Welcome to Brookford Farm

We are a certified organic farm practicing sustainable agriculture. We have a small herd of mostly Jersey cows that are pastured on 280 acres of certified organic land. Our cows are healthy, happy and content, and never receive any antibiotics or growth hormones. We'd love for you to come by the farm and meet our girls!

CSA

Brookford Farm's 30 Week CSA runs from August 2010 to March 2011. Meat, dairy, and vegetable share options available. Click here for more details.

Our Products

We currently offer raw milk and cream, pasteurized yogurt and quark, pasture-raised meat and eggs, and seasonal vegetables. See our products page for more information.

Where to Purchase Our Products:

Our products are available at several locations in the New Hampshire Seacoast. You can purchase our products from the farm in Rollinsford, and retail and farmers' markets in Exeter, Portsmouth and Kittery. See the Where to Buy page for a complete list of locations.

Why Raw Milk?

Raw milk is not pasteurized with high heat or homogenized. Pasteurization kills microorganisms, denatures the proteins and destroys valuable enzymes, omega-3 fatty acids, flavorful compouns, probiotics and vitamins naturally occuring in milk. Consequently, the milk is not in its natural state and many health benefits have been destroyed. Because the proteins haven't been alterned, and lactase is still present, many people who are allergic to cow's milk or lactose intolerant are able to drink raw milk with little problem.

A lot of people ask if raw milk is safe. First, nothing in life is 100% risk free. For example, 90% of chicken in the grocery store is contaminated with salmonella, yet consumers buy it anyway. In fact, more cases of foodborne illness have been attributed to pasteurized milk than raw milk. As a licensed dairy, our milk is subjected to periodic testing by the health department to assure its safety. We are so confident that our milk is fresh, clean and healthy that we drink it ourselves and give it to our young sons. People have been drinking raw milk for thousands of years - did your mother pasteurize her breast milk when you were a baby? Probably not.

For more information, visit The Campaign for Real Milk

Why Organic?

The cows on a certified organic farm, such as ours, eat 100% certified organic feed. This means our cows do not eat food that has been treated with pesticides or other chemicals, and does not contain raw sewage sludge, animal meat or genetically modified organisms. The cows are never given antibiotics or treated with recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) which is used by conventional dairies to artificially increase milk output.

Organic farming is more than just a standard - it's also a philosophy of working with nature. Because it lacks the use of synthetic chemicals and employs sustainable farming techniques, organic farming is also better for the environment.

Why Grass-Fed?

Cows are ruminants which means they are designed to eat grass. Sadly, 85-90% of cows in the U.S. are fed a diet of grain. When an animal doesn't eat the food nature intended, its body is streses making it more prone to disease. What's more, milk from grass-fed cows is healthier: it contains something called "conjugated linoleic acid" (CLA) which studies suggest helps reduce body fat, increases lean muscle mass and may protect against heart disease and certain cancers. CLA is found in much lower quantities in grain-fed cows.

Additionally, intensive agriculture to grow corn and other grains to feed cows requires a lot of fossil fuels. Grass requires no fossil fuels to grow and this in turn is better for the environment.

Why Jerseys?

When most people think of dairy cows, they think of the familiar black and white Holstein seen on Ben & Jerry's ice cream and gateway computer boxes. We primarily raise Jersey cattle which are cure little brown cows known for their gentle demeanor and curious personalities. They don't produce as much milk as Holsteins, but they produce richer, tastier milk with 4% butterfat (this is where all the good conjugated linoleic acid and omega-3's are). They are also very friendly cows that are good around kids and adaptable to the undependable New England weather.