Meet Our Happy, Healthy Herd
Taking Care of Our Dairy Cows
Grass-Fed Milk
From A Happy Herd
At South Mountain Creamery, we are committed to the health and wellbeing of our herd. As responsible stewards, we strive to make our cow’s health and comfort a top priority every single day with sustainable farming methods.
Our dairy cows have access to pasture and the outdoors, weather permitting, are antibiotic and growth-hormone free, and are fed non-GMO verified, grass-heavy feed which we grow ourselves on our farm and is based on nutritional recommendations from our veterinarian.
Innovations At Our Family Farm
Using a Robotic Milking System
For over 40 years, we’ve milked our cows on the original farm. In 2001, we built Maryland’s first on-the-farm Grade A milk plant. In 2023, we built a state-of-the-art robotic milking barn right down the road to increase capacity and improve the herd’s milking experience.
Robots are the latest measure we’ve taken to provide even more comfort to our cows, and comfortable cows have been proven to produce higher quality milk. Each cow wears a microchipped collar that connects with the robotic milking system, allowing them to enter and exit the facility and access the pasture whenever they want. As the cow walks up to one of the automatic milking machines, they’re given some feed as a treat. The machine cleans and attaches to the udder and the cow is milked!
Cow Care & Comfort
Our cows get to choose when they eat, sleep, or are milked–they’re free to make their own daily schedule! Cow comfort doesn’t end with the robots, as our cows have access to the pasture. If they decide to stay in the barn, we have comfortable sandbeds for resting and have powerful fans that keep the barn cool in the summer and warm in the winter. At SMC, our passion and commitment is to the humane treatment of animals and to our environment. Our farming practices may not be the most efficient or cost effective, but they are what’s best for our animals and the land. And that is what matters most to us.
Take A Farm Tour & Learn More About Our Farming Practices
Explore our farm on a guided or self-guided tour. We love having the opportunity to share our passion for farming and food with others. Learn first-hand about local farming, the importance of agriculture, and what happens on a farm every day.
How We Raise Our Baby Calves
Healthy Cow Care Starts On Day One
Our calves are given plenty of attention and care within the first few hours of life. Calves are born naturally in our pasture and stay with their mother up to 12 hours before they receive colostrum and vaccinations in the calf barn. The calf barn is where we can closely monitor their health and the calves are protected from predators and weather.
Within the first 6 to 12 hours of being born, calves need a lot of colostrum, roughly 10% of their body weight each day. Colostrum is a nutritionally-rich milk which strengthens their immune system, protecting them from illness and disease. Calves join the rest of the herd when they are 3-4 months old.
Come Meet Our Herd
We offer bottle feeding appointments seven days a week where you can meet and feed the newest members of the farm.