We're many small farms. We let farmers do what they love - farm.

Our name is Miller's Bio Farm, and honestly it should change. It really should be Miller's Bio Farms (plural).Why? That's because we aren't just one farm - we are collection of likeminded, small, local, (nearly all) Amish, family farms. We are so lucky to be in Lancaster County, where more and more people are getting into natural farming and food. When Aaron, the founder, started out, he did a lot of things himself. He milked cows, he raised pigs in the woods, he had mobile coops with chickens, had a few beef cattle, and even butchered some chickens.But he never raised laying hens or kept bees. He never butchered his own meat. Besides pasture, he never grew and mixed his own feed. I mean, there were so many things he didn't do.And really, it was never just Aaron, it was his wife Rebecca and their kids too. I mean, doing it all that would be A LOT for one family! And, with smaller properties in Lancaster County (compared to expansive ranches in other parts of the US), there's not enough space either.  It's always been a collaboration of farms.We value our farmers' independence. They join us if they align with and can meet our natural standards. But, we want them to own their animals and operations, to make decisions for themselves, and be able to do what they love - farm. Right now, here's where our natural foods come from: Dairy: Aaron's two brothers, John and David, have two small 100% grass fed dairy herds. John's herd is on site and produces all of our fluid milk. David's herd is about 20 minutes away. His milk is used for dairy products like cream, cheese, and yogurt.Eggs: We have a handful of local farms, all within 1.5 hours of the farm. They all follow the same exact farming practices and give the hens the same quality feed.Beef: We have one beef farmer. He's actually a bit of trek, nearly 3 hours from the farm. But his property is just so beautiful.Pork: We have one local farm that raises pigs in the woods. He also grows produce, so in addition to what they forage and their corn & soy free feed, the pigs get lots of yummy seconds and thirds of fresh veggies. Chicken: This comes from one farm about 1.5 hours west of our main farm. Daniel, the chicken farmer, used to be our on site dairy farmer. But he decided that he likes chickens more than cows. And plus, he kinda wanted his very own operation, too. Turkey: This comes from a very local farm that raises turkeys just for us.Seafood: From Wild for Salmon, which is a collection of fishers all following the same natural standards and sustainable harvest practices.Honey: From two different honey farmers. One makes our regular honey and has hives on our main dairy farm. The other makes our creamed honeys.Produce: This is from Lancaster Farm Fresh, which is a collection of farms. They have great transparency, so we're able to find out the growing practices and where it comes from. We'll be pulling another produce farmer in soon to get it even more local. Farmers became farmers for a reason. And it's not because they like computers or talking to people or packing orders. So we do the processing and manage the website and pack orders and do the customer service and help spread the learning around. And our farmers... well... they farm and provide you that amazing food. How do you feel buying from a collection of farms? What's most important to you when buying food?

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Here's how we test our raw cow milk on site. Cleanliness so important!

Have you ever noticed that our raw cow milk tastes clean and not barny? Have you noticed that it lasts longer than other raw milks? Our dairy farmers work hard for this. It all comes down to cleanliness... and therefore milk safety. We test every batch of milk on site for general bacteria counts. Here's how and here's why.

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Why meat from stressed animals tastes worse (and it’s also inhumane).

Have you ever noticed that some meat tastes way different from a different farm's (or supermarket’s) meat... even when they boast the same farming practices? Why is that? Would it surprise you that the animals' welfare plays a vital role in the meat they produce? For some of us, this is common knowledge. But many still don’t realize the extent of suffering some animals are put through at the farm where they are raised (if you can even call some of them farms). Let’s look at some common living conditions on conventional farms: Imagine the life of these animals... they're ultimately locked up with nowhere to go, fed with the cheapest feed their owner can source. It's pretty far from "natural". They live in a stressed environment every day, but... The most stressful time for these animals is the slaughterhouse.  There are a few reasons why: Transport. Animals like consistency, not travel. The farther and longer they travel on a truck or train, the more stressed they become. Many conventional animals travel days to reach the processor.Being in an unknown environment. When an animal is moved to a new environment, their fight or flight stress response kicks in.Chaotic or rough handling: With beef cattle and pigs, they might be shoved by humans if they need to move to a new yard. With chickens, they might be thrown. And, they often need to shove their way to get food from a trough.Long waiting time: When conventional animals are sent to the processor, they are often kept there for days (or even weeks). Studies show that the longer the animal remains at the processor, they produce lower quality stressed meat than animals quickly slaughtered after arriving.Knowing what's going to happen: At some processors, animals can see other animals being killed. This causes massive stress spikes in the animals.  Miller's does it all humanely. At Miller’s Bio Farm, our animals for meat live happily and free on the pasture their whole life. Foraging fresh grass and plants in the summer. While getting dry feed in the colder months when the pasture isn’t flourishing. You can see pictures and read more about our farming practices here. However, the reality is we still have to kill animals to produce meat. But we aim to keep it as quick and humane as we possibly can.  Our animals are slaughtered the day they arrive, mitigating the high stress conventional beef or pork would have spending days in a slaughter house. Our processor makes the process low stress and humane by giving the animals room and privacy. Here's what slaughter is like: Beef: Each beef is brought in individually to the slaughter room where they are shot with a bullet, quickly striking them down. Pork: Each pig is brought in individually. They are quickly stunned with an air gun, instantly rendering them unconscious. Chicken: They are hung in a cone, which calms them down. Then their throat is slit, instantly killing them. So what's the science behind meat and stress? When an animal gets stressed, their adrenaline and cortisol start to rise. Their body (like ours) uses glycogen, a stored energy to create this adrenaline. With low-stress slaughter, this glycogen isn’t depleted. Instead, it’s retained in the muscle meat post slaughter then converted into lactic acid. This is what helps keep the meat low in pH, tender, and more flavorful.  However when under high stress, the glycogen is used up for hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, raising the pH of the meat and affecting the quality of the meat. When meat has high pH, oxygen cannot diffuse deep into the muscle. Making the meat coarse, retain more water that is lost when cooking, lessen shelf life, and still appear pink even when cooked thoroughly. Stress affects everyone differently. And this goes for animals as well.  Stressed pigs typically makes pork more acidic, pale, and crumbly. This results in what is known in the industry as “pale, soft, exudative” (PSE). Meat that is practically unsellable. Conventional farms tackle this stressed unsellable meat by mixing it into ground meat. Why improve living and slaughtering conditions when you can improve your profits? As for other meats like beef, high stress meat is usually tough, dry, and acidic. Just like PSE meat it has a much shorter shelf life also. This meat is known as “DFD” (dark, firm, dry). Again, this is a result of glycogen being depleted to fuel the stress state the animal is in.  However, you can also still get PSE beef and DFD pork, too. An an example, here's what pork in each state looks like. You are what you eat. You’ve probably heard this saying before. When it comes to stressed meat, it’s absolutely true. Studies have shown that the high levels of stress hormones in meat can have a negative effect on humans, including increased risk of cardiovascular disease, impaired immune function, and even cause various forms of cancer! This is the hidden cost of mass produced meat.  What is most important about your meat? Does the welfare of animals stress you out? ----- Sources Effects of Pre-Slaughter Stress on Meat Characteristics and Consumer ExperienceAdverse effects on consumer’s health caused by hormones administered in cattleThe Effect of Stress on Livestock and Meat Quality Prior to and During Slaughter The effect of pH on beef eating quality *Editing and visual content by Marie Reedell. 

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Ever wonder why our food costs more? Here are the 5 big reasons why.

Ever wonder why our food costs more? It costs more than most supermarket food (even the organic stuff). And, when you compare to other farms, it often costs more, too. Here are 5 big reasons why, from farming standards to fair pay to how we do our pricing.

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Is your raw cheese actually raw? Or has it been greenwashed?

Imagine that you're shopping in a cheese department. You spot some raw cheese. Hooray! So, you buy the cheese. But then, you read the fine print on the back of the label. For example, on Organic Valley's raw cheeses, it says "Heated to 158F for 15 seconds". Ugh!!! What's up with this? Another greenwashed label? Shouldn't raw cheese not be heated at all? Doesn't heating to 158F negate the purpose of purchasing raw? Let's dive a little deeper into what raw cheese is, why it's important for your health, and the regulations on raw cheese.

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Macadamia nuts are one of the "healthy nuts". Here are 5 scientific reasons why.

I know a lot of you don't eat a lot of nuts... but maybe you kinda miss them? I know I do. It's so much work to soak and dehydrate them at home (to get rid of the antinutrients). It's easier to just not buy them at all. If you want to purchase presoaked nuts, they're hard to find and prices can be crazy. And then of course there are PUFAs to consider. I mean, don't you wish almonds didn't have a 2010:1 omega 6/3 ratio? Don't you wish walnuts weren't so ridiculously high in PUFAs? Don't you wish Brazil Nuts didn't have so many oxalates? Enter macadamia nuts...

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Are there GMO non-food coatings on your fresh produce? Here's what you need to know.

In general, fruits and veggies are considered “healthy” foods. But, our complicated food system has, of course, complicated this. Farming practices matter. But, even after produce is harvested, chemicals can be applied to coat produce and keep it looking fresh for a long time. Let's look into the ingredients in produce coatings, the new Apeel coating, and what to look out for when being a smart natural food shopper.

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Supplements our dairy cows get for the best possible health and nutrition

Our cows are 100% grass fed. They are never fed grain. But, it's more like "100% grass fed +" since they also get natural supplements so they can be in optimal health. Our supplements change based on the forage quality (and therefore our soil quality), the weather, and any particularities with the cows. We give molasses, minerals, homeopathic remedies, and energy pellets (which are alfalfa and flaxseed oil). Here's why and how.

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How and why our corn & soy free chicken has a perfect 1:1 omega 6/3 ratio!

The conventional American diet has a 30:1 omega 3/6 ratio, and it's making us sick. Regular pastured chicken usually has a 7:1 ratio. But our chicken was tested and has a 1:1 omega 3/6 ratio. That's basically perfection in food. It seems to come down to the feed. Here's how we do it and why it's important.

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What does "Certified Organic" really mean? What sets Miller's apart?

Do you shop the "certified organic" label? If so, do you know what it really means? It may not mean what you think. Learn about what it takes to get certified, what inspections entail, and the details of what "organic" really means (without the big, fancy words). There's a chart that compares the standards with how Miller's Bio Farm goes above and beyond.

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