North Country Sustainability Center, Inc. is bringing traditional knowledge of food preservation, preparation, and agriculture, along with home maintenance, sewing, and other traditional skills to people who were not able to learn from their ancestors. We are developing incubators that will allow people to develop those skills into new businesses, either as teachers, or as manufacturers. We are also creating opportunities for people to grow their own food, for farmers young and old to learn and exhibit their animals and sell their food to waiting customers.
Because the science of agriculture often crosses into the arts, music, storytelling and the arts are a part of our offerings. A community that is happy with what is available is one that can thrive. That is what we're working on - a thriving, sustainable Central New England.

Problem

We are trying to purchase foreclosed riding stables to develop a community kitchen, micro-creamery and educational facility. We need funds to purchase and renovate the buildings, and develop the kitchen and program areas. We are in a rural area serving two states and more than 30 small rural towns, two struggling cities and one major city, Worcester, MA. Our facilities will make it possible for small farmers to provide food to food deserts, to save their farms with value added goods and to develop our local economy as people come to the region to learn what we have to offer.

Solution

With a community micro-creamery, we can offer access to a growing food niche, using a very sustainable product, in a way that most individual farms cannot afford. Finding appropriately sized equipment for small family farms that meet the "commercial codes," of the government, is cost prohibitive. $30,000 is a basic estimate, not including construction of a separate facility for milking and overcoming hurdles associated with private wells and septic systems. Our creamery will use municipal supplies and services, circumventing some expensive testing and equipment needs, and allows the State to streamline its inspections, making it more affordable for the Commonwealth as well. No one else is trying this approach to shared equipment, but not necessarily "pooled milk." Each farmer can make their own product, unique to their farm, and reach customers in Boston, Worcester, New York City and other major cities, all within 4 hours of our location. We are open to any users that are willing to have their farms meet Grade A requirements, and bring their milk to the creamery under conditions stated from the State, and will then make their own products, and sell them in ways that they feel appropriate. This may be Farmer's Markets, Food co-ops, our retail outlet or to other markets that meet their needs.

Example

There is a growing desire for goat's cheese in the United States, also for goat milk. The rules in Massachusetts are extremely stringent in this area and most small farmers with a few goats can supplement their income, or build a full scale business, if they had access to affordable, accessible dairy equipment and a creamery. NCSC would create a micro-creamery that would be state inspected, using municipal water supplies (an important point in our region,) and create a fresh cheese, or a safe aged one. They could sell from our "Farmer's Porch" farmer's outlet, or take the cheese home to sell from their own outlets. This is not possible anywhere else, and would make life much more affordable and sustainable for these small farms.

Marketplace

There is nothing else like this that we've been able to find. There are creameries that "pool" milk from various farms. THere are those who are dealing with large volumes of milk, in the 100's of gallons, and there are nearby states that allow farm made cheese to be sold in their home states, but these do not allow for crossing the state borders. They do not allow for individual farm "branding," which allows for very specific cheeses to be made, unique to the farmer's practices and breeds. Personally, I raise dwarf dairy goats and from one single gallon of milk I have made 5 pounds of cheese, saleable at $15/lb. That $80 that could have been raised from one day's milk supply is more than enough to pay for my herd's feed for a week, if I were able to sell it. With our creamery, and other projects like it at the NCSC, makes it possible for people to stay on their farms, feeding healthy food to their neighbors.