Finney Farm: Why Not Milk the Good Ones?
By Melissa Hart
“In 2005, we made the trip to World Dairy Expo. I saw those big, beautiful Brown Swiss cows all lined up in a row and realized the worst cow in that line was ten times better than my best cow. I stepped back and said, “’If I have to get up every day and milk and feed cows, why not milk the good ones?’”
With a fresh perspective, Winford “Finney” Barlow went back to Hildale, Utah, and purchased five springing Registered Brown Swiss heifers from David Vincent in Burley, Idaho. He sold his grade herd of Brown Swiss ‘cull cows’ and laid a new foundation securing the future of his Registered Brown Swiss herd that would supply the milk for their budding on-farm dairy store.
While his transformation from grade to registered cattle happened in 2006, Finney’s love for the Brown Swiss cow began with a gift from his father-in-law. “After we got married in 1986, my father-in-law gave us a Brown Swiss bull and a heifer, and we raised them up and began milking in the back yard. My wife started making cheese and then pretty soon we had two cows and were making a little bit more cheese and then we began ‘Finney Farm Home Dairy’.”
The nineties found the Barlows generating a strong and growing demand for their dairy products and in 2000, Finney was able to give up his off-farm job of teaching school, “I decided to make it a full-time business, making a go of it selling our products.” He continued, “We got certified to sell raw milk in the State of Utah and that was our claim to fame, wholesome, raw milk from Brown Swiss cows.”
Finney grew his herd by investing in genetics from John Regusci and Edwin Genasci of California, “They had some really nice stock and those guys helped me out quite a bit,” he commented.
In 2011, Finney was unexpectedly called to the mission field and had to leave the dairy for a period of time. Because the work load was too much for his family, they combined their Brown Swiss herd with the local church herd, Meadowayne Dairy, which consisted of grade Holsteins.
Registrations, breeding dates and cattle identification went by the wayside in Finney’s absence and when he returned from the mission field, his nice herd of Registered Brown Swiss were recordless.
Finney became the plant manager at Meadowayne dairy, “We attended cheese making classes and learned everything we could about the science of cheese. I eventually became president of that dairy operation.”
Amidst challenges with the property where Meadowayne Dairy was located, the downward spiral of milk prices and increasing feed costs, the church dairy was forced to sell out, with the exception of Finney’s Brown Swiss herd. “The Brown Swiss were my pride and joy and we didn’t sell them, he continued, “I came back to the original family farm and upgraded the cheese plant and the facilities and brought the brown cows back home.”
Today, Finney has listed the unidentified Brown Swiss cows with the BSCBA and is working at getting the herd back to 100% registered.
Improving his herd genetics is top priority. “I take pride in what I have. I’m a purist, I want strong cows with good production,” Finney commented as he explained why registration papers matter to his operation. At Finney Farm, they breed the cows by natural service, sourcing bulls from breeders in California as well as Mark Wailes in Colorado and Dennis Mashek in Iowa.
Finney Farm Dairy and Country Store has grown to include two stores featuring raw milk and a wide variety of cheeses and yogurts. Finney commented, “The milk from Brown Swiss is so incredible for our cheese making, we have so many people who just can’t believe the taste and flavor.”
While selling raw milk to consumers is a controversial topic with strong opinions on both sides, Finney has not turned a blind eye to the risks. “There are some risks involved, and my family is drinking it as well and that’s why I’m so passionate about the cleanliness of our milk and why we have our own on-farm lab, so we can test the milk daily. If that quality starts to slip, we can fix the problem and not depend on the state inspection. We know what that milk quality is and that is key.”
Finney believes the nutritional value of raw milk is paramount, “This is the milk that our ancestors grew up drinking and the health benefits of it are very valuable. The responsibility for that milk quality is mine and I take that personally.” He added, “We also found out you can’t make good cheese with bad milk so that milk quality is extremely important.”
Marketing dairy products is not Finney’s only enterprise, “There are a lot of families who want their own homestead where they can have a few chickens and a cow and so I’ve been selling some of my cows to these families along with setting them up with a milking system, a milk can and a vacuum pump and I teach them the specifics of how to use the equipment.” Finney chuckled, “I’m kind of the backyard farmer guru.” Finney also has a software program, so he can make sure these backyard farmers keep their genetic information up to date and their herds 100 percent registered.
In the fall of 2017, they opened a second store location in New Harmony, Utah. And now their products are in four locations. “We almost have kind of a cult following as people love to come to the store and sample cheeses and taste the products made from Brown Swiss milk.” Finney concluded, “We have built a place where people can come and get wholesome, healthy and delicious food.”