Hufford Family Dairy
Contact
Heather Metzger
(260) 578-7001 (call or text)
No email, website or social media
Hufford Family Dairy is where forages are harvested, calves are born and raised, cows are cared for and milked, and cheese is cultured and aged. This is our vision of maintaining our legacy of stewardship of the land, husbandry of livestock, and production of “Farm to Table” dairy products. (continued below…)
Products
Our raw milk cheese is made exclusively from our milk from Hufford Family Dairy.
Our cheese varieties include: Cheddar, Colby, Gouda, Garden Herb, Hot Pepper, Jalapeño and Pizza (similar to mozzarella)
Where to Buy
Online Ordering through Hawkins Family Farm online store or CSA shares
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Additional Information
Our History. Laban’s great-grandfather, Delbert Coning, then a local school teacher, purchased this Northern Indiana farm in 1935 at the close of the Great Depression. He operated it as they typical grain, forage and livestock farm of that era until his passing in 1972. The farm has been passed down to now the 3rd generation with Laban’s parent specializing in home-grown, non-GMO forages and Grade A milk production from 25-30 cows since 1995.
Our Production Methods. On “Cheese Day”, hormone free whole milk is diverted via stainless steel pipeline directly from the cows through our filtration system and into the cheese vat in the adjoining USDA approved cheese room. Culture is added to the milk and the process begins; 2 hours later the whey is drained off and saved to be used for pork production. The cheese curds are salted with Celtic sea salt, placed in the press overnight and vacuum packed to begin the 60 day aging process at carefully controlled temperatures. The aging process makes unpasteurized whole milk cheese legal for sale in Indiana.
Careful consideration to pasture management, forage quality, cow comfort and nutrition, genetic improvement (especially A2A2 beta casin) and facility cleanliness help insure a consistent product.
Our Vision for the Future. While we applaud American agriculture for producing some of the safest, most affordable food in the world, it does favor economies of scale. However, it is our vision that smaller specialized farms will continue to fill the needs of a small, but growing segment of the population that value knowing exactly where and how their food is grown and preserved.