About Covenant Pastures, a family farm in Cylinder, Iowa
Hello there, and welcome to Covenant Pastures! We're Caleb and Faith Schrock, a young couple passionate about raising nutrient dense food for our family and yours. As Christians, we desire to serve God in the capacity He ordained from the beginning of the world, which includes how we raise our animals. Our goal is to provide nutritious and delicious food that truly satisfies and nourishes our families. Join us as we endeavor to revitalize the land that we are stewarding!
How did Covenant Pastures begin?
We both grew up in Central Illinois.
Caleb moved to northwest Iowa to work for a regenerative ag equipment manufacturer.
Caleb married Faith, who grew up milking cows. That same year we bought our first pasture outside of Cylinder.
We bought the cows and milking equipment from Flat Rock Living, and with help from family and friends we built a shed that holds our self-serve farm store, milking parlor, processing area and a barn for bad weather.
We're now the fourth raw milk dairy in Faith's family.
How we raise our animals
Cows on pasture. Our small herd consists of primarily Jersey and Brown Swiss cows. They graze our pasture through all but the coldest months, when they primarily eat hay. Jersey and Brown Swiss milk has significantly more butterfat and protein than most other dairy cattle, making it the nutrient dense option.
Clean, cold milk. We wash and then sanitize the jars with 160°F water before milking, and we sanitize our pipeline system with a chlorinated sanitizer and scalding 180°F water.
Hens behind the herd. Our laying hens roam the pasture behind the cattle and eat a soy-free, non-GMO feed milled nearby from organically raised grain. Our broilers move through fresh pasture in chicken tractors.
