Ty Llwyd, the only farm on Long Island to sell raw, unpasteurized milk, is nearing completion on a new dairy barn that could allow the Riverhead operation to double its output.
The 7,200-square-foot barn, made of wood, concrete and metal, can house up to 30 cows and is expected to be completed in January, said dairy farmer Chris Wines, whose parents Liz and David own the Sound Avenue farm. A crew of Amish workers using modern carpentry tools built the structure between June and August.
The barn is now functional and home to Ty Llwyd’s seven dairy cows and 10 heifers.
The new facility, with its concrete floor, makes it easier for Wines to wash away dirt and waste from the cows, and provides shelter during nasty storms.
One of the new barn’s biggest improvements will be the milking parlor, Wines said. There, he can milk the cows while standing up as the animals will be on an elevated platform.
“It’s easier to keep the cows clean and it’s more efficient,” Wines said. “Before, I had to walk them one at a time back and forth to the milking barn.”
Ty Llwyd (a Welsh phrase pronounced tee clewed and meaning brown house) began selling regulated, unpasteurized milk in 2011, Wines said. The farm installed a solar-powered milk bottle washing system in 2012, according the Riverhead News-Review.
Five of the seven cows are currently making milk (two are expectant mothers) and the animals each yield five gallons per day.
Milk costs $6 per half-gallon plus a $2.50 milk bottle deposit. But you better get there early if you want some.
“I’m selling out every day,” Wines said.
While the milk will last seven to 10 days in your refrigerator, Wines must sell it within 24 hours after it’s been pumped.
Wines clearly prefers the raw variety to the store-bought, pasteurized milk you will find on a supermarket’s shelves.
“It’s less watery and has less of a cooked taste,” Wines said. “You can tell right away. I drink a lot of milk, that’s why I got cows.”
For anyone who is skittish about consuming milk raw should know that it is tested by an inspector with the state Department of Agriculture and Markets every month. In fact, an inspector was testing Ty Llwyd’s milk on the afternoon of a reporter’s recent visit.
Ty Llwyd is located at 5793 Sound Ave. and is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
