Maplebrook Farmstead — Attraction in Sterling

I traveled very far to try this raw milk for the first time, and discovered after opening all three bottles at home that there was a huge fishy smell emanating sharply from the milk. I was very confused too as there seemed to be a very strong paint / chemical smell to it too, with hints of barn smell as well. I've tried raw milk from other places and never had what seemed to be 3 fairly strong odors with less than 1 day old raw milk that I was able to keep cold during transport. I was very confused about the unexpected smells and so I reached out to the owner. In response she initially sent me an article and explained that a couple of her cows have a genetic mutation common to the specific cows she has, that produces the fishy odor or flavor and that her cows typically only have this problem for 3 weeks when transitioning from hay to pasture. She maintained that though unpleasant to some, it was still safe to consume and that most of her customers didn't notice the smell. When I tried to ask again what the paint and barn smells could then be, and that I was experiencing new digestive / bladder issues shortly after trying some of the milk, her emails to me really came across as gas lighting. She kept saying in different ways that I was the only one who brought up any "complaints", though in the beginning she acknowledged that in the past there have been customers who have noticed at the very least the fishy smell. And although I thanked her for going out of her way with out me even asking to compensate me for my travel costs to the farm and for agreeing to reimburse me for the 3 containers of milk, she just insisted that she didn't think there was anything wrong the milk (ok) and that if more people had digestive issue complaints then she'd take it seriously (not ok). Personally, I think from a business and even scientific stand point, I don't think just waiting for a number of people (how many?) to become ill is when you start testing. If I had my own farm given the negative rap raw milk already gets I'd be testing pretty frequently to just have on hand and posting on my site so consumers can see the results, or to possibly send customers in case. I'm not a farmer though, so I understand if that's not the norm but to me just one person possibly getting sick from your product would be concerning to me. And as far as business transparency goes too, from what seems minor but could be major to others, there was nothing I read previously on the farm's site as a disclaimer about how around this time of the year you might get raw milk that smells like fish, and so if you might have an aversion to that, to maybe come back later on in the summer. For the potential few customers who would "notice" or care, wouldn't that matter? I have absolutely no idea how raw milk dairies test for milk quality issues, and, when asking, though she sent an email where she referenced a resource about randomized testing by the state as part of being a licensed raw dairy, she had no response to the type of internal testing the farm might do on their own, and the breadth of testing performed as well for either common or uncommon bacteria if that even exists. I know the milk labels technically have that warning, but gas lighting someone by repeatedly saying they're the only one who's come with a complaint of sickness or complaint of odor(s) doesn't mean you shouldn't have some measures in place as a good business in case down the road more than one person might get sick from your...

My family enjoyed the goat hike far more than we expected. We really did walk with them up through some pretty pastures, through a forest and back down through a field to the farm. The views were amazing and Hannah continuously pointed out different plants and characteristics of the woods and field. She's the real deal, a farmer entrepreneur and we learned a good deal about the goats and their behavior from her. All the while we were walking, the goats crossed our paths, ate the leaves and acorns we offered, and acted pretty much like they knew the whole thing was all about them. It was a great time and I'm really glad we all went. It was a great break from the normal and a really nice getaway from the city. Really grateful to get the chance to do this and strongly recommend it if you can get the...

Hannah and 8 of her goats led 5 of my friends and me on a fun, informative goat hike through woods and meadow on her Maplebrook Farm in Sterling. We thoroughly enjoyed being out on a beautiful day with Hannah and her herd. We saw chickens drinking from a clever water dispenser Hannah built and Ayrshire cows new to the farm and donkeys. At the end of the hike members of our group bought a book on goats, eggs and gorgeous flower bouquets (grown by Hannah’s mother) at the farm store. I highly recommend this excursion. My friends - local and visiting from out of state - had so much fun learning about Hannah’s farm routine and...