1. Name of farm: Crane Dance Farm, LLC
2. Farmer’s/Farm Family name: Mary Wills and Jill Johnson
3. Street address: 4601 Johnson Road
4. City: Middleville
5. State (2-letter abbreviation): MI
6. Zip: 49333
7. Phone number: 616.293.1091
8. Email: cranedancefarm@gmail.com
9. Website: www.cranedancefarm.com
Type of Farm/Farm Practices
10. Are you Certified Organic? No
11. Are you Certified Biodynamic? No
12. If you are not Certified Organic, do you use organic production methods? Yes
13. Do you use synthetic fertilizers? No
14. Do you use any of the following: nonorganic pesticides, herbicides, parasiticides, or fungicides? No
Animal Husbandry
15. Do you keep livestock? Yes
16. What animals do you keep?
Chickens (list breeds): We have around 50 heritage breeds of egg layers…including, but not limited to: Ameraucana, Ancona, Andalusian, Araucana, Australorp, Barnevelder, Buttercups,California Greys, Campines, Catalina, Chanctecler, Dominiques, Hamburg, Leghorn, Maran, Minorca, Rocks, Rhode Islands, Welsummers, Brahma, Buckeyes, Delaware, Dorkings, Favorelle, Hollands, Iowa Blue, Java, Jersey Giants, New Hampshire, Orpingtons, Sussex, Wyandottes, Cochins, Kraienkoppe, Langshan, Orloff, Phoenix, Polish, Redcap, White-Faced Black Spanish…Also, meat birds.
Ducks (list breeds): Muscovy.
Turkeys (list breeds): This year, Narragansett, Roayl Palm and white broad breasted.
Other Poultry (list type and breeds): Geese
Guinneas
Cows (list breeds): We produce primerily crosses. Our breeding stock includes:
Red Poll, Angus, Scottish Highland, Jersey, Hereford, Charolais, Simmental.
Goats (list breeds): none
Pigs (list breeds): We’ve been working on ”nativizing” our drift of pigs for 15 years. This year, we have pure Berkshires, Spots, Ossabaw Island,and Tamworth to our nativized drift which contains genetics from: Mulefoot, Choctaw, Red Wattle, Old World York, and in the begining: Hamps, York and Duroc.
Sheep (list breeds): Hair Sheep.
Other Animals (list type and breeds):
17. Do you use antibiotics? No
18. Are the animals pasture-fed? Yes
19. How much and for how long: This is Michigan! For the season.
20. Do you practice managed grazing? Yes
21. Do you apply compost or compost tea? Yes
22. Do you apply other soil amendments? Yes
23. Do you use supplemental feed?
For poultry (list type): We grind our own feed from organic and transitional organic grains sourced directly from farmers we know. We add Fertrell minerals.
For cows, sheep, and/or goats (list type): Hay grown by farmers we know.
Free choice minerals and salt from Fertrell.
For pigs (list type): We grind our own feed from organic and transitional organic grain sourced directly from farmers we know. We add Fertrell minerals.
Raw Milk
24. Do you supply raw milk? No
25. Do you keep your barn and milk room clean?
26. Do you keep the cows clean/teats washed?
27. Do you thoroughly wash your milking equipment after every milking?
28. Are cows with mastitis or other health problems excluded from milking?
29. Are cows tested for disease?
Which tests, and how often:
30. Is the milk routinely tested for pathogens, coliform count?
Which tests, and how often:
31. Is the farm water routinely tested?
32. Are milk and milk products kept well chilled?
33. Other/Explain (list any other routine practices, or explain any of your answers above?
Butchering Practices
34. Do you sell milk? No
35. Meat butchered at a USDA-certified or state-certified abattoir? Yes
36. Meat butchered on the farm? Yes
37. Describe or explain any butchering practices: We are Animal Welfare Approved for eggs and pork. www.animalwelfareapproved.org
Poultry is humanely butchered on farm.
Beef and lamb is processed at a small USDA facility 3 miles from our farm.
Farm Products
38. Please check off the products you sell and list current prices
Raw whole milk:
Raw butter:
Raw cream:
Raw ice cream:
Raw sour cream:
Raw yogurt:
Raw kefir:
Raw cottage cheese:
Whey:
Cheese (list types):
Other dairy (list):
Beef/veal: Prices are on our website.
www.cranedancefarm.com
We only sell by the cut.
Pork: Prices are on our website.
www.cranedancefarm.com
We only sell by the cut.
Goat/kid:
Mutton/lamb: Prices are on our website.
www.cranedancefarm.com
We only sell by the cut.
Other meat:
Chicken: Prices are on our website.
www.cranedancefarm.com
We only sell whole birds, available during grass season only.
Duck: Prices are on our website.
www.cranedancefarm.com
We only sell whole birds, available during grass season only.
Turkey: Prices are on our website.
www.cranedancefarm.com
We sell only whole fresh birds for Thanksgiving, occassionally frozen for Christmas.
Other poultry:
Eggs (list type, chicken, duck, etc) : Chicken, mostly.
Seasonally, duck, goose, guinnea.
Honey:
Produce (list typical offerings):
Prepared foods (list typical offerings):
Other:
Additional Information
39. Do you only sell animals that are raised on your farm at the address listed?
Yes
39a. Details:
Yes! We do rent pasture land that is within 2 miles of our main address….
40. Are the animals born on your farm at the address listed? No
40a. Details:
We have a relationship with an amazing farm who custom grows red poll calves for us. We buy all of the calves that he doesn’t keep for breeding and all of his extra hay. His farm is 5 miles from us…we are there regularly. Our philosophies jive. These calves account for about 20% of our herd, so about 80% spend their whole lives here.
We also purchase day old poultry.
All of the pigs and all of the sheep are born on our farm.
41. Do you ever purchase animals from auctions or from your processor or do you ever buy parts from your processor (whole pork bellies…)? No
41a. Details:
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42. Do you personally attend to your animals at least once a day or do you hire help or farmers to do that for you? Personally Attend
42a. Details:
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43. Do you purchase pre-mixed feed from an elevator or do you grind your own? Grind Own
43a. Details:
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