Amaltheia Dairy Farm in Montana is a family run operation.
“We have had our farm for over 20 years. We love the Bozeman area and our goats get to enjoy beautiful scenery. It’s beautiful every day. The best thing about what we do is to provide nutritious, delicious organic goat cheeses, pork, and vegetables to people. We have been making cheese for 17 years, certified organic for 12 years. We are sustainable farmers and try to utilize all of our resources and byproducts responsibly.” -Sue Brown of Amaltheia Dairy Farm
Sue Brown, Owner of Amaltheia Dairy Farm
Sue's Daughter, Sarah Brown
"I love working with my family. My mom is the hardest working person I know, so to be able to keep up with her is a challenge in itself. My parents are incredibly thoughtful, hard-working and intelligent. I look up to them in so many ways, and they are the reason I love what I do. To be raised in a barn is the most fulfilling childhood I could possibly imagine. Yes, it’s a lot of hard work; but you develop a close-knit relationship with animals and nature." -Sarah Brown
Sue's Daughter in Law, Karen Page
“My favorite part of this farm is how recycled the resources and byproducts are.
The manure is collected from the pens and spread in the fields to nourish the soil, which grows the vegetables as well as hay and straw for the animals.
The whey from the cheese is fed to the pigs, and they go crazy for it.
The outcome being the food we produce, which we eat to nourish our bodies so we can continue to work the land.
It is a pretty great cycle.” -Karen Page
"It is a challenge everyday to balance work and home life. But, it is truly fulfilling at the end of the day to know everything that you do impacts your family and their well-being. We are beyond blessed to have a family that is capable of finding that balance with one another." -Sarah Brown
“I wish everyone knew how involved it is to grow organically and how closely we interact with each and every plant. I have thought often about tracking how many times we touch each plant, from seeding to weeding to harvest and packing for sale.
Our personal farming techniques involve a fair amount of time crawling around in the soil and making sure our little plants are thriving. Small scale organic vegetable production is ultimately a labor of love, and everyone should be a little more involved with where their food is coming from, and be supportive of organic and local agriculture in your community.” -Karen Page
Elizabeth and Maple Henric
Meet Elizabeth Henric and her daughter, Maple. She’s farmed all over the world. Now she works at Amalthea Dairy Farm in Montana.
“There are so many things I love about working at Amaltheia—seeing my friends every day, greeting the animals, early mornings with snow capped mountain sunrises. I think most of all, I love working outside and getting my hands dirty.” -Farmer Elizabeth Henric
“I feel so blessed to have a job that I can have Maple with me. That being said, it was also very challenging. I could not have any expectations for the day. Some days we’d work one hour, and it would be really stressful. Other days we’d work five, and it would be a breeze.
I had to time my tasks to meet her needs. Some things were only possible once she was napping on my back. Sometimes she would fall asleep easily without a fuss. Other times we had to go out for a long walk before she’d relax enough to close her eyes. I’d get frustrated but remind myself that spending time with her is just as important as my work.” -Elizabeth Henric
Elizabeth’s advice to others interested in farming,
“Don’t wait! Don’t wait till you live in the perfect place, or you’re able to buy land, or you have enough money, or whatever excuse.
Find ways to be in nature and work with plants and animals.
Volunteer at a local farm.
Put a few plants in the ground.
Make a list of some of the things you want to learn and work seasonally, traveling to different farms to learn those things.” -Elizabeth Henric
Visit www.amaltheiadairy.com to find out more, or click here to ship some of their cheeses straight to your front door.