Where are your farms?
Our farms are located in Southeastern Minnesota: Millville, Mantorville, Goodhue, and New Prague.
Are you certified organic?
PastureLand farms are double certified for organic and sustainable practices. PastureLand farms are certified by Food Alliance for using sustainable farming practices: protecting and conserving water and soil resources, reducing the environmental impact of pesticides, conserving wildlife habitat, safe and fair working conditions for farm workers, no use of GMOs, healthy and humane care for livestock, and continuous improvement of farming practices.
PastureLand farms also organically certified by Midwest Organic Services Association insert link for MOSA: no synthetic chemicals, hormones or antibiotics are used in our production practices as specified by the USDA’s National Organic Program.
What do you mean when you say your farms are grass-based?
Ask any kid what a cow eats, and she’ll tell you the same thing our farmers will, that “A cow’s natural diet is grass, not grain.” All PastureLand farms practice “management intensive rotational grazing.” The farms are planted with perennial pasture grasses and divided into paddocks. The dairy herds are moved to new paddocks after every milking (roughly every 12 hours).
What happens to your milk in winter?
We sell it as raw organic milk to other processors.
What do you feed your cows in the winter?
Our cows remain outdoors all winter long and are fed stored forage (hay) and fermented pasture grasses (called haylage). Our herds get plenty of fresh air and exercise and prefer to remain outdoors, provided that we give them a little shelter from the wind.
Are your butter and cheese available year-round?
Yes! We only make butter and cheese when the cows are grazing live, lush pastures, usually late April or early May through early November, but we make enough so you can buy them year-round.
Is your butter “raw” — made from raw or unpasteurized milk?
No. The cream that is used in our butter is pasteurized using the old-fashioned “vat pasteurization” method. The milk is heated to 145 degrees, and held at that temp for 30 minutes.
How about your cheeses? Are they “raw?”
We enlist the services of several different cheesemakers, and the process is unique for each cheese. Our Goudas are high-temperature, short time pasteurized (HTST). The hold time for this type of pasteurization is 161 degrees for 15-20 seconds. Our new Cheddar is a raw milk cheese, aged for a minimum of 60 days in accordance with Federal law.
It is against the law to sell dairy products at retail without it being pasteurized. Minnesota law does allow for the sales of raw milk cheeses provided they have been aged a minimum of 60 days.
How does your butter compare to “fill in the blank?”
To the best of our knowledge, PastureLand is the only butter available on the retail market that can make all of the following claims:
- 100% grass fed cows
- Naturally cultured
- Seasonal production
- Organic and Food Alliance certified
- No hormones or antibiotics used
- Made in small batches
- Superior taste
Other butters may claim some of the above, but none that we are aware of can claim them all.
Do you have unsalted butter?
Yes. Many bakers, chefs and cooks use unsalted butter, or add their own salt to our unsalted butter to get the degree of saltiness they desire. Salt was originally used as a preservative, but now most people prefer the flavor of salted butter.
What is the butter fat content of PastureLand butter?
Our butter is 82% butterfat, great for pastries and baking. Butter must have a fat content of 80% to be called “butter.” The other 18% are water and milk solids.
Why isn’t your butter in quarters?
Our co-packer does not have the equipment necessary to cut and pack in quarters. We do have the PastureLand butter measure, a handy kitchen gadget no home should be without! Please be sure to ask us for one.
Is your butter cultured?
Yes!
Is the milk used in your products homogenized?
No.
Are your products certified Kosher or Halal?
No, they are not.
What is an artisanal cheese?
PastureLand cheeses are considered artisanal because they are made in traditional ways, using traditional recipes and techniques in small batches. “Farmstead” cheeses are made on the cheese maker’s farm from the milk of their own herd. “Farmhouse” cheeses are only made by women cheese makers from their own herds.
Is the rennet in your cheese vegetarian?
All of our cheeses are made with microbial, GMO-free rennet.
