Jason Wiebe Dairy

Currently some of our feed is GMO.  We are considering going GMO free, but the cost will be significant, and our cheese price would need to go up possibly  $0.75 to $1 per lb.  Please leave comments or email us directly if you would feel that would be worth it to you, our customers.  Also let us know if you are a current customer, or would you be a customer if we didn’t feed any feed that contained GMO’s.

Here at Jason Wiebe Dairy, we are contemplating starting to produce a2 cheese, from tested a2 cows milk.  We are curious what the demand would be, if there are people out there looking for a2 cheese.  It would not be real easy to do so we would like to see what the demand would be.  The price would be higher than our typical cheese is now.  If you would like to see a2 cheese on the market please comment or send us an email to a2cheese@jasonwiebedairy.com

Jason Wiebe Dairy made headlines this week! Well, at least we were featured in the business section of a local newspaper, the Hillsboro Free Press. The article provides some information about how our operation started, gives a basic description of how 5500 lbs. of milk becomes 580-600 lbs. of cheese in our plant, and also shares some of the exciting recent developments as Wiebe Dairy continues to strive to bring consumers a high-quality delicious product from our family farm to your table. So, go ahead and enjoy some of our cheese, and while you are at it, check out that article.

I would like to just briefly introduce myself. Aaron Herbel is my name, and I’ve worked here at Jason Wiebe Dairy since September 2007 (Almost 5 years ago… Wow! Time flies when you are having fun). Anyways, I guess my official title here would be Assistant Cheese Maker, and if it has something to do with the cheese plant here, I have at least helped with it. I manage our inventory and the packaging operation in addition to helping Jason make out tasty cheeses. Or I even find myself milking the cows from time to time, although I am more at home in the cheese plant. Well, now you know a little more about me and maybe you will get to hear more about what I am doing as time goes on.

Today was a beautiful, warm day in the mid 70’s, and the pasture had grown enough to start grazing again.  It looked really good to see the cows out on the green pasture again.  Hopefully we’ll have enough rain to keep things growing and hopefully not have a repeat of the drought of last year.  Our cheese sales are good, and the new cheese we’ve been selling since last summer (Cottonwood River Cheddar) is increasing in sales  with lots of good reviews.  Another interesting point is that our Raw Milk Cheese has become our best selling cheese.

We are trying something with our cows again which we tried a few years ago, and that is grazing some of our milk cows on pasture.  The pasture has triticale and radishes growing in it.  We give them a new area to eat about every 12 hours.  We have been doing it since about the middle of October, and so far it has worked well.  The cheese we make from this milk may have a bit more color to it, but it will probably not be noticeable.  We will see how long the weather cooperates so the cows have something to eat.

Tonight we are hosting a picnic in the park for all our past and present cheese business employees and their families and our present dairy help.  The reason being that we have now made 500 batches of cheese since we began in the kitchen about 10 years ago! We’re expecting about 65 people all bringing food and lawn chairs! Should be a fun time!

Today is also 4 months ago that we met our little Julie for the first time in Miami, FL.  She is now very much at home with us and an interesting addition to our family.  The swimming pool (stock tank) in the back yard has been a favorite spot the last 2 weeks.  And yes, Julie loves the water!  She had a bit too much pop and candy at the Memorial Day activities at the Antique Engine Show in Lehigh, KS and we were not sure she would ever relax and go to sleep that night! Tomorrow is her first trip to a zoo so we’ll see how that goes. And next week is her 3rd birthday and we’re so glad she is home with us to celebrate!

The 2 youngest of our children were playing chess on the squares of our tile kitchen floor. It has dark brown and lighter tan squares.  Our 9 yr. old son was a Knight and our 6 yr. old dau. was a Queen and they put their dad into King Check. I missed out on the show but Daddy said it looked hilarious the way they were jumping around from square to square with their hands behind their backs.  You really don’t need to go to the zoo when you have children…the zoo comes to you.

And the MUD is drying up!!

And no news on the adoption front except that other families are moving on so that is a hopeful thing for us to hear! We sent Julie’s Christmas present on its way. Hope it arrives safe and sound.  And we will keep hoping and praying with all our hearts to hear good news SOON!

Keep eating cheese…if you have never tried our cheese, the time to try it is NOW!

I am just really enjoying the beautiful colors of fall…all the colorful leaves and grasses and now we see the lush, green, newly sprouted wheat fields.  The children have been memorizing poems for a Poem Fest at School.  It will be Friday night with Parents and Grandparents invited to hear their talents.  And an added bonus of Hot Chocolate and snacks served afterward.

Jason made a batch of Colby Cheese yesterday and was thrilled with the yield.  When the fat and protein levels are high in the milk we get more cheese out of the same amount of milk.  This cheese will be in the press til Friday when the crew comes to help cut and package.

Sunday morning Jason got to Church late.  He went to take care of the one new calf that had been born during the night and found 3! That takes some time to give them the special care they need.

Here’s one that made my day…a call from a friend we’ve never met.  A cheese customer from the deep South with a wonderfully Southern accent.  “Honey, we’re addicted to your Cheese Curds! God Bless You!”  To our other friends we  haven’t met…keep eating cheese!
Jason Wiebe