By Tara Kelly
Photograph by Jim Henkens
When you call Chaseholm Farm you get an answering machine message: “The store is open 365 days a year. Fresh milk is bottled Wednesdays through Sundays.” Sarah Chase, owner, proprietor, and farmer isn’t there to answer the phone. She’s most likely in the barn milking the cows, or out in the field on a tractor, or moving some of her 70 head of cattle from one pasture to another. She also raises beef cattle (another 70 head) and pigs. Much of the time, the pigs are foraging in the forest, but they too like a change of scene. All together Chase is farming more than 700 acres.
Chase is a third-generation farmer, who took over the business from her dad. She grew up on Chaseholm Farm. Of course, she worked on the farm as a kid, but she didn’t expect to become a dairy farmer. Her parents didn’t push her into it either, yet somewhere along the line she realized she was interested and might even be able to make a living at it if she followed her interest in a natural, holistic way of farming.
“Dairy cows would not exist in nature,” she says. “We’ve created an animal that is very dependent on input.” She’s intent on turning that around and prioritizing their health and longevity. “They’re like high-performance athletes. On overdrive.” The average dairy cow has a milking life of about four years. Chase has one cow that is 11 years old. Her concern for her cows is an essential element in her commitment to raising grass-fed animals.
“One hundred percent grass-fed. That’s the most important thing,” says Chase. “In the dairy world that is very special.” Why does grass-fed matter? Her answer is immediate. “It’s good for the health of the land, the health of the cows, and the health of the product. It changes the taste of the milk itself. It’s actually more digestible. Many people who are lactose intolerant can drink and enjoy it.”
Raw milk has a higher butterfat content. It is milk in its purest form. No two-percent, one-percent, or skim, here. Chase describes it as whole-body nourishment. It also contributes to the creation of out-of-this-world cheeses. In an extension of the family farm, her brother Rory Chase, owns and runs Chaseholm Farm Creamery. He produces six artisanal hand-made cheeses including Nimbus, a triple-cream, which was recently honored by Food & Wine magazine as one of the 50 best cheeses in the U.S. “We’ve created a market for all the milk we produce,” Rory says.
The store is located on Chase Road in Ancram, off Rt. 82, just north of Pine Plains. They sell Raw Milk (unpasteurized) packaged in glass bottles. It has a shelf life of ten to 14 days. In addition to Chaseholm Farm Creamery cheeses they have their own yogurt. And of course, the pork and beef they raise. Chicken comes from Yundwell Pastured Poultry in Chatham. They even sell wild-caught salmon through a supplier in Bristol Bay. The store offers fresh sourdough bread, cured meats, local honey, and seasonal veggies. Everything you need for a meal, then some.
All of the Chaseholm Farm products are broadly available in retail stores across Dutchess County.