Dutchess County Bounty Farm Facts
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The estimated
value in agricultural products sold in Dutchess County is
approximately $32 million per year.
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There are 120,000
acres in farmland today-- encompassing about one-fifth (or 20
percent) of Dutchess County’s total acreage.
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Dutchess County
has more than 650 farms which produce dairy, fruits, vegetables,
flowers, hay, sheep, goats, horses and more.
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There are five
wineries in the county.
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Dutchess County
also has approximately 25 fruit farms growing apples, pears,
peaches, blueberries and strawberries. Several vegetable farms
grow a wide variety of crops, including potatoes, tomatoes,
sweet corn, pumpkins, lettuce, and many greens.
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What
is Hudson Valley Fresh?
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We are a
non-profit – and dedicated to showcasing our proud
agricultural heritage in the Hudson River Valley, promoting us
as the premier food region that we are, and producing a living
wage for our farmers and their families.
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We are
sustainable agriculture – by ensuring a fair price for our
farmers’ goods, we keep those farmers in business, which means
preventing the loss of their land to development. Consider this
- in the 1970s, there were 275 dairies in Dutchess County, the
highest number of dairy farms in New York State -- and now there
only 26. Our Hudson Valley Fresh farms are currently preserving
5,000 acres of open land. Now that’s sustainable agriculture!
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We promote only
quality local food products - members include farmers from
New York State’s Dutchess and Columbia Counties, selling dairy,
cheese, beef, and pork.
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Our main
business is premium quality milk – whole, skim, low-fat and
chocolate. We formed a dairy cooperative in 2004 to provide a
sustainable future in agriculture for participating cooperative
members by stabilizing market prices.
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Locally sold
– we sell our milk throughout Mid-Hudson Valley , Long Island
and New York City.
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Award-winning
- our farms have won awards for the quality of their products
like the National Dairy Quality Award and NYS Environmental
Stewardship Award.
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Why is Hudson Valley Fresh milk
good for you?
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High nutritional value -
the fresher the food; the higher the nutritional value. Our milk
is the freshest around and is one of the best sources of calcium
and Vitamin D.
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We leave the good stuff in
- cows on average produce milk with 3.9% butterfat and you can
tell it has a richer flavor in contrast to generic or organic
milk which contains 3.2% butterfat.
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Builds bones - drinking
milk builds bone structure and is especially important for
children and teenagers under the age of 20. After age 20
adults start losing calcium at a greater rate than can be
replenished. An adequate calcium intake throughout life
can prevent loss of bone mass and development of osteoporosis.
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Good health – getting
enough calcium ensures proper functioning of the heart, brain,
and skeletal muscles. Milk is also an excellent source of
protein.
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Why does Hudson Valley Fresh milk
taste better?
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From our cows to your store in
36 hours - we want our milk to be as fresh as possible, so
our milk arrives at your store within 36 hours after leaving the
farm (unlike conventional milk which can take up to a week.)
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NOT ultra-pasteurized – for
optimum flavor and quality, we do not ultra-pasteurize our milk.
We pasteurize for only 20 seconds at 164 degrees. That’s in
contrast to much of the industrial AND organic milk which is
ultra-pasteurized, meaning heated to 280F –
changing not only the flavor of the milk but the nature of the
protein.
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Strict standards – While
our premium milk is not organic, we adhere to higher quality
standards than the industry norm. At our farms, somatic cell
counts (SCC) -- which monitor the health of the herd and
individual cows -- average 150,000 cells per milliliter. All our
farms have less than 200,000 cells per ml. Most industrial AND
organic dairy farms have an average of 420,000 cells per
milliliter for pooled milk. The federal government standard is
750,000 cells per milliliter.
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Varied diet - a varied diet
makes happier cows and better tasting milk, and HVF cows get
fed corn silage, alfalfa, oats, barley, soybeans, and lots and
lots of hay. Large commercial farms often give less hay as
it is costly to produce and requires more labor to distribute.
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Happier cows - comfort is
key. Our cows are happier because they are more comfortable.
More comfort + less stress = better-tasting milk!
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Why is Hudson Valley Fresh milk
healthier?
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Hay - A diet rich in hay is
better for a cow’s immune system[and makes the cow chew her
cud more, we count 32 times per mouthful! Hay and healthy chewing
combined means more omega 3 in the milk, and a better ratio
between omega 3 and 6
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Udderly good – Good udder
health is essential. Bacteria like E. coli can cause several
commonly known cow ailments like mastitis [painful inflammation
of the mammary glands] and udder infections. USDA minimal
standards require the raw count of bacteria to be less than
50,000 cells per milliliter but strict HVF guidelines mandate
that the count be lower than 5,000 per milliliter.
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Low Stress =
Low Somatic Cell Counts –
Somatic cells are leucocytes (white blood cells) which mobilize
to make sure the milk is free from infection and HVF conducts
somatic cell counts on each tank of milk. [BTSCC] HVF somatic cell counts can run as low as
35-70,000 - the average for all of our farms is 150,000 cells
per mil.
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Even more testing - HVF
voluntarily mandates additional testing of each cow via the
Dairy Herd Information Association (DHIA.) This information is
on a national registry for public viewing.[7]
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Does HVF use artificial
hormones like rBST or rBGH?
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No rBST, rBGH, ever – HVF
never has and never will use artificial hormones like
recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST) or recombinant bovine
growth hormone (rBGH), which are used in cattle to stimulate
milk production for a large proportion of America’s commercial
milk supply even though the the Food and Drug Administration has
approved its use since 1993. [rBST and rBGH are used to
stimulate milk production which unnaturally increases short term
milk output through stimulation of the pituitary gland, and
avoids the natural gestational cycle of the cow.]
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Health risks - Cows that
have been injected with rBST and rBGH have been known to develop
many reproductive problems like infertility, birth defects and
fetal loss.[9] While the health risks for humans continue to be
studied, HVF chose to avoid artificial hormones altogether to
ensure the absolute highest quality of milk that is available on
the market today.
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Why are Hudson Valley Fresh cows
happy?
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Less cow density - we don’t
believe in cramming cows together. For instance, the stalls at
Plankenhorn Farm have been increased in length and width,
reducing the number of cows per barn from 62 to 44. Other
cooperative members provide similar cow comfort. Many of the
cows are allowed to graze throughout the summer and fall and get
lots of exercise in the winter too.
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Room to lie down - cows are
provided rubber mats made from recycled tires rather than
concrete floors to lie on, which is more comfortable for the
cows. Cows need to lie down to make milk.
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Access to fresh water –
Cows need 60-80 gallons of fresh water each day for milk
production, and HVF farms make it available to each cow in her
stall to drink as she pleases.
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Longer lives and longer milk
production - Because they have less stress and natural
gestational cycles, HVF cows produce milk for an average of 7-8
years and have longer life spans (conventional dairy cows in the
USA typically produce milk for only 2 years and are usually
slaughtered at 4 years of age.)
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What type of cow makes Hudson
Valley Fresh milk?
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We use Holsteins,
as well as Guernseys, Brown Swiss, and Jerseys which gives us
the perfect combination of high production with high fat and
protein.
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The Holstein cow comes from The
Netherlands, and was brought to America in the 1800s. Winthrop
Chenery, a Massachusetts breeder, bought his first Holstein in
Boston in 1852 and was the first to begin breeding. In 1885, the
Holstein-Friesian Association of America, the Holstein
Association, was born.
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All of our herds participate in
the National Dairy Herd Improvement Program [Uniform Operating
Procedures] and can be found on their national registry for
production and quality of milk.
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Does HVF use artificial hormones
like rBST or rBGH?
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No rBST, rBGH, ever – HVF
never has and never will use artificial hormones like
recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST) or recombinant bovine
growth hormone (rBGH), which are used in cattle to stimulate
milk production for a large proportion of America’s commercial
milk supply even though the Food and Drug Administration has
approved its use since 1993[8]. [rBST and rBGH are used to
stimulate milk production which unnaturally increases short term
milk output through stimulation of the pituitary gland, and
avoids the natural gestational cycle of the cow.]
-
Health risks - Cows that
have been injected with rBST and rBGH have been known to develop
many reproductive problems like infertility, birth defects and
fetal loss. While the health risks for humans continue to be
studied, HVF chose to avoid artificial hormones altogether to
ensure the absolute highest quality of milk that is available on
the market today.
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How does drinking
Hudson Valley Fresh help the environment?
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Save land from
development – HVF is currently preserving 5,000 acres of
open space by supporting sustainable agriculture practices. In
the 1970s, there were 320 dairies in Dutchess County, now there
only 26 left.
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Smaller carbon
footprint - all HVF dairy farmers live within 20 miles of
the processing plant at Boice Brothers Dairy in Kingston, N.Y.
(conventional milk usually travels hundreds of miles before it
reaches the processing plant.)
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Good
stewardship - Several HVF member farms have received awards
for their stewardship of the land.
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Good soil -
farming prevents erosion. And carbon dioxide, a known greenhouse
gas, is reduced through proper rotation of different crops.
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Protects the
future - Local farmers grow a much wider range of varieties
of produce and meats than agricultural giants. This ensures
biodiversity for future generations.
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How does Hudson
Valley Fresh support the community?
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Eating local
– Buying locally produced foods puts the money back in the
community, instead of sending it to China, New Zealand or other
far off places.
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Supports local
businesses – By keeping farming economically feasible, the
farmers in turn spend their income on local goods and services.
Studies show that farmers put most of their income back into the
local economy, i.e., by buying feed, farm machinery, veterinary
services, hiring plumbers, electricians, and using all the
services in their community.
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The economic
multiplier factor ranges from 1 1/2 to 4 times. This means
the $32 million estimated farm product sales per year from
Dutchess County farms puts any where from $50 to $120 million
back into the local economy.
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Builds trust
- you feel better knowing where your food comes from.
Fun Facts
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Cows need 60-80 gallons of fresh
water each day for milk production!
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Holsteins, by adult age, can weigh
1700-1800 pounds.
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HVF cows produce 80 lbs of milk
per day - 10 gallons per cow!
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The secret to a great cappuccino
is hay – that’s right, cows that eat enough hay produce frothier
milk. No hay, no froth! [the real secret: it’s the omega 3s in
the right balance with the omega 6s that make it froth.]
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A gallon of milk equals 8.6 lbs,
and half a gallon equals 4.3 lbs.
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HVF milk is served at the NYS
Governor's Executive Mansion
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HVF milk proudly powers the bodies
and brains of New York’s students. HVF milk is served in schools
and universities such as New York University, Bard College,
Vassar College, Millbrook School, The Dutchess Day School, and
the Culinary Institute of America.
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Jack from Jack’s Stir Brew in New
York City says he uses Hudson Valley Fresh milk because it
froths the best [the secret ingredient is hay.]
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