Producer · Apr 03, 2020

Have You Herd the Latest Moos?

Udderly Important Matters.

Joe and Caroline Mans started Vital Green Farms because they were tired of how hard it was to source healthy, organic dairy products for their family – and they decided to take matters into their own hands (literally!)

Soon after the first dairy cows arrived, the dream grew beyond just providing for their family – they wanted all Alberta families to be able to share and enjoy healthier dairy products.

The family started with a small building and began producing whole milk and plain yogurt, but Alberta families wanted more and soon those 2 staples became a collection of almost 20 different products in multiple sizes!

Room to Mooooove.

Today, there are currently 65 cows being milked on their farm and when you add in the young stock and calves they care for, it makes for a busy daily schedule!

Soil and crop care are of high priority on the farm because that is where the whole ‘milk journey’ starts. The farm owns 1 quarter section (64 ha.) of irrigated land, big part of which is pasture where the cows are free to graze during the summer months. The rest of the home quarter as well as another leased quarter section of dry land are in use for growing crops that are harvested for the animals’ winter supply of feed.

Milk worth crying over.

First and foremost, the family considers themselves forage farmers, because cows eat more than just grass. Cows really enjoy a mix of all different plants, which includes grasses, legumes and herbs.

This clean, organic food source provides the minerals, vitamins and nutrients that the cows then turn into milk, which then nourishes our bodies.

Modern farming uses all sorts of chemical inputs which destroys the soil. Vital Green Farms uses only natural, organically approved, soil amendments to balance the soil. For example, manures, organic molasses, sugars, calcium, liquid fish, and other minerals. With this in place the plants can take up the nutrients to feed the cows, which in turn make for very delicious milk.

Because the dairy plant is on the same land as the farm, we can pump the milk through a pipeline, which eliminates the need for a truck to haul the milk. This and their small distribution means that their products see fewer food miles, helping he environment.

Vital Green Farms’ milk is pasteurized at a low temperature, which is the minimum required by Canadian law. None of their products are homogenized, giving it the rich taste it has.

Only Thing Missing are the Chocolate Chip Cookies!

The CultivatR team is truly thrilled to be able to work and supply Vital Green Farms’ dairy products to Alberta families, because their commitment goes beyond fancy words, when they say organic, they really mean it.

Vital Green Farms’ Dairy Products are truly organic and that means: