In 1994, Paul and Joyce Hails began the search for some acreage in northeast Pennsylvania in the hopes of someday moving from their native Bucks County.
Only a short time later in 1995, they were the owners of a 35 acre farm, a former dairy operation, in Wyalusing, Pennsylvania which is located in Bradford County in northeast Pennsylvania. They had a dream of "someday" living in Wyalusing, but that day came sooner than expected. In February 1996, the Hails family, along with their 50 goats, moved to Bradford County.
Paul's interest in farming began at a young age when he worked for a chicken farmer, Harold Weir, in Southampton, Pennsylvania. He also worked for a farmer who specialized in animal grains in Holland, Pennsylvania. You might say Paul has farming in his blood, as his grandfather was a farmer in England. Paul's dream was to have a farm of his own. The Lord has blessed the Hails family greatly!
The dairy goat operation, His Kids Dairy, was born in 1999, as Paul and Joyce had the desire to market goat milk, which obviously began with milking goats.
A cheesemaker was making cheese from the Hails' milk, and a raw milk license was also obtained from the state of Pennsylvania. Paul and the older children began traveling to Philadelphia every Saturday to sell their cheeses, raw milk, meats, eggs, and produce to a loyal clientele in University City in Philadelphia. By 2001, Paul was making 16 varieties of cheese, and the farm also became certified organic through Global Organic Alliance. There was an interest in raw fresh cow milk, and cows were added to the dairy operation in 2003.
Despite the many products the Hails family was producing on their farm, it was not enough to financially sustain them, and Paul was working in the Philadelphia area 3-4 days a week. Paul and Joyce had a goal of the farm supplying the income they needed. An opportunity came along in the spring of 2005 for the Hails farm to become a grade A dairy. This means that the milk would be pasteurized and bottled right on the farm, and would then be distributed to health food stores along the East coast. After some upgrades to their processing facility, the Hails began shipping milk in May 2005 for This Land Is Your Land.
PRESENT
The Hails family now owns 50 acres and farms a total of 450 acres. They own 100 goats and 55 cows. The goat herd consists of many breeds, including LaMancha, Toggenburg, Alpine, Saanen, and Nubian. The cow herd consists of Ayreshire, Normande, Jersey/Holstein cross, Jersey and Brown Swiss. The cows' feed program is grass-based, meaning that their main diet is hay, baleage, silage, and pasture spring through late fall. The cows are milked in a parlor, as are the goats (separately, of course!) and the cows are intensively rotationally grazed spring through fall. The cows enjoy being outside even in the winter. The goats have pasture as well, and are housed in a high tunnel which has been excellent for their health, due to the wonderful ventilation and natural light.
The cows are fed a 16% mixed ration and each cow receives only 5-10 pounds of grain a day – even less in the pasture months. Most conventional dairies feed their cows in excess of 40 pounds a day. The grain is free of bone meal (animal parts) and BSTs (hormones that cause an animal to milk like her lactation has just begun). The goats also receive a mixed ration.
PRODUCTS
The goat and cow milk is processed at the Grade A processing plant located on the Hails' farm. The milk is a full-fat milk that does not need to be "fortified with vitamins A and D" as the Hails' milk retains all of its natural vitamins; the vitamins are not stripped out and then put back in with synthetic vitamins like so many brands. This milk is of superior quality and received an excellent rating from The Cornucopia Institute in Wisconsin.
The Hails' milk is not homogenized, nor is it ultra-pasteurized, making it the closest product to raw milk you can get. You will notice the "cream on top" and it's delicious!
Feta cheese is also made with the goat milk.
This excellent milk and feta cheese is shipped to This Land Is Your Land and is then distributed to fine health food stores along the East coast, from Atlanta, Georgia to Newport, Rhode Island.
DAIRY EQUIPMENT SALES
On occasion, we have used dairy equipment for sale. Click here for more details and images of items currently available. www.dairyequipmentsales.net
