Answers to Producer Questionnaire
Lost Lake Farm LLC PRODUCTS & PRACTICES |
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Question | Answer |
List what you intend to sell. (if applicable) (e.g. meats, grains, jellies, crafts; also note if you have any heritage breeds) |
Mozzarella cheese curds with herbs: milk from Lost Lake Farm, salt from commercial outlet, cultures and enzymes from commercial dairy supplier, herbs from Frontier Coop. Fresh mozzarella cheese: milk from Lost Lake Farm, bacterial cultures and enzymes (calf lipase and veal rennet) from commercial dairy supplier. |
Describe your farming, processing and/or crafting practices. (if applicable) | Perennial grasslands are the basis of our farm. We rotate our cows to new grass twice a day for both good forage quality and healthy grass stands. We feed a small amount of organic oats and wheat to balance their diet and give them a little treat in the milking parlor. We find that healthy cows start with a healthy cow diet and lifestyle. Occasionally they do get sick, and sometimes antibiotics are the best way to get them better quickly. We strictly follow all milk withholding times in these rare cases, so no antibiotic residue is ever in the milk or cheese. Our cheese is all handcrafted in our on-farm cheesery. |
Describe your pest and disease management system. (if applicable) | N/A |
Describe your herd health and productivity management. (if applicable) (i.e. do you use any hormones, antibiotics, and/or steroids) |
The cows are given fresh pasture twice daily, and have water, minerals, and salt close by at all times. We monitor forage quality by watching cow body condition, rumen fill, manure quality, and milk production. In the winter the cows are in a bedded pack system in an open-fronted barn where they have protection from the wind and can stay clean and dry, but also have fresh air and sunlight. They have access to hay at all times in the winter, but are given fresh hay twice daily. Our pigs have access to the inside and outside. They do not currently have access to pasture, though they get bedding and hay to munch and dig around in. Sometimes we put them into the cow barn after the cows have been let out to pasture, to root around in the bedded pack. They eat non-GMO feed from Gibralter Farms in Iowa Falls and get lots of whey and cheese scraps. |
Describe your feeding practices. (if applicable) (grass-fed only, free-range, feed-lot, etc.) |
See soil management below. |
Describe your soil and nutrient management. (if applicable) (Do you compost, use fertilizers, green manures or animal manures?) |
Our only off-farm nutrient inputs are from purchased hay, straw, feed, and minerals. We compost our manure, then spread it on a portion of the pastures each fall. We try to follow Biodynamic principles as much as possible, including the use of Biodynamic compost preparations and spray preparations to help stimulate the soil life and energy. |
Describe your water usage practices. (if applicable) (If you irrigate, describe how - e.g. deep well, surface water, etc., and explain how you conserve water or use best management practices. Describe how you are protecting your water source from contamination/erosion). |
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Describe your conservation/land stewardship practices. (if applicable) (e.g., do you plant windbreaks, maintain grass waterways, riparian buffers, use green manures for wind erosion, plant habitats for birds, improve soil quality, etc.) |
Our main conservation practice is keeping the land in perennial grasslands as much as possible. We do have some savanna pastures with native bur oaks and many other trees. We also fence the cows out of all streams. We sometimes leave portions of pasture idle for a whole season to allow birds and other wildlife to be completely undisturbed - also allowing native trees and plants a chance to get started. |
Describe any additional information and/or sustainable practices about your operation that
would be helpful to a potential customer in understanding your farm or operation better. (e.g. if you are raising any heritage animals you might list breeds or list varieties of heirloom seeds. List the percentage of local ingredients in your processed items). |
We are currently searching for local sources of herbs and flavorings for our cheeses. |
List your food liability insurance coverage, both general and product-related, as well as any licenses and tests that you have available. (if applicable) | We are licensed by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship Dairy Products Control Bureau to manufacture cheese. Our plant number is 19-315. We have a scale license from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. License number 1002. |
ORGANIC PRODUCERS | |||
List which products you are selling as organic. (if applicable) | N/A | ||
List certifying agency's name and address: (if applicable) |
N/A | ||
Certifying Agency's Phone: (if applicable) |
N/A | Certifying Agency's Fax: (if applicable) |
N/A |
Do you have available for inspection a copy of your current organic certificate? (if applicable) | Yes No | ||
I affirm that all statements made about my farm and products in this application are true, correct and complete and I have given a truthful representation of my operation, practices, and origin of products. I understand that if questions arise about my operation I may be inspected (unannounced). If I stated my operation is organic, then I am complying with the National Organic Program and will provide upon request a copy of my certification. I have read all of the producer standards and fully understand and am willing to comply with them. | |||
I agree
| Wednesday the 21st day of September, 2016 |