Post by Christine on Sept 4, 2008 4:43:15 GMT -5
Thanks to all for your continued interest and words of encouragement. We would like to invite you to join us on the farm at 73 Wolcott Road in Simsbury this Saturday, September 6th at 10:00 am for a customer meeting, where you can learn about our current status and evolving plans for the future.
The following news update was recently posted to our web site at www.townfarmdairy.org/NewsUpdate083008.html, but we also wanted to share the information directly since we have had so many emails, phone calls, and visits to the farm from our customers and supporters:
Results of Department of Agriculture Testing:
As has been reported on our web site and in the local news in recent weeks, the Connecticut Department of Agriculture (DOA) recently conducted a series of tests on the farm based on reports that four children and one adult had became ill, with a common tie that they had consumed raw milk from Town Farm Dairy.
Because of the common tie, the DOA conducted numerous tests of milk products, milk contact surfaces, water sources, the environment in and around the farm, the processing plant, and an analysis of feces from each milking aged animal. During the testing period, both the Friends and the farm operations team cooperated fully and assisted the DOA with testing, and voluntarily halted the sale of all milk products, both raw and pasteurized. In addition, all milk previously delivered to retail stores was recalled. The result of testing on the farm was that E. coli bacteria was detected in the feces of one cow. The DOA’s tests indicated a match to the E. coli of three of the patients. Neither the farm nor the DOA were able to reach a definitive conclusion as to how the cross contamination occurred.
Both the Friends of Town Farm Dairy and the farm operations team hold the health and safety of our customers as the highest priority. The milking of Town Farm Dairy cows has always been performed by professional farm employees with specific skills, experience, and training who are paid for their services. Milking never has been performed by volunteers or by board members, as was incorrectly reported in the Hartford Courant.
Looking Toward the Future:
The DOA has approved the restart of production and sales of pasteurized milk. The subsequent approval of resuming raw milk sales will be dependant on several other factors. The actual timeline for resumption of sales of any dairy products at this time is undetermined, due to the current financial situation on the farm.
As a result of halting production and sales of all milk products, Town Farm Dairy has incurred over 2 months worth of operating expenses without the normal accompanying revenue. We do not have sufficient cash reserves to absorb those expenses, and are currently pursuing a strategy of downsizing operations through the sale of cows to cover expenses. To resume production with only pasteurized milk would not be effective, since raw milk sales were about half of total sales. Operating with half our previous volume would result in heavy monthly losses. We have been approached by numerous customers urging us to resume production, however, we do not anticipate having the ability to restart operations in the near future without an infusion of cash.
We are working with several local corporations regarding corporate donations, but the timing and value of those are undetermined at this time. Individual contributions are also welcome. Since we are a community farm and a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, contributions are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. Contributions may be mailed to Friends of Town Farm Dairy, PO Box 244, Simsbury, CT 06070 or through our website at www.townfarmdairy.org/donationcentral.html.
Many thanks to our valued customers, members, and supporters. We hope to be able to continue serving you in the future.
Sincerely,
Friends of Town Farm Dairy
The following news update was recently posted to our web site at www.townfarmdairy.org/NewsUpdate083008.html, but we also wanted to share the information directly since we have had so many emails, phone calls, and visits to the farm from our customers and supporters:
Results of Department of Agriculture Testing:
As has been reported on our web site and in the local news in recent weeks, the Connecticut Department of Agriculture (DOA) recently conducted a series of tests on the farm based on reports that four children and one adult had became ill, with a common tie that they had consumed raw milk from Town Farm Dairy.
Because of the common tie, the DOA conducted numerous tests of milk products, milk contact surfaces, water sources, the environment in and around the farm, the processing plant, and an analysis of feces from each milking aged animal. During the testing period, both the Friends and the farm operations team cooperated fully and assisted the DOA with testing, and voluntarily halted the sale of all milk products, both raw and pasteurized. In addition, all milk previously delivered to retail stores was recalled. The result of testing on the farm was that E. coli bacteria was detected in the feces of one cow. The DOA’s tests indicated a match to the E. coli of three of the patients. Neither the farm nor the DOA were able to reach a definitive conclusion as to how the cross contamination occurred.
Both the Friends of Town Farm Dairy and the farm operations team hold the health and safety of our customers as the highest priority. The milking of Town Farm Dairy cows has always been performed by professional farm employees with specific skills, experience, and training who are paid for their services. Milking never has been performed by volunteers or by board members, as was incorrectly reported in the Hartford Courant.
Looking Toward the Future:
The DOA has approved the restart of production and sales of pasteurized milk. The subsequent approval of resuming raw milk sales will be dependant on several other factors. The actual timeline for resumption of sales of any dairy products at this time is undetermined, due to the current financial situation on the farm.
As a result of halting production and sales of all milk products, Town Farm Dairy has incurred over 2 months worth of operating expenses without the normal accompanying revenue. We do not have sufficient cash reserves to absorb those expenses, and are currently pursuing a strategy of downsizing operations through the sale of cows to cover expenses. To resume production with only pasteurized milk would not be effective, since raw milk sales were about half of total sales. Operating with half our previous volume would result in heavy monthly losses. We have been approached by numerous customers urging us to resume production, however, we do not anticipate having the ability to restart operations in the near future without an infusion of cash.
We are working with several local corporations regarding corporate donations, but the timing and value of those are undetermined at this time. Individual contributions are also welcome. Since we are a community farm and a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization, contributions are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. Contributions may be mailed to Friends of Town Farm Dairy, PO Box 244, Simsbury, CT 06070 or through our website at www.townfarmdairy.org/donationcentral.html.
Many thanks to our valued customers, members, and supporters. We hope to be able to continue serving you in the future.
Sincerely,
Friends of Town Farm Dairy