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How many 4-H or Future Farmers of America members dream of making their childhood interest, adolescent affinity or high school passion into a full-fledged business?  Many future farmers grow up on farms or in rural areas, and some know no other lifestyle.  Animals become their best friends.  Jennifer Lynn Bice's story is a little different - Read all about Jennifer's dream here! 

Redwood Hill Farm's sister brand - "Green Valley Organics Lactose-Free Kefir"!  The editors and experts at Prevention announced their “Eat Clean 2013: Prevention's 100 Cleanest Packaged Food Awards” last week. The list revealed the results of their search for the most nutritious, delicious choices with the cleanest ingredients. Included on the list is Green Valley Organics Lactose Free Kefir, a delicious drinkable yogurt that can be enjoyed on its own or used as a healthy alternative to buttermilk or cream in just about any recipe. See the whole article here! SEBASTOPOL, Calif., March 5, 2013

In 1964, the Bice family moved from Los Angeles to Sonoma County and bought their first goat, "Flopsy" to provide milk for their evergrowing family . . . this was the beginning of their love for goats!  In 1968, a boutique milking parlor and bottling room was built on the family farm. The family began selling raw goat milk to local health food stores and Redwood Hill Farm was born. Then in 1978, the eldest daughter, Jennifer Lynn Bice and her partner Steven Schack, with little more than $250 each and a passion for dairy goats, take over the farm. Fast forward to 2013 and Redwood Hill Farm is celebrating its 45th anniversary!  Jennifer pledges the family's commitment to producing healthy, delicious, natural dairy products of the highest quality, while providing a sustainable environment and using practices that benefit the animals, the land, and the people.  Take a look at the family history here!

"I can't think of a more quintessential Sonoma County farm family than the lovely folks at Redwood Hill Creamery.  Jennifer Bice has lead the way for the sweet and natural growth of what her parents started 45 years ago.  She has gathered some of her family around her, repurposed legendary facilities, gently moved beyond their core work of making some delicious goats milk foods and is living an exemplary existence in our magical region.  They have been our largest sponsors of this Sonoma County Food and Farming Project, for which we are most grateful, but we'd have wanted to tell their story even if they hadn't made this entire video story series possible." ~ Clark Wolf

The Sonoma County Food and Farming Project (SCFFP), under the umbrella of Ag Innovations Network, seeks to increase of and encourage participation in small-scale food and farming projects in Sonoma County.

Over the course of the next year or so, the SCFFP will produce a series of 36 short videos to share the stories and highlight the many different voices and perspectives or the people that are participating in the agricultural movement back to small-scale farming and attentive land-use.

Farming in Sonoma County is experiencing a state of change, moving beyond the larger-scale, industrialized agriculture that dominated much of the twentieth century and returning to a style of small-scale production with attention to the historic diversity of the county's agricultural base.  Because of the proximity to dense urban centers and a strong viticulture industry, these people and their stories are largely underreported - from the young couple who returned to the family farm to revive and renew, to the day laborers who have worked the farms they now call their own, to the chefs who have cooked their way up the ranks to own restaurants that directly support farmers in new ways - and make up a growing cache of individuals who are fostering change in the way we view local food production and consumption, farming practices, and resource management.

In sharing these stories, the SCFFP hopes to foster public discussion and understanding of the diverse perspectives, organizations and individuals that take part in this farming and food production network and make these small stories part of a larger public record.  We hope to encourage people in and beyond Sonoma County to connect with food, farming and people in their own lives and communities.

Thank you Sonoma County Food and Farming Project founder Clark Wolf and talented videographer, Scott Mitchell!  Enjoy this new video about Redwood Hill Farm: http://vimeo.com/56381123 (here's the link).

We had a great time at our Sonoma County Fair goat show, seeing many friends and beautiful animals! Our goats did very well, with some notable wins:

National Champion SGCH Redwood Hills X Rated 'Rima' was named Grand Champion Alpine & Best Udder.

SGCH Redwood Hills Fortune Scarlett was named Reserve GCH Alpine.

National Champion GCH Sartyr Kojack Trevi was named Grand Champion Saanen and Supreme Best Doe in Show. Owner/breeder Steve Considine was also awarded Supreme Best 3 Does in Show.

GCH Vineyard View Dasani Mango was named Reserve Grand Champion LaMancha.

Redwood Hill Alpines, Companeros Saanens, and Vineyard View lamanchas---which all call Redwood Hill Farm their home--won the Dairy Herd class for their respected breeds.

The American Cheese Society's annual conference just convened in Raleigh, North Carolina, where competition was the largest yet - with 254 companies submitting 1,711 different products.  Redwood Hill Farm won in the following categories:
Open Category - Made from goat's milk: 2nd Place California Crottin
Yogurts - Plain with no additional ingredients - Made from goat's milk: 2nd Place Plain Yogurt

Congratulations to all the dedicated, passionate, creative producers!
Click here for a complete list of winners.

We're back from the ADGA National Show, and we're thrilled!
Team Redwood Hill: L-R: Taylor Ellwood, Scott Bice, Jennifer Bice, Katie Jack, Andrew Malmanis, Trinity Smith.

For all our care and attention to our breeding program and our animals, we're proud to have been richly rewarded at the 2012 National ADGA Show:

Alpine Jr. National Champion - Redwood Hills XRated July - High seller in
the   Sale at the end of the week. $3750 purchased by Mark Stevens
and The Capra Gia Cheese Company.

Alpine Sr. National Champion, Grand Champion and Best Udder - SGCH Redwood
Hills X-Rated Rima 12*M. (Also recieved High Single lactation for milk and
butterfat)

Premier Exhibitor and Breeder for Alpines

Alpine Total Performer - SGCH Redwood Hills Fortune Scarlett 7*M. (Also
received Lifetime Butterfat Production Award and was 1st/1udder in her
class.

Alpine Premier Sire - Shining Moon X-Rated. Bred by Micki Colfax, Owned by
RHF.

Saanen Sr. National CHampion, GRand Champion and Best Udder - GCH Sartyr
Kojack Trevi 7*M. Owned by Steve C.
Saanen Reserve National Champion - GCH Companeros Stand Out Melody 4*M
Saanen Premier Breeder

Saanen Total Performer - SGCH Companeros Stand Out Caprice 5*M (Also
received lifetime production awards for milk and butterfat)

Saanen Premier Sire - SG ++*B Cherrypines Stand Out - bred by Judy
Morrison, owned by RHF.

Premiere Breeder of Show

We're so proud of our Cheese Team! Every month at the creamery, we give awards to employees who come up with innovative ideas and procedures for recycling and conservation. This month's kudos go to our cheese room team, who have come up with a new method of washing the feta molds and the 900 gallon vat. The new process they developed will save 34,000 gallons of water per season! Shown left to right are the fine folks that hand-craft our beautiful goat cheeses: Roselia, Susana, Luciano, Patty, Maribel, and Erick.

April 22 is Earth Day, a day when we all take pause to think about our lovely planet and how we can protect it. Hobby Farms.com interviewed Jennifer Lynn Bice, owner and CEO of Redwood Hill Farm, who describes Redwood Hill's solar-powered farm & creamery, recycling and composting programs, and other earth-gentle practices that make every day Earth Day at Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery
Read the article here.

There's always something happening at the farm, from the arrival of the year's first new kids, to our Certified Humane� goat herd, our beautiful show animals, and all that is going on in our organic orchards and gardens. We've just launched our brand-new farm blog - "The Bleat Beat." Join farm manager Scott Bice and other Bice family members, including an occasional guest goat blogger as we share our unique family farm with you. We hope you'll join us; come on in, settle down, and learn about daily life on the farm. Look for the blog link at the top of our website, or click here.

If you happen to see a 7' tall goat rolling down the highway, have no fear - it's "Zimba" our Redwood Hill Farm Alpine poster girl gracing the side of a UNFI Distributor truck!  On one side of the truck is Zimba, with all our Redwood Hill Farm goat milk products, and on the other side, our Green Valley Organics lactose free dairy products. UNFI distributes natural foods, and this truck will be traveling the west coast region for the next year. Let us know if you spot it in your town!

Here's a little time-lapse video of the installation of the truck wrap

The dates for our 2013 Spring Farm Tours will be:

 
This event is free, and fun for the entire family!

Rain or excessively muddy fields will cancel; check back here for updates.

Directions to the farm:

Be our guests at Farm Tours this year, but our parking is limited - please CARPOOL if possible to accommodate everyone!

Address: 5480 Thomas Rd, Sebastopol, CA 95472

From Hwy 101 North or South
Take the Sebastopol/Rohnert Park exit  (Gravenstein Hwy 116).
At the offramp signal light, turn onto Gravenstein Hwy 116 and travel west towards Sebastopol, following Hwy 116/Jenner signs.
Continue west on Gravenstein Hwy 116 North, through Sebastopol, past Occidental Road about 2 miles.
Turn left onto Green Valley Road (watch for our tour sign).
Travel approx. 2 miles on Green Valley Rd to Thomas Rd (watch for another tour sign), turn right.
Continue on Thomas Rd. until you see the Redwood Hill Farm sign at 5480 Thomas.
Watch for the parking directions sign.  We look forward to meeting you!

The Press Democrat's "Biteclub" blogger Heather Irwin asked her readers to name the artisan foods and drinks that really make Sonoma County the cornucopia of deliciousness that make them proud to be from here. We're happy to have landed a spot, along with some top-notch favorites of ours, in the Dairy Goods category. Check out Sonoma County's favorite local food and libations here.

Jennifer Lynn Bice Awarded 2011 4-H Alumni Recognition Award

This award honors a former 4-H Club member who upholds the values of leadership, citizenship and community service.
The 4-H experience is one the cornerstones of Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery. The Bice family with dad Kenneth and mom Cynthia started Redwood Hill Farm in 1968 to provide fresh Grade A raw goat milk for the family and natural food store customers in Sonoma County. Jennifer excelled in 4-H by showing her goats & rabbits as well as her dogs at American Kennel Club sanctioned dog shows. Active in the Twin Hills, Apple Blossom and Los Cabritos 4-H clubs, Jennifer held various club officer positions and was a 1972 Sonoma County All Star. Jennifer especially enjoyed being a 4-H Junior Leader in the Apple Blossom 4-H Club Dairy Goat project. As a Jr. Leader, along with various duties she was instrumental in organizing a youth dairy goat show. Jennifer never lost her interest in goats and took over the fledgling family business in 1978.
Working along with her late husband Steven Schack, Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery was greatly expanded, becoming a leader in the production of premium quality goat milk products and  the Redwood Hill Farm dairy goat herd is considered the premier herd in the country today. For the last 40 years Jennifer has remained true to her mission: craft the very best products in a way that is sustainable for Redwood Hill's farmland, animals and employees. Jennifer attributes her business success to the values she embraced as a 4-H member and her lifelong commitment to the 4-H motto "To Make the Best Better."

California's Sonoma and Marin Counties have a long tradition of dairying and cheese making. That proud tradition was recently honored as nine North Bay cheese producers took home awards from the 2011 American Cheese Society's annual Judging & Competition in early August, with Redwood Hill Farm heading the pack with a total of five awards.

Our new Green Valley Organics brand Lactose Free Lowfat Plain Kefir won third place in cultured products made from cow's milk; Redwood Hill brand Traditional Plain Kefir won second place for cultured products made from goat's milk; Green Valley Organics Lactose Free Lowfat Plain Yogurt won second place for plain yogurts made from cow's milk; Redwood Hill's Plain Yogurt won second place for plain yogurts made from goat's milk; and our Gold Medal Three Peppercorn Chevre won again with a third place for cheese spreads with flavor added.

The competition took place in Montreal, Quebec during the annual conference of the American Cheese Society, a not-for-profit organization that encourages the appreciation and promotion of farmstead and specialty cheeses in the U.S. and Canada.

In addition at this years conference, the American Cheese Society (ACS) inducted eight men and women which included Redwood Hill's Owner Jennifer Bice, into the ACS Academy of Cheese honoring a quarter century's worth of work in growing the category of goat cheese in the United States.

As a small family farm, Redwood Hill Farm has been producing delicious, award-winning goat milk dairy products since 1968, when owner Jennifer Lynn Bice and her parents first decided to build their grade A goat dairy in Sonoma County to provide fresh goat milk to the public. In the years since then, Jennifer became full owner and expanded the business to produce a great variety of goat milk products, and has since become renown for her artisan goat milk cheeses.

The ACS Academy of Cheese was created 20 years ago to honor early supporters of the American cheese movement and was re-launched at the 2011 conference. This year's slate of inductees marks the first of what will be an annual class of new inductees. The award aims to honor individuals who share a related industry vocation and passion for growing the artisan, farmstead and specialty cheese industry in North America.

For more information about the American Cheese Society, go to cheesesociety.org.

Our goats are just back from Sacramento, where they won big honors at the 2011 California State Fair. Two of our Saanens won Best Doe in Show (Marabel) and Supreme Total Performer (Caprice).
In the Alpine show on Sunday, Redwood Hill's Sierra Vertigo was the Grand Champion. On Tuesday, Redwood Hill's Dahlia garnered the Grand Champion ribbon  in the Nubian show. And beautiful Compa�eros Stand Out Marabel, named after one of our favorite employees, was not only Saanen Grand Champion, but brought home the top prize of Best Doe in Show!
The Redwood Hill Farm team also brought home Reserve Champion in the Alpine, Saanen and Nubian Show as well as Best Three Females in all three shows.
Special kudos to Farm Manager Scott Bice and herd manager Trinity Smith as a very special award was garnered. Total Performer was awarded to three Redwood Hill Farm does. This award takes scores from the show, combines them with milk production records and awards the top point-getter.
Redwood Hill's beautiful Saanen, Compa�eros Caprice took the very top prize in this category - Supreme Total Performer.

Best Doe in Show, Marabel


Supreme Total Performer, Caprice


Nubian Grand Champion, Dahlia


Gorgeous Alpine Champ, Vertigo


Best 3 Females in the Saanen show

We are proud to announce that Redwood Hill Farm & Creamery is receiving special recognition from PG&E and Solar Sonoma County as one of the North Bay's top ten business leaders in sustainable business practices!

Redwood Hill Farm has demonstrated sustainability leadership here in Sonoma County by installing a 586 kW DC solar electric system, providing 100% of energy used at our Sebastopol organic creamery. The solar system covers nearly 2 acres of roof space using 2,500 solar panels made in California. The CO2 reduced annually is equal to 110 acres of trees saved, 54 cars off the road, or 76 homes powered. Our Certified Humane� goat dairy is solar powered too.

"By installing our solar system we offset in a much greater percentage, the transportation costs of distributing our natural goat and lactose free cow milk dairy products. This is very important to us."
-Jennifer Lynn Bice

Redwood Hill Farm Owner Jennifer Lynn Bice will receive the Bay Area Helios Award at the 2011 Solar Leaders Circle Awards Celebration at Paradise Ridge Winery on June 28th. Congressman Jared Huffman will be attending as Guest of Honor.

Here's a new take on "Grilled Cheese!" Santa Cruz's New Leaf Market has come up with a fabulous idea for the grill using our Redwood Hill Camellia melted atop a soaked cedar plank. Topped with apricots and local honey, it's sure to be a Summer hit! See our recipe site for the complete recipe and directions.

We have received exciting news from Vegetarian Times that Redwood Hill Farm products have been nominated for their 2011 Foodie Awards! All year long, Vegetarian Times staffers have been tasting their way through the natural food isles to pick their favorite 114 foods and ingredients.The winners will be determined by all of our votes.

In the Kefir category, the Redwood Hill Farms Traditional Plain is nominated, and our Redwood Hill Farms Smoked Goat Milk Cheddar has been nominated in the Firm Cheeses category.

If you have a few minutes, we'd love for you to vote for your favorites. Voting ends June 9 and the winners will be announced in the October 2011 issue of Vegetarian Times. You can go to the link below and vote. Please do!

http://www.vegetariantimes.com/2011foodieawards

Brunchers Enjoy A Delicious Fundraiser

Gorgeous Spring weather this past Saturday, bright sunshine and mild temperatures made for a perfect brunch at Zazu Restaurant & Farm. As I pulled off of Guerneville Road and into the dusty driveway at Zazu, I found the last available parking spot next to a smiling couple getting into their car. "How was brunch?", I asked them. The womans eyes lit up. "Oh, it was fabulous! The bacon pancakes were so good." She was referring to the bacon-in-the-batter pancakes, one of the creative and locally grown menu items for this fund-raising brunch to benefit The Ceres Project.

Teen Chefs Volunteer, Work With Well Known Chef

Besides the creative menu, this was a unique brunch for the fact that it was prepared and served by volunteer teen chefs of The Ceres Project. This dynamic, local organization provides healthful meals for those facing life-threatening illnesses, while giving the teen chefs an appreciation for volunteerism and the skills to continue on with a culinary career, if they choose. Such is the case with 14 yr. old Xavier. (pictured, below) He was being instructed to pick fresh pea shoots from the lush container gardens just outside the kitchen door at Zazu, while chef Duskie Estes was hurrying off to another part of the garden to find some bronze fennel. Looking very professional with white chef jacket and green apron, Xavier said he plans to continue volunteering with Ceres and move into a culinary career. I asked him if he realized how lucky he is to be learning alongside chef Duskie. "Oh yeah", he said with a nod and a smile.

A Circle Of Caring

Zazu Restaurant & Farm is just one of our local businesses that support The Ceres Project, a local non-profit that works to restore local and organic food to its place as the foundation of health for people. As a relatively young organization, Ceres has prepared and delivered thousands of delicious, nutritious meals to members of our community battling cancer and other illnesses, while also training young people in the kitchen. Besides learning culinary skills, these young volunteers are enriched with compassion, knowing they're making a delicious difference with the support of individuals and businesses within the community.

Volunteer Professionals

As I dropped off our donation of Redwood Hill Farm fresh chevre, vanilla yogurt and our Green Valley Organics sour cream to be used for the brunch, I noticed how efficient and well-organized the kitchen and dining room were. "We had a rush right at 9 am when we started serving", Kristie Amezcua mentioned as I surveyed the scene. Kristie donates her time and energy to The Ceres Project in a variety of ways. Today, she's greeting guests and helping where needed. "Duskie is wonderful, allowing these students to take over her restaurant, and also share her knowledge. Our teen chefs and servers have been practicing for weeks, and today they're feeling the pride, it's been a great success." It's estimated that 200 people enjoyed this unique brunch, with 100% of the proceeds going to Ceres.

The Ceres Project Executive Director Cathryn Couch was reminding folks of the current online auction to benefit Ceres, among the items to bid on is a Redwood Hill Farm Artisan Cheese Collection and private tour of Redwood Hill Farm with a cheese tasting. Still glowing after the Zazu brunch,the teen chefs are beginning to prepare for their next dining out fundraiser, to be held later this month at Peter Lowell's in Sebastopol. Stay close for another exciting menu, prepared and served with love!