LOMAH Dairy

Does this van look familiar?

If you answered "of course!" then you have had the pleasure in consuming cheese from LOMAH Dairy. LOMAH Diary is located in Wyandotte, Oklahoma, about 50 minutes from Downtown Bentonville. Every Saturday, Donna and one of her children make the commute to provide cheese to the Bentonville Farmers Market

The roads to the farm were twisty and hilly, but the dairy wasn't hard to find after spotting the welcome sign. Donna told me that they often times have school groups to the farm to do tours, and their hand painted sign helps visitors find the place!

The barn is a classic red and white restored dairy barn. The Johnson's have a store at the front of the barn that is based on the honor system. There are coolers in the front with product, a log of names and items bought, and a hole in the wall to drop your money.

Inside the barn, there is the cheese making room. I believe this vat is going to be gouda cheese, Donna informed me that this is a small batch of cheese! 

There are two different coolers, this one houses the hard cheeses. The other cooler contains soft cheeses and cheese that have to age, such as blue cheese. 

Now this is one HUGE block of cheese! I asked Donna if her family still eats cheese after making it all day. She exclaimed yes! She knows what goes into her cheese, and it is all natural ingredients. 

Of course, you can have no dairy without cows! These sweet girls are Jersey cows. They get to graze on pasture, play in the streams, and socialize throughout the day, come 4:00am and 4:00pm they mosey over to the barn to get fed and milked. 

Don't forget to stop by LOMAH Dairy's booth at the Saturday Bentonville Farmers Market from 7:00am to 1:00pm and sample cheese made by local people and local cows! 

Horn Farms

While touring the different farms, one thing always comes to mind, pride. Each vendor at the Bentonville Farmers Market takes pride in being an agriculturalist. Fay Horn, from Horn Farms, is no different. He radiated joy while showing me around his farm. 

You may be familiar with Horn Farms booth at the market. Fay and his crew are on Main St., or the Northwest corner of the square. Fay is a full time farmer, and currently is farming about 15 acres. Have you tried the sweet red strawberries from his farm? While walking through the fields, Fay would occasionally stop and eat a berry. I informed him that if I had this huge strawberry patch only 50% of the berries would make it to market, because I would pick one for the basket and pick one to eat. There is nothing better than a strawberry straight from the field. 

In addition to strawberries, Fay has rows of watermelon, squash, okra, tomato, cucumber, eggplant, pumpkin, and other delightful crops planted. He also has an orchard and a raspberry patch, which should be ripe soon!

Soon you will be seeing tomatoes at Horn Farms booth, how is this possible? There are 2 huge greenhouses that Fay also tends to. They have a wood burning heating system, this allows him to start plants earlier. How cute are the baby cucumbers?

In addition to the greenhouses, Fay has two nurseries where he starts seedlings. The nurseries also have wood burning stoves to keep them warm in the winter. 

There is also a commercial kitchen at Horn Farms, where jams, jellies, and pickled items are made. Beehives also occupy the farm, so if you are looking for local honey don't forget to visit Horn Farms at market. 

See you Saturday at the Bentonville Farmers Market, located on the Bentonville Square from 7:00am to 1:00pm. 

Ewe Bet Farm

Ewe Bet you can find locally grown, grass fed lamb in Bentonville! Mike and Mary Jo own Ewe Bet Farm in Cave Springs and attend the Bentonville Farmers Market. They also supply lamb to Tusk & Trotter and River Grille.

Driving up to Ewe Bet, I couldn't believe how close it was to Downtown Bentonville, it was about a 15 minute drive all on paved roads. Mike met me at the gate and showed me to the garage, where he has three freezers full of USDA lamb.

Mike and Mary Jo have a picturesque farm, with so much going on I don't know how they keep it straight! They have a small orchard with apple and peach trees. A garden, blueberry and blackberry patch also occupy the farm. 

Mike told me that the farm started with honey. They had excess honey and started selling it. They began to think what else they could produce in excess to feed others, and that is how they got started in the sheep business. Here is a picture of a bee hive, swarming with bees producing wonderful sweet honey.

Ewe Bet Farms takes delight in their sheep, that are raised on high quality pasture. Mike explained to me that they spoon feed their pastures 3 times a year and plant clover so their sheep have the best possible pasture to graze on. This is one happy ewe!

One unique service that Ewe Bet offers is a bed and breakfast. They have one spacious radiant room available, the room has a private deck and Mary Jo will serve breakfast when guests wake up. Breakfast will consist of ingredients found on the farm. Remember those apples, peaches, and berries? The guests can roam around the farm while eating a ripe apple picked directly from the tree. 

Jill, Ray, and Steve certainly enjoy the view and the food at Ewe Bet Farm. Stop by the Bentonville Farmers Market, opening April 28th from 7:00am to 1:00pm on the Bentonville Square. 

In the meantime, stop by Ewe Bet Farm's website to see what else they have in store. 

Twisted Tree Farm

I love everything about farm fresh eggs, from the super hard shell to the bright yellow yolk, farm fresh eggs just make a breakfast. Twisted Tree Farm is one of several vendors at the Bentonville Farmers Market that sell beautiful, brown, farm fresh eggs.

Lana, at Twisted Tree Farms, has one of my favorite breeds, the barred rock. The barred rock hens are the black and white speckled hens. These girls lay delightful brown eggs. This type of cage allows the chickens to be on the grass and forage while still being protected from predators. They have a huge watering tank and also shade from the sun. 

Twisted Tree Farm also sells USDA frozen farm fresh chicken. The layer hens are not the same as the broilers. As you can see Lana's trusty Australian Shepherd River, takes his guard dog job seriously. Here he is making sure the chicks are all accounted for.  

Twisted Tree farm's not only sells eggs and poultry, but they also grow tomatoes, corn, and squash. Lana informed me that she will be selling several varieties' of squash, so make sure you stop by her booth at market. 

While you are waiting on April 28th to arrive for the Bentonville Farmers Market to open, check out Twisted Tree Farms online. Don't forget to pick up a colorful fun hair wrap at her booth!

Canyon Ridge Farms

New this year at the Bentonville Farmers Market is Canyon Ridge Farms! Canyon Ridge Farms is a small family farm in Oklahoma that primarily sells goat cheese.

The drive to Canyon Ridge Farms was a long but pleasant one. I think I logged a round trip of 143.3 miles. To think, Marty and her husband Chrys will make this trip once a week to bring Bentonville goat cheese! I was welcomed to the farm by this watchful girl.

This dairy was just absolutely impressive. Marty informed me that her family built their facilities, and they have been in operation for a little over a year now. They have had dairy goats for a while, but they decided to start processing the milk and making cheese. 

The first barn I toured was the milking barn. Marty milks at 4:00am and 4:00pm. She can milk 4 goats at a time, they have around 40 milking does. The goats are fed while they are being milked. 

Next we went into the processing facility. I was told that Marty and Chrys took off in their truck to Pennsylvania to pick up their pasteurizer! The processing room is where they pasteurize the milk and make the cheese. Canyon Ridge has several new flavors they will be releasing throughout the summer. 

Canyon Ridge Farms has two different breeds of dairy goats, Lamancha and Nubian. The goats on the left and middle are Lamancha, notice that they don't have ears! The girl on the right is a Nubian, she has big floppy ears. When we went to the pasture the girls came running up to us!

In addition to goat cheese, Canyon Ridge sells farm fresh eggs and some produce. This year they are growing broccoli, and it has already come to head. 

I know that Canyon Ridge Farms loves what they do, when we were touring the kid barn Marty remarked to me "There is nothing sweeter than a baby goat."

If you want more information on Canyon Ridge Farms check out their website. Join me in welcoming Canyon Ridge Farms to Bentonville Farmers Market on April 28th at the Bentonville Square from 7:00am to 1:00pm. 

RP Beef

RP Beef is owned by Richard Potter. He is one of two beef vendors at the Saturday Bentonville Farmers Market. I had the pleasure to visit his farm a few weeks ago. Can you believe that just over the line into McDonald Co. you will see these breathtaking views? 

I parked my car at the bottom of a dirt road to meet Richard. Down the hill comes a motorcycle, navigated by Richard. He asks me if I would like to hop on, now my car is no stranger to dirt roads, but who could refuse the sun shining on their skin and fresh air on a beautiful day?

Richard took me past an old school house, a cave, a fast paced river, and scenery that can only be described as astonishing. As soon as his cattle heard him pull up, they came running up to him.

Richard has several pastures for his cattle, with a stream flowing through them and multiple ponds. The cattle have plenty of trees to escape the heat. 

These three decided to pose for a quick picture. Richard has developed his own line of cattle, but they do have some Angus influence. 

You can see that Richard takes pride in his livestock. As we were leaving he told the cattle not to worry because "She's a vegetarian." He said he tells all of his cattle that!

Get to know Richard from RP Beef and 61 other vendors at the Bentonville Farmers Market, opening April 28th 7:00am to 1:00pm on the Bentonville Square.

Farm Visits

Have you ever wondered where the juicy red tomatoes or savory purple eggplants come from?

Did you know that all vendors at the Bentonville Farmers Market go through a farm inspection? April 2nd I started visiting farms. There is a five page document that is filled out at the farm and asks questions such as:
-Are animals treated in a humane manner?
-Does the farmer take pride in their animals?
-Are pesticides used?
-Does the farmer use compost? Where does it come from?

If the farmer does not pass the inspection then they are not included in the Bentonville Farmers Market.

I have had some great farm visits so far. It is very refreshing to go to a farm, visit with the farmer, and see where they work and how they grow their products.

This blog starts a series on farm visits. Look for pictures and stories from farmers that you can get to know at the Bentonville Farmers Market starting on April 28th at 7:00am.