From 200 to 14 and From Conventional to Regenerative

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October 4, 2025

Hey, Corbin here from the farm!

I've mentioned a couple times in past newsletters about our farm's history in conventional agriculture. Several of you have asked about the story of how we got from there to where we are now so I thought I would share that story with you today!

Our Journey From 200 to 14 Cows🐮

It started in 2003 when Dad was getting tired of waking up each morning wondering which cow would be sick next.

Dad along with his brother Mike were milking close to two hundred cows in our confinement dairy setup. The cows were on concrete all day long and never saw a blade of fresh grass...

Milking cows has been in the family for a long time!

Great-Grandpa bought this farm in the 1940's and started out milking around 10 cows as part of a typical diversified farm of the day that also included pigs, chickens, and a work horse. The cows were grazed out on pasture and Grandpa remembers using the horse to bring them in for milking as a young lad!

Next, Grandpa took over the farm and weathered the tough times of drought and sky-high interest rates of the 1980's. He was hard working and continued to grow the dairy to make opportunity for his sons.

Along the way came new technology, management practices, and confinement equipment that paved the way for more milk production and a better bottom line – for a while, at least...

Dad and his brothers became partners with Grandpa and eventually took over the reins. They continued to follow the advice of the "experts" and pushed for more milk production at the expense of... HEALTH!

Here's what it looked like:

Give rBST shots every 14 days to boost milk production. rBST is a synthetic hormone that is allowed for use in the U.S. but banned in many other countries.

Vet calls and surgeries for cows that had displaced stomachs from a diet that was too high in corn to get high milk production.

Drug injections for sick cows.

Milking the cows three times a day for maximum production. This meant lots of labor to manage as well as taking a night shift milking.

Cows' hooves that needed trimmed every few months because they spent their lives on concrete instead of on pasture.

Harvesting and storing enough feed for a whole year to feed the cows in the barn. This takes a lot of work, equipment, and diesel fuel!

Storing all the manure in a giant "manure pit" and then spreading it across the fields after harvest. Again a lot of work, equipment, and diesel fuel!!

Declining margins over the years as the dairy industry pushed for more and more efficiency. "Get big or get out" was the name of the game with family farms across the nation consolidating and turning into mega-dairies containing tens of thousands of cows!

The result?

STRESS – For the cows AND the farmers!!!

CHEAP MILK AND SICK CONSUMERS!

They were on the conventional farming treadmill...

From Conventional To Regenerative

In 2003 Dad and Uncle Mike decided it was time to do something different than what the "experts" were saying...

They decided to put the cows out to pasture!🐮☘️

I remember the days of building fence with our parents while all of us youngsters "helped". I remember the cows kicking up their heels with delight at being able to actually be on pasture! I also remember them getting out into the neighbor's yard after a heavy rainstorm...

But the cows were happy!

And they got healthier...

No more rBST shots, displaced stomachs, and hooves needing trimmed all the time...

Next my dad and uncle cut out all the drugs, synthetic fertilizers, and pesticides to become certified organic.

A major organic milk company had a milk pickup route planned to start up in our area so once we were certified we could start shipping our milk from healthier cows for a better price.

And then came the recession of 2008...

The organic milk company canceled the milk route, and so here we were selling our milk from our healthier cows for conventional milk prices which were at rock bottom... things were going the wrong way fast😔

Soooo, in 2009 they sold the cows. That was a tough time with the cows being sold for poor prices and the question of "Now what???". As a twelve year old, I was too young to really feel the stress of the situation. What I remember is having a bunch of fun riding along to the auction barn in Iowa to sell the cows!😀

In 2010, Uncle Mikes' felt God's leading to move to Iowa and make a new start out there.

There had to be a better way to make a living as a farmer and not be tied to a "Get Big or Get Out" system...

What about selling raw milk directly to the customers?

This was an interesting idea to cut out the processor "middle man" so that we could have a direct relationship with our customers! And guess what? The customers wanted that personal relationship too!🥰

The story actually wasn't over for the cows!🐮

They had heard that there was a growing market for selling raw milk directly to the consumer so when they were selling the cows in 2009, they decided to keep a few back!

And that's how we got to where we are today! We actually paused selling raw milk for a few years (even though we always kept a few cows so that there would be enough milk for the family), but then in 2022, my brother Philip decided to quite his engineering job to take on the dairy and start selling raw milk again!

And so here we are 75 years later... milking 14 cows just like Great-Grandpa!

The feedback has been amazing! Customers are passionate and excited and the demand keeps growing.

And we're not tied to a system that values efficiency over health...

Four generations of farmers! (L-R: Dad, Grandpa, Philip, Luke)

It's really neat to be working in a regenerative way with nature, too.

The system works just like it is supposed to when you work with nature instead of against it!

Now, would I say that the farmers don't have any stress??? Hmm, maybe someday!😅

At least the cows are happy and healthy!

And we can support multiple families from one farm.

And there are more birds, insects, and wildlife.

And the land is getting healthier for future generations.

And moms are able to feed their children healthy and delicious 100% grassfed raw milk!🥛😀

So there you have it, the story of how we went from 200 to 14 cows and from a conventional system that is focused on efficiency at the expense of health, to a regenerative system that focuses on the HEALTH of the land, animals, farmers, and YOU!

Thanks for supporting us on this journey and trusting us to provide delicious, nutrient-rich Raw Milk for your family!

Blessings on your day,
Corbin
Prairie Creek Pastures

Raw Milk

Raw Life or Sterile Death?

Good morning! I go way back – thousands of years actually. I was a huge part in the success of society; making the youth grow strong with my rich nutrition, helping digestion with my enzymes, boosting people's immune systems, and preventing allergies with my special compounds. People even let me sit at room temperature so I could work with other good guys to make probiotic rich superfoods like kefir, yogurt, clabbered milk, cultured buttermilk, cultured cream, and raw cheese. Everyone who interacted with me came away better because of our relationship!💪 But then something happened... In the mid 1800's some dairies were moving into big cities. The problem was that the cities didn't have pastures or clean water. The cows were kept in deplorable conditions and also fed byproducts from alcohol distilleries that made the cows sick. People started getting sick from me - some even died.😔 Their solution? KILL EVERYTHING in me by pasteurizing! And it has continued to this day... Now, when you set me out at room temperature, I rot instead of fermenting. Without enzymes, absorption of my nutrients is like trying to eat saltines without water. People's bodies react to me because my proteins are unrecognizable. It's demoralizing being rejected.😢 BUT I HAVE HOPE! People are starting to come around to the idea that RAW LIFE is better than STERILE DEATH. That what has nourished them for thousands of years might be a good idea. That maybe I do have something to offer them! I feel like I'm becoming a celebrity with the number of people that are finding out about the raw me!🥳 GO RAW MILK! Raw Milk - Nature’s Superfood According to the Raw Milk Institute (RAWMI) "In many ways, raw milk is similar to breastmilk: both are completely natural, fresh, and unprocessed milks. They both contain a wide variety of essential nutrients, fats, proteins, anti-inflammatory and digestive enzymes, bioavailable vitamins, and minerals, all in a natural form which is most easily utilized by the body." Raw Milk Helps Lactose Intolerance "In addition, raw milk facilitates production of lactase enzyme in the intestinal tract, allowing many people who are lactose intolerant to digest raw milk with no problems." Conventional medicine will tell you that raw milk does not help with lactose intolerance. However, one of their often cited studies is based on a very small sample size of 16 people as well as using a testing method that is questionable in its accuracy. Personally, we've had numerous people report that while they are unable to drink pasteurized milk, they are able to drink our raw milk just fine without any discomfort or reaction! For ones who have been off of dairy for years, this is a major breakthrough! In one survey of 155 raw milk drinkers who had been diagnosed with lactose intolerance by a healthcare professional, 76% reported that they did not have any symptoms when drinking raw milk! In addition to our milk being raw, we've also chosen to select cows that have the A2A2 gene. The difference between A2A2 and A1A1 is a gene mutation that some cows carry that developed several thousand years ago. When A1 milk is broken down in your gut, it releases a potentially harmful opiode BCM-7. A2A2 milk on the other hand does not release BCM-7 and is the original milk that humans have consumed for thousands of years. Many people who struggle with the A1 gene in milk handle A2A2 milk much better. Dr. Sina McCullough also notes that for people with gluten sensitivity or celiac disease, A1 milk can elicit a immune response similar to eating gluten due to A1 milk looking similar to gluten to the body. As a final comment, I wanted to mention that while many people do have success with our A2A2 raw milk, there are some people whose bodies are still not able to handle even our milk. Raw Milk Reduces Asthma, Allergies, & Fevers Numerous studies have shown benefits to drinking raw milk in reducing Asthma, Allergies, and Fevers. According to RAWMI: "One study of over 8,000 children showed that raw milk consumption is associated with significantly lower rates of asthma and allergies. Another study of over 4,000 children found that consumption of raw milk was associated with a strong protective effect against eczema. And finally, a study of over 900 children concluded that, "Early life consumption of raw cow's milk reduced the risk of manifest respiratory infections and fever by about 30%"." Our customers have also shared first hand experience of allergies improving when they start drinking our raw milk! Regeneratively Pastured = Nutrient Dense Raw Milk I recently attended a presentation by Dr. Allen Williams – a leading researcher and practitioner in regenerative farming. He presented some mind blowing numbers comparing the nutrient density of milk from regeneratively pastured cows to conventional confinement cow milk. In the slides below, the center column is the best regenerative dairy's numbers, while the column to the right is the mean (average) of all the regenerative milk samples. This is as compared to conventional confinement milk. I don't know about you, but I am impressed! You are getting many times the nutrients in your milk when you get it from a farm that practices regenerative grazing like we do! It gets even better when you keep the milk raw instead of pasteurizing it. Raw milk contains compounds that encourage the growth of large numbers of lactobacillus and bifidobacterial in the gut. These help to build a balanced gut microbiome as well as increasing the absorption of essential nutrients such as minerals, vitamins, folate, and B12. Sign me up!🙋‍♂️ Safety of Raw Milk It is important to note that there is no such thing as a perfectly safe food. According to RAWMI, "An analysis of foodborne illnesses from 2009-2015 showed that the top food categories commonly linked to illnesses were chicken, pork, and seeded vegetables. Pasteurized milk is not perfectly safe, either, and is implicated in foodborne illnesses and outbreaks every year." An independent assessment of raw milk risks from 2000-2007, showed that there was a 1 in 94,000 chance of becoming ill from drinking raw milk, and a 1 in 6 million chance of being hospitalized. In 2007 there were around 9.4 million people drinking raw milk in the U.S., and despite increasing legal distribution and an explosion in consumer interest and consumption, the outbreak rate per capita has come down significantly since then. The best way to verify the safety of your milk is to make sure that you are getting it from a farm that has a high standard of cleanliness! As a verification of our milk's safety, we follow a routine testing protocol that verifies that we are continuing to produce clean, safe milk. Finally, at the end of milk bottling, the crew will often drink some of the milk - not as a test of safety - but because they love it and trust it completely! Raw Milk as Medicine Interestingly, raw milk has been used as a cure for many diseases by reputable doctors in the past. Dr J.E. Crewe MD, one of the founders of the Mayo Foundation, successfully used raw milk in his medical practice for over 15 years. I also recently learned from RAWMI that, "From 1893-1999, the American Association of Medical Milk Commissions (AAMMC) certified clean, safe raw milk for human consumption and even medical therapeutic use. This certified raw milk was recognized to be of therapeutic benefit for infants, children, and adults. This milk was used effectively in hospitals around the United States and was used to treat a wide variety of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, renal disease, liver disease, hypertension, edema, asthma, arthritis, tuberculosis, and diabetes." Wow, wouldn't that be amazing if hospitals treated patients with raw milk again!💥 So there you have it! My story going back thousands of years and how I'm making a comeback again today. Which version of me will you choose? My RAW LIFE amazing self that has nourished your ancestors for thousands of years? Or my unrecognizable STERILE version that has been pushed for the last hundred plus years because of dirty farming practices in the 1800's? If you are ready to give me a try you're at the right place! Click the link below and let's meet up. I don't think you'll be sorry!😀🥛 Shop Raw Milk!Sincerely, Your FarmerCorbinPrairie Creek Pastures

From 200 to 14 and From Conventional to Regenerative

Our Journey From 200 to 14 Cows🐮

From Conventional To Regenerative

What about selling raw milk directly to the customers?

It's really neat to be working in a regenerative way with nature, too.

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Prairie Creek Pastures