Hedgebrook Farm - Virginia

Video:  Drink up your own raw milk from your own cow from Hedgebrook Farm's herd of beautiful Jersey cows. Video by Local Flavour.tv.

Hedgebrook Farm is located in Winchester, Virginia at the top of the Shenandoah valley and is both a working farm and it has The Herds Inn, a rustic log home where people can getaway and enjoy nature. The farm has been in operation since 1906 and today have over 30 Jersey cows and a variety of other animals.

Photo: Hedgebrook Farm values

The farm also has a cow boarding program, which means you can own your own cow and board it at the farm.  The farmer feeds, cares for and milks your cow, and you benefit by being able to utilise the milk.  This is because it is illegal to buy and sell raw, unpasteurised milk in the state of Virginia but there is no law legalising or prohibiting herd shares. According to the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defence Fund, the state is aware that herd shares operate and has taken no action to try to stop them. The USA has 50 states and each has their own raw milk laws:  see the FTCLDF Raw Milk nation map.  For more info on the cow boarding program, read here.

The farm is owned and operated by four generations of women.  Kitty Hockman-Nicholas and daughter Shannon run Hedgebrook Farm, The Herds Inn and also do educational tours.  The farm became Animal Welfare Approved in 2010, making sure that the animals well-being is a high priority. Educating the public is a big part of what Kitty does. She says she doesn't like getting bored, so she has several projects on the farm. In a recent article it says the farm sells 150 gallons per week.

Please read the articles below for more information.


An online publication:

 

Images:  Celebrating 5 years of being Animal Welfare Certified. A June 2015 article from The Winchester Star by Raya Zimmerman, click on images to enlarge (source).


Videos:

Video:  This video and article are from April 2014. (Video may be invisible if viewed from a mobile device.)



Hedgebrook Farm:

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