Small Farms: Connecting to Your Food Source

Who we are

The area surrounding Portland, Oregon was once dotted with small farms of every kind. Particularly, dairy farms. Today, these farms have largely been replaced or absorbed by Industrial Dairy conglomerates who process and manufacture “dairy food products” that do little to resemble the farm fresh milk, full of creamy sweetness and nutrients, previously produced by small farms.    

I’m Brenda Johnson.  I was born and raised in farm country near Portland, Oregon.  My brothers were allergic to cow’s milk, so my family had a backyard goat, and we drank fresh goat milk to nourish our growing bodies.  My husband, Matt Johnson, is also a native Oregonian.  Growing up, we witnessed the dwindling connection to our food as High Tech gobbled up prime farmland and housing developments sprang up where pastureland once carpeted the countryside.  I love to garden and was raised around animals, so I learned a deep appreciation for the land.  Matt’s family had a machine shop and he basically learned how to build anything and everything.  Together we decided that starting a farm of our own would be a great way to stay active, as well as supplement our retirement income in our golden years.  If those were the only reasons to start a farm, we would have given up long ago. Especially once we found out how hard it is to run a small farm business, let alone build a Grade A Dairy.  We have since discovered that small farms are indeed dying and need to make a comeback to sustainably produce wholesome, nutritious food from happy, healthy animals and protect the environment from waste and mismanagement.  As small farmers, we truly care about the health and safety of our animals, the quality of the food we produce, and feeding the earth so it can, in turn, feed us.

What we’ve done

The 22-acre property we bought in 2010 had once been a dairy farm.  When it became ours the land and buildings which had been lovingly cared for in the past, had long been neglected.  Invasive, non-native blackberries, 20 feet high in some areas, engulfed whole orchards.  Invasive and flammable Scotch Broom and toxic Tansy Ragwort smothered the pastureland.  The forested areas were sporadically harvested with whole mature trees rotting on the ground.  There was no fencing.  The driveway looked more like a creek bed and the barn was in danger of imploding due to rotting sill plates from the leaky rusted roof.  The first investment we made was a good tractor, then we connected with our local soil and water conservation district to test our soil. We cleared, amended, and groomed the pastures in preparation for layer chickens, a couple beef cows and a garden.  We built the shop which is equipped with machine tools once owned by Matt’s grandfather.  With these tools, Matt has built tractor implements, gates and structures to house animals, and provide safe pens in the barn. We attended a Small Farm School offered by our state university extension office every year since it began in 2010.  At first, we explored what type of farm would be best for our land and decided after becoming members and attending classes and shows offered through our regional Dairy Goat Association, that a goat dairy would be a perfect fit for our skillset and property. Plus, we love goats! Who doesn’t?  I left my job in sales for a regional health plan in 2016 to farm full time. We filed as a small farm business with the state, repaired and reroofed the barn and began purchasing quality dairy goat breeding stock from the local breeders we had gotten to know.  We are members of the national dairy goat association as well, and all our goats are registered and appraised by the association to ensure compliance with breeding standards and improve quality and health of the goats.  We have developed a relationship with a local Large Animal veterinary team and have received many hours of training from our vet, our memberships and other goat breeders and farmers to enable us to do much of our own veterinary care.  Our best practices ensure that our goats are cared for in a manner that reduces the need for antibiotics and other medications, which are only used when necessary.  We started with 4 Oberhasli does in 2016 and now have 75 Oberhasli and Sable does and bucks. Most of our goats are born on our farm. Not only do we name all our goats, but the goats come when they are called by name, usually wagging their tail in anticipation of a handful of crunchy peanuts and a loving tip to tail appraisal of their body condition and overall health and appearance.  From the time we assist the kids with latching on for the first taste of colostrum from their dam’s teat to their first freshening and beyond, our goats are treated as much more than livestock. We feed only the highest quality eastern Oregon orchard grass and mixed alfalfa hay which is $480/ton plus delivery in addition to browse available in our pasture. We also feed a super high-quality grain specifically for dairy goats and milled locally for us. We store the grain on site in clean, secure steel drums.

In 2016 we also learned we needed to choose whether to sell raw milk or become a Grade A Dairy.  Oregon allows farmers to sell raw goat milk, with many restrictions. After weighing our options, we decided to build a Grade A dairy and creamery, which would allow us to reach more people with our delicious and nutritious products.  We could only sell our dairy products directly to consumers if we have a creamery and  a creamery can only be housed in a commercial building and must meet the requirements set forth by the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance an extremely detailed document with requirements for everything from building materials for the dairy,  plus processes to monitor and maintain cleanliness and quality to produce milk.  It took us from January 2016 to November 2021 to build and successfully obtain permits and pass inspections with our county to designate our building as a commercial building, legal to house a dairy and creamery.  We are now focused on becoming a licensed Grade A Dairy with Oregon Department of Agriculture who tells us we will have the only direct to consumer small goat dairy in northwest Oregon.

Why we need your help

Matt has done almost all the work to turn our once dilapidated farmland into a commercial Grade A Dairy.  He did the designing, framing, electrical, plumbing, drywall, wall treatment, baseboards, lighting, equipment installation and commercial upgrades for the existing building and ADA bathroom. We have installed and sealed an asphalt driveway, complete with ADA handicap parking. We have purchased dairy equipment and supplies with price points geared toward large industrial dairies, meeting the same requirements of these same large competitors, and have done all this with zero debt, using our own savings as well as using the small supplemental income obtained by selling handcrafted goat milk soap and lotion through our online store and selling a small number of goat kids.  I have also been able to sell our milk at $4.00/gallon to a local manufacturer of high-end goat milk food for dogs and cats. This is a fraction of what goat milk is worth, which in our area is an average of $20.00/gallon, but it helps pay for the hay. 

Being in competition with large industrial dairies is likely the biggest obstacle we must face.  We must be able to jump through the same hoops, meet the same standards and pay the same prices for equipment and supplies as they do, and do this before we can even legally sell our product.  Our best hope is to keep expanding our herd, so we have the supply needed to make up for the cost when we can actually sell our products.  The projects we have planned to increase our pasture rotation and provide additional secure shelter and water for our herd are essential to maintain standards of care for the animals and provide an income for the future of our farm.  We would be grateful to obtain funds from FACT for our pasture expansion project outlined in the application. The support we received through the FACT mentorship program and from the farmers in our community has helped us to renew our commitment to producing gently pasteurized, safe goat milk to our customers.

Our commitment

Our farming community is largely made up of farms selling meat, eggs and produce.  We know that having a dairy farm is much more complicated and costly than our fellow farmers face. There are a few goat milk cheese dairies in our area, but many have failed under the pressure and cost of competing with the large dairies who don’t share the same commitment to valuing wholesome quality, humane treatment of animals, and protecting and replenishing our natural resources.  When we open our farm store, our customers will be able to instantly see our commitment to sustainable values.  We’ve already had many visitors to our farm ranging from families with children who wanted to play with the goat kids, to experts in the field including the Department of Agriculture, Soil and Water Conservation, our farm Vet, and the goat dairy owner who makes dog food out of our milk.  Many have remarked about how shiny and well loved our goats are and that our land is now beautiful and healthy, teeming with wildlife and protected by our sturdy fences and our team of Great Pyrenees guardians. We want to be successful so that others will see that even though it’s really hard to be a small dairy farmer, it is possible. And in the end, if we can help our customers see where their food comes from, it’s absolutely worth it!