Buy Local: Farm Stand Spotlight – Goodale Farms

Hal Goodale of Goodale Farms in Riverhead has recreated Long Island’s dairy industry, bringing fresh new local products to the scene and finding instant success doing so, just four years into the business.

When entering the 40-acre property just east of Route 105 on the Main Road, you will find one small self-serve shack, offering cow milk, goat milk, eggs, and a variety of award-winning cheeses in addition to fruits and vegetables and pie and soap. Surrounded by some of the most happy-go-lucky animals around, the farm functions as Long Island’s only cow and goat milk wholesaler.

Although the Goodales have farmed Long Island’s fields since the 1800’s, entering the dairy market is something Hal pursued on his own.

“I did a lot of research and I had goats when I was a kid,” said Goodale. “I wanted to find a unique market. I wanted to do something nobody else was doing.”

Goodale Farms now sells its vat pasteurized milk to 15-18 farmer’s markets spread throughout the Long Island area. Vat pasteurization is a process that keeps beneficial enzymes in existence.

“We heat our milk to 145 degrees, which is the lowest allowed by law,” Goodale said. “It kills the bad bacteria while preserving the good enzymes and good bacteria.”

“We don’t take any of the cream out, we don’t take anything out and we don’t add anything,” he said. “It comes from the animal, then it’s pasteurized, and then bottled or made into cheese.”

The only issue with vat pasteurization is the shelf life, Goodale says.

“In 10-14 days after being bottled, it starts to turn into kefir naturally,” he said.

Ultra pasteurized milk on the other hand lasts three to four months. But milk isn’t supposed to be that way — ultra pasteurized milk is stripped of all the benefits for the sake of long-lasting production.

The way cows are treated on production pasteurizing farms disgusts Goodale.

“They never see the light of day,” said Goodale. “The cows just walk around in a big circle all day long. They’re milked three times a day making the average lifespan of a milk cow just three and a half years.”

One of Goodale’s original cows, who he dubbed, “Big Mama” is going on ten years.

“Other cows are on antibiotics or steroids which affects how long they live,” he said. “Then they’re shipped off to McDonald’s.”

“When they pasteurize their milk, they take all the cream out, making it water with a white tint to it. They add white coloring — check the label. They even add vitamin A and B back in.”

The key to promoting a healthy lifestyle for his animals is to let them breathe and live happily.

“I’m not in this business for the production,” Goodale said. “We can’t produce enough for our customers but that doesn’t mean I want to push my animals to produce more. The most important thing is to keep the animals happy and we’ll make what we make.”

Today, Hal, along with his family members, milk five cows daily but he hopes to start milking 10 each day very soon to try to keep up with the demand. Goats are also milked twice daily and each member of the herd has its own name. Goodale has over 200 large animals on the premises which are always inspected and kept in the greatest of care.

Goat milk sells for $7 a bottle and cow milk sells for $6. Cheeses range from $6 to 8.

Next on the product line for Goodale farms is ice cream. They plan to make ice cream from both cow and goat milk to add to their already wide assortment of products.

The stand is open all day long, everyday. Stop by at anytime, says Goodale. And help yourself.

RiverheadLOCAL photos by Michael Hejmej
Click thumbnails to enlarge images
{gallery}2013/slideshows/2013_0629_farm_stand_goodale{/gallery}