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December 8, 2021
- • Featured • Industry News
Bringing Our Wholesome and Nutritious Dairy Products to Your Table Starts with a Fourth Generation Commitment to Quality.
Each day, in the rolling hills of Columbia County, we produce some of the nation’s highest quality milk which Hudson Valley Fresh processes into the most wholesome and nutritious dairy products. Ranging from whole, to low-fat to skim milk and chocolate milk; to yogurt and sour cream which are processed and available in as little as 48 hours from our grassy fields to New York city coffee shops and specialty groceries in Nassau and Suffolk counties.
As a fourth-generation farmer, and I say that with pride - what we have accomplished at Tollgate Holsteins Farm and Hudson Valley Fresh is in so many ways a tribute to those who came before us. We are honored to be recognized – six times – as a winner of the National Dairy Quality Award and believe this results from our disciplined practices and protocols to ensure our cows live in a clean, comfortable and stress-free environment.
From our farm to your table, our products are found in numerous local school cafeterias, fuel the activities of United States Military Academy cadets, and are a staple of aspiring chefs attending the Culinary Institute of America. Our objective is clear: to produce fresh, premium-quality milk and support sustainable agriculture in the Hudson River Valley. And, while our points of distribution vary – it all circles back to a relatively small herd of 130 Holsteins and Ayrshires including 65 milking cows that annually produce 1.8 million pounds of milk. Our herd size is modest in size - but by combining with 9 other Hudson Valley-based, family-owned dairy farms – and their commitment to quality - we are able to produce a stand-out product we can share with a massive market just over 100 miles away.
We grow all our own forages of grass and whole plant corn silage which produces the highest quality milk. Cows are ruminants and are able to digest fiber and convert those nutrients – through an amazing biological process – that results in a nearly perfect food. We feed our cows a 70-80% plant-based diet and they produce a nutrient dense product that people can digest. Milk, the truly natural plant-based beverage!
The cow manure feeds the crops, the cows eat the crops and in turn, produce the milk that nourishes the people. That - combined with stewardship of the land is a powerful approach to agriculture and farming – our recognition and accolades validate our approach.
At Tollgate Holsteins we recognize that the milk that leaves our farm cannot improve in quality, thus the consumer gets the best possible experience.
Jim Davenport is an active supporter of the NY Animal Agriculture Coalition, a farmer founded and funded not-for-profit organization that strives to enhance the public’s understanding of and appreciation for animal agriculture and modern farm practices. Jim is the owner and operator of Tollgate Holsteins located in the Hudson Valley of NY.