Lamar couple show quality milk products don’t have to come from cows

[Guest guest]

LAMAR — June is national dairy month, and, for most people, that might bring up ideas of black and white cows in a green field, or a big, cold, glass of milk with dinner. For and Atkinson, owners of Lone Palmetto Farms, it means fields of Alpine and Nubian goats

The couple, which met while showing Pygmy goats, and married in December 2005, began bottling raw goat milk in October. Raw milk is unpasteurized and bottles just minutes after the goats are milked.

"There is much debate (and propaganda) about raw milk. There are a growing number of people seeking out raw milk," said.

"At the time that pasteurization was introduced, there was definitely a need to protect the every day person that was not fortunate to live on a farm and produce their own milk," said. "People were not equipped to properly produce clean milk in mass quantities. Now, with more education, better equipment and proper testing methods, farmers can provide clean, healthy raw milk. Those interested in raw milk seek it out for the beneficial bacteria it provides."

According to Atkinson, "An interesting fact that we discovered in our research about goat dairies is that 80 percent of the world actually drinks goat milk rather than cow milk. The U.S. is about the only country that uses cow milk as the `norm.' Goat milk is more consistent with human milk than cow milk. This is why so many infants that are intolerant to cow milk or cow milk formula and do not have access to human milk can use goat milk."

They started their farm with Pygmy goats used for showing and kept as pets. When they found out they were expecting their first child, , in 2007, however, they began doing research into the possibility of converting their farm into a dairy.

"We were pleased to learn that South Carolina allows for the production and selling of raw goat milk. We visited several Grade A raw dairies in the state and consulted with DHEC about what we would need to do to become licensed," Atkinson said.

"Our barn was actually already set up in a way that we could convert two of the stalls to our dairy area. With all of this in mind, we decided that we would indeed move forward with the transition from Pygmy to dairy goats with the eventual goal of establishing a Grade A raw dairy."

Once the work was completed in converting the barn to have a milking parlor and bottling room, the Atkinsons received their DHEC certification in October and began bottling that weekend. In addition to being DHEC certified, Lone Palmetto Farms are South Carolina Grown certified and members of the South Carolina Specialty Food Association.

The couple has a herd of about 60 goats, 19 are currently in milk, the rest are babies, bucks, and there are still a few Pygmy's as pets. "This time of year, it's an ever changing number," said as she spoke of the herd and the kids they are still expecting to be born this year.

After the goats deliver their young, they are kept with their mothers for about 48 hours before being moved to a separate pens where they are bottle fed using a special bucket allowing the kids to nurse themselves as their mothers move into the milking pasture.

Goats, like cows, must be milked twice a day, every day. With both and working full time jobs away from the farm, often times the milking has the Atkinsons in the barn at 6:30 a.m. before leaving for work and sometimes, when several goats are kidding, they are in the barn until after 10 p.m.

Lone Palmetto Farms is producing about 12 gallons of milk per day on the days they bottle for the various locations where they sell their products.

On days when the milk is not bottled, it is saved for a line of soaps and body care products the couple created.

— Staff photographer J. Ducker can be reached at .

Reader Reactions

Posted by ( @LPFarms ) on June 24, 2009 at 3:19 pm

I will be at Trinity Farms at the Pee Dee State Farmer's Market in Florence this Saturday. You can also visit our website at www.lonepalmetto.com for more information on our products and locations.

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Posted by ( LPGoats ) on June 24, 2009 at 2:27 pm

These products can be found at Trinity Farms at the Farmers Markey, Ovis Hill Farms & Mobile Markets, The Farm Store in Sumter, Healthy Foods across from Schofield in Florence. For more information visit www.lonepalmetto.com

J. Ducker/MORNING NEWS

Atkinson leads a goat into the milking parlor during the evening milking June 18. The parlor, which is currently set up to milk two goats at a time will be enlarged to accommodate more goats and make the process, which currently takes about an hour and a half, more efficient. In addition to running the dairy, the Atkinson's have a nearly 2-year-old daughter, , and both work full time jobs outside of the farm