So you’ve heard Hudson Valley Fresh produces quality milk, but what does that mean? How do you produce quality milk, and more importantly, how do you maintain that premium quality all the way from the cow to your cereal bowl? We are very proud and excited to share our most recent third party audit results below, and coupled with our unmatched milk quality standards for our farmers, it’s clear that we continue to show Hudson Valley Fresh is all about quality.
Milk quality is what we’ve built our company around, is what our farmers work tirelessly to maintain, and is what our processing team monitors obsessively. It’s all about quality, objective, black and white, “look at the data,” quality.
What Milk Quality Looks like on the Farm
Quality milk starts with a quality diet for our Hudson Valley Fresh cows. They eat a variety of high quality oats, alfalfa, barley, soybeans, and corn silage. About 65% of their diet consists solely of homegrown forage! All this hay helps the cows immune system which helps her produce more omega-3 fatty acids in the milk, which makes a better quality cream. Our farmers also strive to keep our cows comfortable and their udders clean, which further contributes to a proven, higher quality milk.
How do farmers make sure their milk adheres to the Hudson Valley Fresh quality standards? Every month our farmers test each individual cow through the Dairy Herd Information Association (DHIA) for SSC or somatic cell counts which are white blood cells in the milk. Elevated levels of SCC’s in the milk indicate infection in the udder, and they measure the cows overall well being. Hudson Valley Fresh farms are under 200,000 per mL, while the legal limit in the U.S is 750,000 cells per mL.
The common range for our farms is 45,000 to 160,000 cells per mL. The low somatic cell counts make a more flavorful, higher quality milk. Our farmers go above and beyond to make sure their cows are healthy and produce the highest quality milk!
What Milk Quality Looks like at the Bottling Facility
Hudson Valley Fresh Dairy has a third party audit performed annually. This audit consists of an outside company that comes into our facility and evaluates our documentation and protocols, and lets us know how our team can continue to improve in all different areas of dairy processing. This is above and beyond what is required by state and federal guidelines, and in addition to the testing done by our state regulator.
Our processing team regularly does ample in-house testing in addition to sending out finished product samples to a third party lab every single week. This is to ensure we are consistently producing a high quality product. Some of the in-house tests we perform are for butterfat levels and for antibiotics, as state law regulates that ALL milk (organic or not) MUST test negative for antibiotics prior to bottling.
Even though we have one of the oldest milk processing facilities in New York State, our quality team is exceptional at operating at a high caliber level when it comes to proven quality results. Our farmers are very appreciative for their efforts, and extremely proud to report that…
our 2024 audit score was a 98.99 out of 100!
Factors contributing to a high score in a third party audit such as this would be a clean production facility, properly trained employees, and the assurance that on site plant personnel and management have a basic understanding of day to day operation from start to finish. Every member of our team, including the farmers, the truck drivers, and the bottling team – all are deserving of recognition for contributing to this tremendous continued success!
Where You Can Find our Quality Milk & How You Can Support
Check out our Store Locator and type in your Zip Code and find the nearest retail location carrying Hudson Valley Fresh. Don’t see your favorite store on the list? Feel free to tell the store manager you want to see our premium, local dairy on the shelf!
We are proud of our team, our cows, and the work we do — but none of it would be possible without you! Thank you for appreciating all the hard work that goes into producing a premium product, and enjoying our products in your home or business.
You probably remember the “Got Milk?” campaigns with famous athletes and might remember the slogan “3-A-Day” based on the USDA’s food pyramid guidelines, but do you know the real, true benefits of consuming real dairy?
It’s more than a pairing with cereal or a few drops in your coffee – fresh, wholesome dairy has a long list of benefits that impact long-term human health. Below, we highlight some of those health benefits, including new research so you can dive into these topics for yourselves!
— reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and lower blood pressure. Read more!
— supportive of bone health, especially in children and adolescents. Read more!
— protection against the development of metabolic syndrome. Read more!
— dairy is the most cost effective way to get 3 of the 4 nutrients most Americans need more of in their diets (Calcium, Vitamin D, and phosphorus). Read more!
Sure, you can get Calcium from other sources, like dark green vegetables, but there is no package like dairy that includes 9 essential nutrients and high quality protein in a single serving. Curious about the actual United States Dietary Guidelines? Click here.
No matter what the other “milks” on the shelf say, there is no substitute for fresh, high quality, wholesome dairy. We took a look at Hudson Valley Fresh whole milk head-to-head with some alternative products, and here’s what we found.
In conclusion, we all want to choose healthy foods for ourselves and our families. In reality, life is all about moderation and good health most certainly comes from a well-balanced diet and an active lifestyle. For specific questions about your own dietary needs we recommend speaking with a doctor or dietitian, but for any farm or milk-related questions you may have, please feel free to reach out to us at info@hudsonvalleyfresh.com
“While dairy farmers are struggling at this time they are saddened by the number of people standing in line at food banks. They are dismayed to know that milk is being dumped and wasted when there are so many in need. Hudson Valley Fresh Dairy is privileged to partner with Scenic Hudson to provide help to our local communities” says our founding farmer and managing partner, Dr. Sam Simon.
Our farmers are so incredibly thankful for the overwhelming support we have received from our community since the creation of our company over 10 years ago, and are honored to be a part of a collaborative effort that provides nutritious, local food to those who need it most now.
Also in May of 2020 we were honored to be the dairy provider to a World Central Kitchen distribution event in Queens and Brooklyn, thanks to a partnership with the Farm On! Foundation. Here are some images courtesy of the World Central Kitchen Instagram.
Posted February 13th, 2020 — Filed under News
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Farmer-Owned Hudson Valley Fresh Dairy, Producing Milk from Ten Local
Family Farms, Now Conveniently Available for Apartment Delivery
Great news friends! Farm to Fridge home delivery is now available for NYC residents due to our new, exciting partnership with URBN playground. Check out the press release below and download the URBN app to place your order today!
URBN Playground, a boutique amenity consulting and management firm, today announced its partnership with the farmer-owned dairy company, Hudson Valley Fresh Dairy. The partnership will enable apartment residents in Manhattan and Brooklyn to place orders for farm-to-fridge fresh milk and dairy products through the URBN Playground concierge app.
“We’re very excited about this partnership with Hudson Valley Fresh Dairy. Not only will this service provide delicious, high-quality dairy products to residents, but it also aligns closely with our values at URBN Playground. We consider it a privilege to be able to support local farmers who believe strongly in the welfare of their animals and sustainable farming practices, and to be able to educate more people in our community about the difference this makes,” said Jeremy Brutus, co-founder of URBN Playground.
Residents can place their order on the URBN Playground app for fresh, minimally-pasteurized milk, all-natural yogurt, sour cream, and other products and have them at their doorstep in as little as 3 days.
The strict milk quality standards upheld by Hudson Valley Fresh Dairy, combined with an intense focus on cow comfort, animal health, high forage diets (cows are fed diets consisting of over 70% forage that are 100% home grown), and sustainable farming practices all translates to a quality difference in the milk. The result is a creamier, sweeter tasting milk that contains more naturally occurring Omega-3’s compared to other milks available at supermarket. Additionally, all their products are antibiotic free and the farmers pledge to not use rBST!
Some of the awards that Hudson Valley Fresh Dairy boasts include six National Dairy Quality awards, eight Agrimark #1 Top Quality awards, and a ten-year NYS Supermilk track record.
“We’re thrilled to be partnering with URBN Playground to have our award-winning milk made easily available to apartment dwellers. We’re grateful to see growing interest and demand in high-quality, locally-produced milk, as this supports a living wage for real, local family farms and helps us preserve Hudson Valley farmland,” said Dr. Sam Simon, founder of Hudson Valley Fresh Dairy.
The initial rollout of the delivery service will be made available for Brooklyn residents living at Level at 2 N 6th St and the Oosten at 60 S 8th St, and for midtown Manhattan residents living at ARO at 242 W 53rd St and Sessanta at 229 West 60th Street, and consecutively will be made available to more residences throughout the city.
