Ojala Farm

David and Terry Rice at Ojala Farm sell raw milk from the farm, grass-based beef, eggs from pastured poultry, and artisan cheese. The Rice family owns 126 acres of pasture and woods bordering Clover Creek and milks 60-80 Jersey, Ayrshire, Milking Shorthorn, Holstein, and cross-bred cattle, rotating them to fresh pasture after each milking. They milk in a New Zealand-style swing parlor. This farm has always emphasized sustainable agriculture and is a 2005 recipient of the Pennsylvania Chesapeake Bay Clean Water Farm Award.

At Ojala Farm grazing with fenced paddocks has made a small dairy farm profitable. Dave and Terry Rice moved to a grass-based seasonal dairy 15 years ago. They turn most of their milk into artisan aged raw-milk cheeses like gouda, cheddar, feta, and blue that are sold at the farm and at farmers' markets throughout the state. Their farm model, with only 72-head of cattle, requires little equipment and fuel, an advantage in today's environment of rising fuel costs.

For more information: Ojala Farm http://clovercreekcheese.com/