Annie and Marion are now serving up their milk and cream to the patrons of the Glasbern Inn.

The process leading up to this triumphant moment took time and lots of attention to detail. First there was a pre-inspection by an independent farm inspector, who checked out the animals and the facility for potential hitches. Then a very thorough Department of Agriculture inspector spent hours checking sanitation, pasteurization equipment, containers and labels, and storage spaces—whether the operation is a 1000-cow dairy or a 15 cow family farm, the process is the same. And then, of course there is the lab testing of the pasteurized and pre-pasteurized milk, which is ongoing. The good news: Everything is in order!

As you might expect, this is no run-of-the-mill dairy. The Devon milking cows were purchased from an elderly farmer in a small New Hampshire town, where the heritage breeding line has been maintained since 1632. The Devons were chosen for the quality of their milk, not the quantity. “Having this breed makes us pretty unique,” said Jason.  “Devons produce a more healthful milk, with a good blend of omega-3 and omega-7 fatty acids. As the mega-dairies turned to cows that were bred to deliver greater volumes, the quality of the milk they produced went down.” They’re also known for being good grazers. Thomas Shaw, professor of Animal Husbandry at the University of Minnesota said more than 100 years ago, “They readily obtain good livelihood on lands where heavy bodied breeds would probably fail.” The breed, amazingly, has not changed at all since that time.

2-year old Annie, 7-year old Marion, and Marion’s best friend Nellie were the first to make use of the new milking stations. Nellie doesn’t actually have any milk yet, but Marion doesn’t leave the pasture without her, Jason explained. Besides, she’s ready to give birth so it won’t be long before she’s a contributor too. Each milking yields just 1½ gallons of the high-butterfat liquid, which is separated into milk and cream. And this is just the beginning. With Harry, a Devon bull brought up from historic Williamsburg to keep 15 to 20 cows productive, two milkings a day times 1½ gallons … you do the math. Fancy (that’s Fancy and her calf on the right) just gave birth so she’ll soon be joining the three girlfriends in the milking stalls.

It was a sweet moment when chef Stephen Browning created the first batch of brownie ice cream using eggs from the chickens that spend their days pecking the soil in search of bugs and eating leftover produce, and cream and milk from the grass-fed cows. It was a moment I’m sorry I missed!