Thomas Organic Creamery Our Farm   Thomas Organic Creamery is located near the heart of mid-Michigan, not too far from you.  We have an 80 acre organic farm with a small herd of Jersey cows and a flock of brown egg-laying chickens.  We keep a closed herd, which means we do not bring in cows from other sources.  This protects our livestock from disease and viruses being brought onto the farm from other animals.  Instead, we raise our cows right from birth. Our Standards   Testing    We want to ensure you receive quality, unprocessed milk; therefore, our milk is regularly tested for quality.  Milk samples are taken for testing every two days.  Certification    Our dairy farm is certified organic by International Certification Services, Inc.  ICS conducts thorough annual inspections to guarantee to you that we fully meet the USDA National Organic Program.  We do not use pesticides, herbicides, antibiotics, synthetic growth hormones, or genetically modified organisms on our farm and animals.   Licensing   We also must pass regular Michigan and United States Department of Agriculture inspections.  Our milk meets USDA Grade A standards, and we have a Michigan milk plant license to operate our ice cream plant and equipment.   At Thomas Organic Creamery, our certified organic cows are:     Old-fashioned Jersey cows, which produce rich, creamy milk and 4.5 – 5.7% butterfat*.     Pasture-fed and intensively grazed on fresh green grass from Spring through Fall and fed hay during Winter months.     Fed only 4 pounds of corn daily (just during milking) and are NOT fed soy (a hormone mimicker) nor haylage/silage (fermented feed). Not confined -- lots of sunshine & fresh air. Are tested every two years for tuberculosis and brucellosis. *  Butterfat is rich in short- and medium-chain fatty acids which protect against disease and stimulate the immune system.  It contains glycospingolipids which prevent intestinal distress and conjugated linoleic acid which has strong anticancer properties.  (source:  A Campaign for Real Milk brochure from The Weston A. Price Foundation).