Redwood Hill Farm

FARMLAND: 10 acres in Sebastopol, about 60 miles from Ferry Plaza Farmers Market

PEOPLE: Jennifer Bice along with 28 year-round, full-time workers and 3 part-time employees

FARM HISTORY/PHILOSOPHY: Jennifer’s parents started Redwood Hill Farm in 1968 and began producing Grade A raw milk for health and natural food stores. Ten years later, Jennifer and her husband Steven took over the business and expanded the dairy's products to include yogurt and cheese. In 1999, Steven passed away, leaving behind a legacy in sustainable animal husbandry. In 2006, the farm became the first Certified Humane goat dairy in the US. The herd of 350 Alpine, La Mancha, Nubian and Saanen goats roam free on the farm. They are fed a mixture of alfalfa and bean hay (this accounts for about 70% of their diet) and grain that is free of antibiotics, preservatives, GMOs and chemical additives. Jennifer's goal is to become certified organic, but she is unable to obtain 100% organically-grown feed.The farm does not use hormones to increase milk production, and they treat animals with medication only if necessary to save the animal’s life.

ANIMAL HUSBANDRY PRACTICES: They use organic feeds as much as possible: the goats are fed a mixture of alfalfa and bean hay and a mixture of grain that is free of antibiotics, preservatives or chemical additives. They do not use hormones such as BST to increase milk production, and they will treat an animal with medication only if necessary to save its life. Milk from a treated doe is discarded for a long period of time to insure that no drugs enter the human food chain. They also refrain from standardizing or homogenizing the milk to keep the products as natural as possible. Jennifer believes in a "natural approach to animal husbandry" and the dairy goats are raised "free range."

ORGANIC CERTIFICATION: None. Jennifer's goal is to become certified organic, but is unable to obtain 100% organically-grown feed, which is needed for organic certification.