"After learning that, without exception, all of the healthiest cultures in the world had at least one, or a combination, of four basic raw animal food sources in their diet, we sought a proper source for these foods. Finding none, we decided to create our own. Raw dairy products are the most palatable of the four choices which also included raw organ meat, raw seafood, and bugs and grubs. Redmond Heritage Farms was born out of a need and a desire to assist others seeking optimal health."
–Rhett Roberts, Founder
“In summer of 2003, Rhett Roberts called and asked for my help to start a natural, ecologically sustainable farm. My motto has been to "interfere with the animals as little as possible." When you let the animals do their own thing, the farm pretty much takes care of itself. We keep the animals in their element as much as possible... that's where they want to be. There are challenges and it's tricky, but we are learning and enjoying success.”
–Brandon Foote, Manager
Founded in 2003, Redmond Heritage Farms is centered on the idea that a return to traditional farming and agriculture will yield more nutritional foods and sustainable results. It all began with a few cows, a small piece of land, and a vision.
As mentioned above, Brandon Foote began the farm as an experiment of sorts on his family property. The challenge lay in establishing a sustainable system for creating clean, healthy milk. Early on, Foote discovered that the monthly testing performed by the state was insufficient in tracking progress. So he created a lab that would help him refine the system and solve problems quickly and accurately. Eventually, he developed a combination of procedures which allowed for the consistent production of healthy raw milk.
In 2004, the operation was moved to its present location where rapid and ongoing expansion has occurred ever since.
At Redmond Heritage Farms, all agree that the cows—mostly Brown Swiss and Jersey cows, selected for the higher nutritional value of their milk—are as spoiled as can be. Most dairies put cows into corrals or feed them using mangers. Redmond cows roam freely in their natural environment—fields of rich, green grass. In this environment they seem easygoing and content. They eat and rest intermittently by lying down. It is during their rest periods that cows produce 80% of their milk.
We have learned that cows in their natural environment rarely experience illness. We have no problems with mastitis. No foot or hoof problems. No conception problems (our cows continuously conceive once per year). And while cows at most dairies become unproductive within 3 or 4 years, our oldest cow Lizzie has been with us since the beginning and shows no sign of deterioration.
We find that the less we interfere, the better off the cows seem to be. When we do have to treat cows for ailments, it is usually due to our own mistakes (the cat’s out of the bag: we’re not perfect). Even so, the bulk of our veterinarian bills come from the periodic testing we perform—to ensure that our animals are healthy—rather than on treatments of one kind or another.
Aside from the cows, we also raise free-range chickens. The chickens eat grass and bugs, their natural diet. That being insufficient for their collective appetite, we also feed them whole grains, corn, barley, and milk. They live in a mobile henhouse which we move twice a week, providing them access to fresh, clean grass.
This management method has yielded some remarkable results. The eggs test very highly in nutritive content. They even contain high levels of Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA), one of the best cancer-fighting substances found in food. CLA is a prominent nutrient in raw milk but it is almost unheard of to occur naturally in eggs.
Real Foods Market is a daughter company to Redmond Heritage Farms. The Market was established to share forgotten nutritional principles and make available the hard to find nutrient-rich food supply needed for optimum health. What we put into our bodies, and what we don't put in, impacts every aspect of our life.
Traditional nutrition is the dietary wisdom of the ages - unchanging nutritional principles - not another here today-gone-tomorrow fad. Real Foods Market offers resources to help you learn about these time-tested secrets of the healthiest peoples ever studied as well as the real food our bodies need to make it happen. RealFoodsMarket.com
Redmond, Inc. is the parent company to Redmond Heritage Farms. Established in 1959, the Redmond name represents a family of companies and brands in industries as diverse as natural foods and industrial deicing salts. The binding agent in these different entities is a unique approach to business and a culture based on values and principles.
Many companies operate believing that profit is the sole reason for existence and that employees are a means to that end. By contrast, Redmond believes the end goal is human development and life enhancement, with a profitable business being merely a means to that end. RedmondInc.com