Three new “micro-dairies” split from the great big Ontario milk pool

Lovers of fine dairy (and those brought up on farms) have long complained that the lion’s share of milk available in Ontario is the processed, homogenized stuff from the pool overseen by the Dairy Farmers of Ontario. But starting this summer, three new “micro-dairies”—Sheldon Creek Dairy, Miller’s Dairy and Limestone Organic Creamery—are selling old-fashioned, cream-on-top bottles produced from their own small herds of cows. As Jennifer Bain explains in the Toronto Star, it’s part of a new program called Project Farmgate, which allows Ontario farmers to market their own single-herd supply under their own brands. The milk from Miller’s Dairy, for example, all comes from Jersey cows (unlike the usual Holstein). According to owner John Miller, that means it has “more flavour than regular milk.” Raw milk fans shouldn’t get their hopes up, though: this stuff is all pasteurized. Sorry. Read the entire story [Toronto Star] »