Small is Beautiful at St Isidore’s Dairy

Making cheese has changed the way fourth-generation dairy farmer Inga Witscher-Orth thinks about dairy farming. “It’s made me more excited about milking cows,” she says. “I see everything from the cow biting the grass to selling the cheese. I’ve been milking cows my whole life, and it’s exciting to now be part of all of the steps.”

 

Background

Witscher-Orth grew up on her parents’ dairy farm near Seattle; the family eventually relocated to Wisconsin. In 2006, Witscher-Orth started St. Isidore’s Dairy in Osseo, Wisconsin with 40 cows. “I was certified organic and sold milk to Organic Valley and another organic co-op,” she says. “But I was watching the dairy farms around us disappear, and I had to think about what to do if I wanted to continue farming. I downsized to 6 cows and started to make cheese in 2019.”

 

Over the past several years, cheesemaking has helped Witscher-Orth thrive as a dairy farmer—her 6 cow farm and creamery is more profitable than her 40-50 cow operation was. “I see more and more micro creameries popping up,” she says, noting that she receives one or two email inquiries each week from other dairy farmers who are interested in learning more about her business. “This could be a model: folks can have micro dairies and make one or two cheeses or sell fluid milk. It’s a way to maintain and support family farms, and it’s a more sustainable way to farm.” She adds, “I think every community in a dairy state could sustain small creameries—consumers are looking for quality, healthy food directly from farmers.”

Witscher-Orth chose to focus on farmstead clothbound Cheddar made from raw milk, since she had previous cheesemaking experience with that style. It remains the only type of cheese that St. Isidore’s Dairy produces and is deeply informed by the sustainable way that Witscher-Orth operates her dairy farm.

 

The Cows

“When we talk about cheese, I hope we can talk more about what the animals are eating and how they’re being raised,” she says. “A huge part of the flavor of our cheese is that it’s grass- based…The grass-based focus is very important to me, taking care of the environment by rotational grazing. I move the cows every 12 hours.”

The cows themselves are also different from the black and white Holsteins that are a staple of larger dairy operations. Witscher-Orth raises Jerseys, a smaller breed with distinctive brown coats. “Jerseys are suited for a farm like mine,” she explains. “They’re the most sustainable breed of dairy cows because they need less land and less water, and they produce less manure. They’re well-suited for pasture grazing since they do well in the heat.”

Jersey milk also contains more butterfat than other dairy breeds, and Witscher-Orth handles the milk carefully to keep the fat globules intact. Instead of relying on a typical pipeline system, she milks the cows into bucket milkers and then pours the milk by hand into a bulk tank until it is ready to make into cheese. “I want to handle the milk gently so I can have high-quality cheese,” she says.

She also appreciates the intangible benefits of raising Jerseys. “What I like about Jerseys is that they each have their own personalities. They’re each so loving. They’re more like dogs than cows, they’re curious. Agnes is our spoiled little girl, she greets me on the front porch some mornings when she gets out!”

The cows’ seasonally-changing diet of native Wisconsin grasses, clover, and wildflowers impacts the color and flavor of the cheese, which is only produced during the mid-April to Christmas grazing season. (In the winter, the cows eat dry hay baled from the farm.) Witscher-Orth describes her cheese as a classic European-style cheddar. “It’s extra-creamy because of the Jersey milk. There’s a bit of mustard to it, and a little sweetness from the grass.”

St. Isidore Dairy’s clothbound Cheddar is currently available at Wisconsin cheese shops, Fromagination in Madison (read more about Fromagination); The Milk Merchant in Wausau, and The Village Cheese Shop in Wauwatosa. The dairy also sells cheese directly to customers at the Eau Claire Downtown Farmers Market.

 

Looking Ahead

Witscher-Orth’s expansion plans for her business are focused on quality over quantity. She’s planning to add a cut flower farm and is looking forward to helping people from the city experience rural Wisconsin farm life, building on the work she’s done as the host of PBS television show Around the Farm Table, a program that connects consumers with small farmers through wonderful short segments featuring stories, recipes and more including an episode on Inga’s own Jersey cows. She’s also considering experimenting with another cheese style made with fall and early winter milk.