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Tonight's featured vendor: Bair Trax Dairy!
At home my family has a VERY small herd of cows, and that’s just how we like it. But years ago, before we were supplying our own milk and dairy products, I researched all of the raw milk herdshares in the area before settling with the most local, and the Certified Organic choice – Bair Trax Dairy here in Troy.
When I first called Mrs. Bair to inquire about their herdshare, she informed me they milk at 5am and 5pm every day, and I was welcome to come check out their process either time – she didn’t seem surprised we chose the afternoon! And I soon became spoiled with all the cream and richness of their milk, quickly forgetting I had never before had access to real fresh milk!
Fast forward 7 years and I’m not sure I can adequately express how pleased we’ve been with the Bair’s operation or friendship. That’s one of the things I love most about this market – the ability to not only support real local food, but to truly know your farmer and come into contact with good old-fashioned NICE people, when so often there seems nothing “common” about common decency and common sense these days.
Bair Trax Dairy is owned and operated by parents Raymond and Phyllis with their son David, daughter-in-law Annette, and grandson Michael. This family has been farming their 212 acres for 62 years, with four generations still living on the family land, where they raise not only cows but the feed for their animals – no better way to ensure you have a quality product than to control exactly what you and your animals eat!
Milking 85 cows twice a day, what milk isn’t claimed by the members of their herdshare program is sold to Horizon Organic, and their ground beef is available on the Virtual Market, as are Michael’s whole chickens.
A Miami East sophomore, Michael began a Pastured Poultry business as his FFA project, feeding solely Certified Organic feed to his chickens who live on pasture 24/7.
David also offers Pastured Eggs for sale from his chickens who free range over their farm.
Someone told me once we’d have to be crazy to choose farming, and often I think they were right. You have to love it, as it’s wholly consuming, particularly when you’re a dairy farmer and the animals not only need fed and watered, but milked twice a day every day of the year – on all Federal and religious holidays, on the hottest and coldest days of the year, when there’s an event you’d love to attend… you would HAVE to love it to make that choice.
When Raymond, the 74 year old father, seemed reluctant before going on the second vacation of his life to visit family out west, I told him he deserved a relaxing vacation after 50+ years, he looked at me as if I had three heads and said “But why would I want to leave?” And I understood exactly what he meant, as I feel the same way every time I have to leave my own farm. It may take a special breed to make the necessary commitment farming demands, but aren’t we all glad we have such wonderful folks in our area who are willing to spend their life providing us quality food?
I’m not sure we can appreciate them enough.
For more information on the Bair’s organic herdshare, email cowsintherapydb@gmail.com or call (937)440-9614.
www.miamicounty.locallygrown.net