top of page


PRAIRIE FRUITS FARM & CREAMERY
"THE HERD" BLOG
Search


Off to the American Cheese Society Conference
We are off to Des Moines Iowa this week to attend the American Cheese Society conference. We'll update folks about possible winnings in...
Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery
Jul 20, 20234 min read


The cognitive dissonance of july
It is mid-July yet the morning air and the landscape feel more like the end of August. The tall prairie grasses have gone to seed and the...
Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery
Jul 13, 20235 min read


A quiet take on Independence Day
Farm News Sometimes, the best way to celebrate a holiday is to sit on a dock overlooking the most gorgeous serene body of water and just...
Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery
Jul 6, 20234 min read


and then it rained
Less than 48 hours ago, I was lamenting the paltry presence of fireflies this June. Our robust prairie grasses were certainly tall...
Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery
Jun 30, 20235 min read


Cover cropping in a drought
Farm News The soil is bone dry. A dust cloud trails the rotovator as we lightly till the soil in preparation for seeding. We have...
Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery
Jun 22, 20234 min read


Fruitful benign neglect, Cheesy Father's Day and a Farm Dinner
Farm News Despite our best attempts to completely unmanage our fruit trees, we have bumper crops of cherries and pears. The grape arbors...
Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery
Jun 15, 20235 min read


Self sacrificing starter cultures and other farm news
Farm News Cheese making is essentially microbial farming. Most of the cheeses we make employ the exploits of "starter cultures." These...
Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery
Jun 8, 20234 min read


Behind the scenes: Meet a Cheese Maker
Farm News As I write this blog post, we are finally getting a much needed thundershower. We were able to get the last bales of first...
Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery
Jun 1, 20234 min read


Making hay and the dark side of sunny days
Farm News Our first hay cutting is moderately overdue. Blue skies are a hay-makers dream. The grass-alfalfa stand is tall and lush, yet a...
Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery
May 25, 20233 min read


Tending to fences
Farm News The saying about goats and fences is that "the only fence that can hold a goat is a fence that can hold water." Yes, it's a bit...
Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery
May 18, 20233 min read


Mother's Day Dairy Goat Style
We derive our livelihood from mothers. Every year, every day, we celebrate the goat mothers that give us milk to make our cheese. ...
Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery
May 11, 20233 min read


Going to market
We have been participating in the ritual of selling our wares at farmers' markets since we launched our farmstead goat dairy-creamery...
Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery
May 4, 20233 min read


Savor the spring Eat some cheese
Spring has forced its way onto the landscape, despite moody temperature swings, gusty winds and morning frosts. I have been taking our...
Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery
Apr 27, 20233 min read


Earth Day Call to Action
Farm News I confess. On the eve of this year's Earth Day, I am not optimistic. The evidence for catastrophic effects from climate change...
Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery
Apr 20, 20234 min read


New events popping up at the farm like spring wildflowers
Flowers are exploding on the ground and in the trees. Neighbor farmers, tempted by the warm temperatures and perfect soil moisture, broke...
Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery
Apr 13, 20232 min read


Cheese harbingers of spring
Farm News Our two 100% goat milk bloomy rind cheeses, black goat and fleur de la prairie, have a season. They are best made when the milk...
Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery
Apr 6, 20234 min read


The force of spring
Farm News The fingernails of winter had grown long, digging themselves into the barren prairie landscape, holding on tenaciously to the...
Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery
Mar 30, 20233 min read


There's a new boss in town
Guest blog writer: Sophie Seidel, Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery’s General Manager Farm News After spending several weeks with our bucks...
Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery
Mar 23, 20234 min read


The rapid rise of milk
Farm News In less than two weeks, we have had over 50 does kid, 100 kids born and 50 gallons per day of milk in the bulk tank. The rapid...
Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery
Mar 16, 20232 min read


A new season begins
Farm News For farmstead goat dairies like ours, the new “year” begins in March. As we transitioned from February to March, the weirdly...
Prairie Fruits Farm and Creamery
Mar 3, 20233 min read
bottom of page
