the need to use high levels of concentrated feed. Grass, clover and straw make up the bulk of a buffaloes diet. No bone meals, fish meals or genetically modified feeds are ever fed to our buffalo.

Dairies love to work with Buffalo Milk, which we all know makes the best mozzarella."

So, after reading about the benefits of the milk and realizing that they would do well on our hills, we may seriously consider the offer.  Who ever thought we would milk water buffalo? 

Well..........

We......

¡¡sןooɟ ןıɹdɐ  ¡ɐɥɔʇoƃ

Until next time.........