Milk Production Setup

Meet The Farmers

Omar Beiler is an Amish farmer who has been cultivating land in Pennsylvania’s Lancaster County for forty years. Driven by a desire to continually improve as a steward of his land and make it more fertile and productive, Omar transitioned to organic farming six years ago. His children work alongside him on the farm and his goal is to pass on to them a farm that is both economically sound and ecologically sustainable. Beiler’s Heritage Acres is an extension of the values that drive the Beiler family—working together, connected to nature and their community.

Reason for Loan

“It’s just hard to make a living like they did 20-30 years ago on the farm,” Omar told Steward. “So you’ve got to keep looking at value-added, niche-type products.” In order to tap into these additional revenue streams, Omar wanted to expand from whole product production into milk-processing as well. Funding from Steward allowed for the purchase of equipment needed to pasteurize raw milk and cream into processed milk, butter, cream, and other dairy products. The loan also funded the purchase of a bottling system and bottle washer.

What's Next?

Omar is committed to helping his neighbors by providing a local source of dairy processing which adds value to the milk they produce. On-farm, clean label processing will allow Omar to market products like butter and bottling milk directly to customers under his own label. This will eliminate middlemen and increase profitability.

Sustainable Agriculture Practices

• Closed loop model (crops are fed to livestock, animal manure fertilizes soil)
• Cover crops add organic matter to soil, inhibit weeds, and prevent erosion
• No artificial fertilizers or pesticides used
• On-farm processing and regional marketing strengthens local farm economy