Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Milk Test Results

Sample collected by the milk inspector on 4/27/09. Performed by the Maine Department of Agriculture Milk Quality Laboratory.

Not Pastuerized Whole Milk

Antibiotics- Delvotest P, NF ( not found )
Butter Fat- 4.73, ( standard for whole is 3.5%)
Coliform- <1epcc, ( standard <10epcc)
DMSCC- 100,000 ( standard <750,000 )
Freezing Point- -0.544
Solids Non-Fat- 9.11
Standard Plate Count- <2500epac ( standard < 50,000 )

We are well within the standards, our milk is very clean with good keeping qualities.

Berretta is getting very close and looks absolutely beautiful. Iris the sow, had a small litter. Only 3 pigs. Very disappointing. Some people are not going to get the piglets they reserved. we'll have to return their deposits. I am looking forward to a summer with less pig hassle. I guess I'm burnt out on pigs, and distance makes the heart grow fonder. We picked out a very nice boar piglet to be our next herdsire, we'll probably go for a Fall litter out of Maple, so we have fresh pork for next spring's farmer's markets. I am looking for some lambs. We are fencing the whole place in 6 strands of high tensile wire. This should contain lambs and calves. Famous last words! The big barn we had built for the pigs, that currently only has Iris and her 3,will make an amazing barn for sheep and heifers. I'm hoping to get the rest of the creamery painted before Berretta calves, then work on painting everything else over the course of the summer. I need to figure out what kind of set up I'll have for the calves this summer, so they can spend half the day with their mother's nursing and grazing, but I need to be able to seperate without a rodeo everynight, too. Calves left on their mothers', in my experience can be quite wild and cheeky. The little buggers.

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