Aubrey Fletcher, Marketing Executive - Edgewood Creamery
Guest Blogger, Aubrey Fletcher
This week Bonnie Mohr Studio is thrilled to have Aubrey Fletcher, Marketing Executive at Edgewood Creamery in Purdy, Missouri, be our guest blogger!
Aubrey and her family run a true farm-family business, where each member contributes to their final products. They pride themselves on their unique farming technique of intensive, rotational grazing for their dairy cows. Every 12 hours, the cows rotate from paddock to paddock where they can graze fresh pasture. This system allows for quality raw materials, with proven results in increased butterfat and protein levels in their milk - perfect for producing quality cheeses! Yum!
Edgewood Creamery has received awards for Innovation Dairy Farmer of the Year in 2008 and Dairy Farmers of America Member of Distinction in 2012 - a true testament that their hard work and family contributions are appreciated!
Below are some beautiful words about Edgewood Creamery from Aubrey, we hope you enjoy them as much as we did at the Studio! Aubrey has also included her famous lasagna recipe at the bottom, featuring three of their unique cheese products they sell. If that tantalizes your taste buds, you should check out their website store for their entire product line (www.edgewoodcreamery.com); if you need help picking out what to buy, Aubrey gives us the inside scoop of the Top Sellers!
1. Cream-line Milk
2. Chocolate Cream-line Milk
3. Milk and Honey (Fromage Blanc)
Aubrey's Celebration of Dairy Farm Life
As I look over our farm from my hill top view, I am astonished at God's handiwork. To some, our farm may merely be 260 acres of pasture, grass and trees, but to me and my family it depicts our hard work and dedication.
The dairy farm life isn't always as easy as milking twice a day, everyday, 365 days a year and an extra day during Leap year. Dairy farming is early mornings, late nights, low milk prices, muddy boots, sweaty clothes, icy fingers, and achy backs. For me personally, dairy farming is working with family, raising your children, viewing astonishing sunrises, fulfilling dreams, watching new life begin and witnessing miracles day in and day out.
I am proud to have grown up on a dairy farm and later marry a dairy farmer (what can I say, it's in my blood!). In my 23 years here, on God's great Earth, I have discovered the many blessings being a dairy farm kid has brought me. The friendships I've made, the lessons I've learned, and the memories of it all are my greatest treasures.
As I was going through my college years, I wanted to be an advocate for dairy farmers everywhere. I wanted to shed some light on the industry that is depicted to be a 60-year-old man hand milking his cows while sporting Key overalls. I wanted consumers to understand the farm life that I treasured during my youth. I wanted to paint a picture of what it meant to produce the product that thousands of families enjoyed, because of my family's hard work.
And now, as we have begun a new journey on our farm, Edgewood Creamery, I realize I can accomplish the goals I set in college. I can promote dairy farmers. I can change the stereotypic view of what a farmer is. I can communicate directly to the consumers who purchase our cream-line milk and artisan, farmstead cheeses. I can take a picture of what it looks like to bring the goodness of dairy to the table of families.
Edgewood Creamery has been a way my husband and I can continue on with the dairy industry and stay connected to our roots. My husband, Tyler and his father, Charles run the dairy operation. My mother-in-law, Melissa, her mother, Wanda, and I operate the creamery. Establishing the creamery has enabled the dairy to survive the ever-volatile prices of milk. We are better able to stabilize our income by manufacturing artisan cheeses and bottling our own milk.
Working with family and having a farm has been a dream come true. Raising a family on the farm surrounded by family is truly a privilege, which is not taken for granted. The sun is ending another day, and looking over our herd of 300 cows, reminds me of my thankfulness for another day of this dairy life.
For more information about Aubrey or Edgewood Creamery, please visit: www.edgewoodcreamery.com or like us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.
Enjoy Aubrey's delicious 3 Cheese Lasagna - CLICK HERE for full recipe!
