Step 2

Ouff!  I'm officially caught up in my cheese and goat notes and I feel just a little bit lighter. 

So I think I can say that I've successfully accomplished Step 1 of "Plan to Farm" (title made up on the spot and mostly irrelevant) and that I can move on to Step 2; Step 1 being: Go to France to learn as much as possible about cheese and goats and farming and such, and Step 2 being: Farm.  It would probably be best to break down Step 2 into sub-steps or to add altogether new steps so as to avoid utter confusion and despair, perhaps into Step 2: Decide where to farm, Step 3: Build support network, Step 4: Finance purchase of farm, Step 5: Farm, and Step 6: Succeed!  Or execute exit strategy.  Yes, this seems manageable.

Thus, my next task is to tackle the financials section of my business plan and consider the opportunities present in Québec, Vermont, Maine and perhaps the rest of the New England states.  I'm daunted by both jobs and will turn to the internets for all sources of information and support because I've never seriously written a business plan and I think I could be happy farming anywhere. 

If, however, you readers out there have an opinion or a suggestion for my decision making and number crunching, I would love the tip.  The uncertainty and the learning in this whole process is so exciting and any information you'd like to throw at me will be very welcome.  Also, I plan on farming/making cheese/writing in my chosen area of residence prior to purchasing land, so if you hear about someone looking for a cheesemaking-goat herding-writer, I would love to hear about it, too. 

Happy autumn (the best season of the year, it's true)!

Cheese Rules: Québec

Yesterday we busted the myth that the U.S. does not allow the production of cheese from unpasteurized milk.  Today, we're going to take a look at the rules in Québec.  Why Québec?  Because (1) I'm trying to decide where to start my farm and the finalists are Vermont and Québec, and (2) Québec happens to be a special place for cheese, as we'll discover.

First let me say that the website for the Ministère de l'agriculture, pêcheries et alimentation du Québec (MAPAQ) is a pleasure to navigate.  While I spent several hours yesterday searching for the USDA regulations, it took me perhaps a half hour today to find the regulations in Québec.  As you can read in SECTION 11.7 Québec is similar to France in that:

Pasteurized or ultra-heat treated (UHT) milk is not obligatory for the following products:
1˚ all cheese that has a period of affinage at 2˚C (35.6˚F) or more for 60 days or more after the date of production;
2˚ any soft or semi-soft cheese with a ripening period that is less than that prescribed in paragraph 1, if prepared by the operator of a dairy plant that meets the standards for the preparation of raw milk cheese as described in SECTION 11.6.

The exact passage in French is as follows:

"11.7.4.  Malgré les articles 11.7.1 et 11.7.2, la pasteurisation ou le traitement à ultra haute température n'est pas obligatoire pour les produits laitiers servant à la préparation des produits suivants :

  1°    tout fromage dont la période d'affinage à une température de 2 °C ou plus est de 60 jours ou plus après la date du début de sa préparation ;

  2°    tout fromage à pâte molle ou à pâte demi-ferme dont la période d'affinage est inférieure à celle prévue au paragraphe 1, s'il est préparé par l'exploitant d'une usine laitière qui satisfait aux normes de préparation de fromage au lait cru prévues à la section 11.6.

D. 741-2008, a. 15."

Woohoo!  So this means that - as long as the standards outlined in Section 11.6 are met - a cheesemaker can make and sell a raw milk cheese even if it is aged less than 60 days!  I suspect that, like in France, the Section 11.6 regulations are stringent, but Québec just may be the cheesemaker's land of opportunity...

It is important to note that, while Québécois cheese specifications are pretty snazzy, cheese specifications for the rest of the Canadian provinces are similar to U.S. regulation.