Pioneer Times photo/Gloria Austin
DUFF FARMS — Joel and Katie Duff, along with their children, from left, Samuel, Adeline and Abigail are working a fourth-generation dairy and beef farm in Hodgdon. They are licensed to sell their raw milk and beef at their farm or people may pick them up at the Houlton Co-Op.
By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
HODGDON — When he was younger, Joel Duff wanted to walk away from working on the farm. But, the farm had rooted itself deep into his soul, more than he ever knew.
“When I graduated from high school, I was going to go and get a real job,” said Duff with a smile. “For years up until just recently, I said I will never milk cows again. I am not going to do it. No way. I am going to raise beef.”
Well, Duff is now operating his family’s fourth-generation farm — Duff Farms — of dairy and beef cows in Hodgdon.
Last April, the Duffs began milking their own cows after getting their certifications.
“We saw there was interest,” said Duff’s wife, Katie.
The Duff Farms is the only licensed farm north of Bangor to sell raw milk. Duff Farms has 20 milking cows.
“I can’t say they are [completely] grass fed,” explained Duff. “They are certified natural. We feed them the whole corn plant, leaf, stalk and all.”
The Duffs have built their milk business from scratch.
“At first, we had only a few faithful customers,” said Katie. “We had a few bottles and once we established a big enough customer base, we ordered more bottles with our name and address on them.”
The Duffs ordered the glass bottles in October and they are recycled for use.
“We primarily bottle in glass,” said Katie, “but, we do sell our milk in glass or plastic.”
Some people may just want to try the milk so they prefer the plastic, instead of bringing the glass bottles back to the farm.
The Duffs have plenty of glass bottles and containers that are sterilized after each use.
“They get rinsed, washed with an industrial soap and then they are put through an acid rinse, which takes the soap off, and then they are sterilized in a chlorine sanitizer,” Duff explained.
The Duffs were also able to make an agreement with Houlton Farms Dairy to pick up their milk.
“April 2nd, the first milk went into our tank,” said Duff. “We started bottling and Houlton Farms Dairy started picking up a couple of days later. I am as big an advocate for Houlton Farms as I am for my own raw milk. I know not everyone is going to buy the raw, but if they don’t buy that, by gory buy Houlton Farms.”
Duff believes in supporting the local economy as much as possible. If everyone bought local then the money is distributed through the community, helping neighbors and friends.
In January, Duff Farms added selling beef, alongside raw milk.
“We actually started with beef cows,” said Duff. “We have roughly a 100 head. We could only sell freezer beef as a side of a cow.”
With inspection and licensing, the Duffs now are able to sell several different types of cuts, including ribeye, sirloin, hamburger and maybe even hot dogs.
Duff Farms obtained a vendor’s license so they now are legal to sell both their raw milk and beef off their farm, as well as at the County Co-op in Houlton.
“Our products are all natural,” said Katie. “We have seen the benefit of raw milk for customers who are lactose intolerant. It eases the digestion. With our beef, we are not certified organic, but we are GMO free and we do not give our cows antibiotics or growth hormones.”
The Duffs have a freezer full of prime cuts and a refrigerator of raw milk available at their farm at 525 White Settlement Rd.
“We are not too far out of town,” said Katie. “But, far enough for some that it may be an inconvenience. But, we hope people try our products, which are sold at the Co-op, as well.”
Duff Farms also has a Facebook page for potential customers to review.
“We really take pride in this being a fourth generation farm and we now have it up and running,” Katie said. “We use the same barn that Joel’s grandfather and father milked in.”
“There is something about being able to raise your kids on a farm,” Duff said.
“We just hope that someday our kids will look back and be thankful that they grew up this way,” said Katie. “That they learned the value of working and that they will appreciate the fact that we could [stay home]. We are working, here, together. We are raising them ourselves.”
“They will,” Joel added, “but they will have to be 25 or 30 years old before they do because I was.”
