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Lewis County Farm Reaps Success With Cheese

Story Published: Aug 30, 2012 at 3:25 PM EDT

Story Updated: Aug 30, 2012 at 6:19 PM EDT

It's curd cuttin' time at Shultz Family Cheese near Lowville. 

What started in the family kitchen just a few years ago has grown into 750 pounds of production a week.  

"My wife had the idea. She wanted to do something a little different with the milk," said Joe Shultz, who owns the farm with his wife, Sue.

The milk comes from the 40 cows on the Shultz farm.

Direct from cow to cheese within 12 hours, it's a farm-fresh product that has been a huge hit.

"There's been a lot of the older folk who come to us and say, 'This is just how I remember as a kid,'" said Sue.

About 40 percent of the farm's milk now goes to cheese - and that has turned into a nice buffer against low milk prices.

"That 40 percent, we're getting paid all of twice what we do for milk sent to the processor," said Joe. 

The only problem with the venture is that after only one year they're having to expand.

"The last couple of weeks, we've actually had to turn some orders away or reduce a few orders, and that's frustrating," said Joe.

The cheddar cheese and curd go mostly to area stores.

The stores approached the Shultz's, not the other way around.

"Pleasantly surprised. But, yes, never expected it ot take off this quick and this big," said Sue.

The couple's $70,000 investment? That's going to be made back much sooner than they thought.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
, Watertown, NY

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