The mellow, but distinct Landaff cheese is sent to age
at the Jasper Hill cave in Greensboro, VT.

HOW ONE NEW HAMPSHIRE DAIRY
DIVERSIFIES TO SURVIVE

By Helen Brody • Photos By Barry Wright

Landaff, New Hampshire, population 378, is nestled in the foothills of theWhite Mountain National Forest. In the 1950s, ten dairy farms dotted the lush hills surrounding Landaff. But that was then. Low milk prices and long, hard hours have forced all but Doug and Debby Erb of Springvale Farms to move away from dairy farming or sell their land. The last option was never seriously considered by these two farmers. They chose instead to make their farm sustainable by creating a value added product from their frothy rich milk.

The couple milk 100 or so registered Holsteins, not with the indifferent approach of vast dairy enterprises, rather with the care and devotion that only small farmers can give to their animals. Such care spawns high quality milk. The Holsteins happily move about an immaculate space on a bedding of sand that assures both cleanliness and comfort under foot. Sunshine streams in the windows of the Erbs’ renovated free stall barn where the cows lazily cue up for a luxurious massage rendered by an enormous rotating brush, obviously designed by someone who was devoted to all things bovine. Oh, and the jostling cows come away clean and totally satisfied! For those skeptics who doubt a cow can actually assume a look of pure contentment, take a trip up to Landaff. From early spring through late fall these pampered animals enjoy rotational grazing as Doug and Debby prod them from paddock to paddock of pastureland. During the winter months the cows are fed homegrown forages.

Although dairies are the second largest agricultural income producer in New Hampshire, and it is this valuable green pasture that helps to assure the preservation of New Hampshire’s quality of rural life, the dairy family is up against the grim reality of today’s milk prices. As global economies have slowed, the prices paid to the dairy farmers by the processors for their Class I fluid milk does not equate with the labor, costs, and the quality of their product. Despite their affection and care for the animals and land, the Erbs, too, had to face a bleak future, or worse, consider the merits of staying in business at all. Springvale Farms dates back to the 1950s when Doug’s father, a veterinarian, bought and combined several farms to create a dairy farm and veterinarian clinic.

But love of place does not translate into food on the table nor expenses for daily living. In fact, the Erbs were following in the dismal pattern of their neighbors by accumulating a staggering debt. As devoted farmers, the very idea of giving up their livelihood or their 400-acre farm was inconceivable. Thus began the search for viable, income-producing alternatives.

The first step was to find ways to sell their fluid milk in the form of a food or “value added product” where their milk would bring in more dollars per pound of product and, as Debby says “would make our farm sustainable in the future.” Daily, intense dinner table discussions ensued between the couple that has been married for 32 years. Yogurt, butter and buttermilk were possibilities, but what intrigued Doug and Debby the most, and what seemed most feasible, was cheese. Because their cheese would be made from their own cows’ milk, it could be advertised as a farmstead cheese. “The cheese of choice among aficionados is a farmstead cheese because,” as Doug notes, “a farmstead cheese is unique to the farm pasture, the cows that produce the milk, and the cheesemakers.” As the flavors of the grasses change during the season, there are nuanced changes in the cheese that give it an intriguing taste experience. This is impossible to discern with cheeses using milk from a variety of farms and blended for consistency. “In farmstead cheese,” continues Doug, “Each batch is a one-of-a-kind sensory experience.”

While Doug became the chief researcher for their farmstead cheese endeavor, Debby continued to spend most of her time caring for the cows and calves. Doug started things rolling in 2006 by taking cheesemaking classes through the Vermont Institute of Artisan Cheese at the University of Vermont and became a certified cheese maker. The next critical step was to decide what style of cheese they should make.While struggling with this decision, highly-touted cheesemakers Mateo and Andy Kehler, co-owners of Jasper Hill Farm & Cellars in Greensboro Vermont, introduced the Erbs to a third generationWelsh Caerphilly cheesemaker. Englishman and noted cheese maker Chris Duckett brought a sample of his cheese across the Atlantic for tasting.

“It was a little tired from wear and travel,” Doug said, “but even so, we loved it.” So off to Somerset, England he went to train at Westcombe farms using Duckett’s originalWelsh recipe. The Erbs call their Landaff cheese ‘Caerphilly-style’ because it is a unique farmstead cheese from their own cows.

Looking back, it seems the choice of cheese and learning how to make it were the easy parts. The veterinary clinic was to be transformed into the very heart of the facility, but before that metamorphosis, the entire building needed a total clearing out. Then fate intruded. Just as the initial deconstruction phase began, Debby broke a leg.With the creamery’s equipment poised for delivery in two weeks, Debby recalled why she loved living in a small town. “Word got out,” she says, “and one day 12 people showed up with skill saws ready to tear down walls and jack hammers to break up concrete and move things along.”

As of last December the clinic had been transformed into a pristine facility with a passing inspection score of 100. The equipment, much of it shipped from France, included the molds that are “microperforated” so there is no need to use the traditional cheesecloth for draining. After the inspector’s approval, all the Erbs needed was the starter, rennet, and baker’s rack on which to set the cheese as it drained. Today, outside their gleaming facility, a visitor can gaze at the paintings of their prize cows and learn about the cheesemaking from signs and photographs. For those who harbor the notion that the making of cheese is a leisurely affair, consider the Erbs schedule; their day begins at five in the morning and ends at eight at night.

Doug and Deb make six batches of cheese a month using about 3,000 pounds of milk for each batch. The cheese is then sent to Jasper Hill Cellars to age in their caves.

At this point the cheese making takes only about one-half a day’s milking from the Erb’s total milk production. People are beginning to recognize the flavor of this cheese as delicious fare to accompany a cocktail as well as its melting properties that make it versatile in cooking. In many recipes, Landaff Cheese is a viable replacement for cheddar. Add Landaff cheese to the classic macaroni and cheese favorite (see recipe), use it instead of cheddar as a welsh rarebit (after all the cheese isWelsh!) and in casseroles. Although a bit more expensive, the variety it gives to what otherwise might be an everyday dish warrants the extra cost.

Ninety percent of Landaff cheese is being sold through Jasper Hill Cellars and is now making a bow nationwide. About ten percent of the cheese is sold at the Bath Brick Store in Bath, NH and at the Landaff Creamery itself. Their website references other retailers for their cheese.

In a sense, Debby and Doug Erb mixed some old fashioned farm virtues with a new vision and are turning a desperate situation into what they hope will be a thriving venture. New Hampshire dairy farmers need our support, especially during these tough times. Buy their milk as often as you can and don’t forget to say “Cheese” too, please!

Landaff Creamery
546 Mill Brook Road, Landaff NH 603.838.5506
www.Landaffcreamery.com

RECIPES

LANDAFF MACARONI AND CHEESE

LANDAFF CREAMERY WELSH RAREBIT OR FONDUE