WINNSBORO – As a new day dawns, a herd of ghostly figures starts to emerge from dark pastureland.

One by one, the silhouetted bovines meander along a well-worn path that winds through dew-covered grass to a brightly lit barn and bucket of grain.

It is mostly silent at this early hour, except the distant crow of a rooster and occasional moo from the rock stars of Jersey Girls Milk Co.

The cows are coming home.

“We only milk about 120,” said Winnsboro dairy farmer Brady Courtney, who co-owns the company with his parents. “I’ve done other things, but I’ve always liked this business. … I don’t really make a lot of money, but I get to be outside, doing something I love.”

MOOOVING ON UP

Jersey Girls is a small, family owned dairy, and there are deliberate efforts to keep it at a manageable size, so the pasture-fed herd gets to lead a more relaxed, natural existence.

Courtney said there are tangible benefits for this “less is more” approach: healthier cows and higher quality milk.

The business, 5326 E. Farm-to-Market Road 852, specializes in the permitted sale of raw milk and dairy products, but its products are not organic.

The “girls” – as they are affectionately called – are provided with a varied diet of pasture grasses and hay, supplemented with a small amount of grain.

They medicate individual animals as necessary to keep the herd healthy, then monitor and test her milk before reintroducing it to the supply.

“It’s a lot of work,” Courtney said, sipping coffee from a travel mug as he escorts the ladies to the barn, the toe of his shoe caked in moo poo. “It gets hot and dirty, sometimes. Some people can’t deal with the yuckiness, but I really enjoy it.”

The Courtney family’s gradual foray into the dairy business seems to be partly accidental.

It started when Brady acquired a heifer for a class project in high school and leased a little land to raise her.

Additional head followed, as did more acreage and some equipment.

Crunched for space, the young farmer faced a choice: grow or fold?

The family decided collectively to help keep the barn doors open.

Operations were moved from an area outside Fort Worth to a larger place outside Winnsboro.

The move to sell raw milk came a little later as a way to boost income, said Brady’s father, Toey Courtney, who majored in agriculture in college and shelved a lengthy career as a pilot to devote full attention to the business.

“It turned out to be the best thing we did,” he said of acquiring permits for raw milk sales. “It’s still not paying the bills, but we’re coming closer than ever.”

CURIOUS CONSUMERS

Many of today’s consumers are interested in knowing where their food comes from and what’s in it.

Toey said there are big differences between big commercial dairies and small family farms.

Large outlets keep their herds confined and feed them a special diet aimed at maximum milk production, but Jersey Girls graze mostly on pasture grass, with some hay and small amounts of grain, he said.

His girls may produce less milk – about 25 pounds per animal, per day, compared to 60 pounds in a commercial operation – but the end product has a great taste and high nutritional value, he said.

More importantly, he added, the animals are less stressed, and that makes for a happier, healthier herd.

“You don’t see many 5-year-old cows in a big dairy,” he said. “In this herd, the average age is 8 to 9 with some 12. We don’t push them hard.”

It takes the better part of a morning to get everyone milked with afternoons devoted to ranch chores.

The cows are first herded into a large open pen where they wait patiently for their turn at the grain bucket.

Two lines of milking stations eliminate excessive wait times, allowing the girls to return to the business of eating and hanging out.

Collected raw milk is pumped into a large vat where it is carefully transferred into dozens of jugs to be refrigerated and then sold.

Jersey Girls also makes flavored yogurts, cream, whey and artisan aged cheese, featuring raw milk as the main ingredient.

Brady’s wife, Leah, helps in product manufacture.

His mother, Linda Courtney – the muscle behind packaging and sales – said people are paying closer attention to their food and what’s in it.

“We get a lot of repeat customers,” Linda said. “Nearly everyone who comes here doesn’t live close to us.”

All of the company’s products are available for sale at the dairy, with online pickup orders accepted.

Time-crunched customer Howard Dean, of Harleton, said last week he’s willing to drive for the products.

“We try to eat healthy,” Dean said, selecting multiple cartons of drinkable yogurt. “I’m sold on this stuff; it’s one of the best things on earth. I won’t buy milk from other places. I’ll go without eating if we run out. I love it.”

Jersey Girls is open 8 a.m. to noon Monday through Thursday and Saturday. For information, call 903-365-2449. The dairy is at 5326 East FM 852, about five miles east of Winnsboro, on the premises of C-Tex farms. For more information, visit www.jerseygirlsmilk.com. Customers are encouraged to call ahead to check availability.

Twitter: @TMT _ Jacque