CSA boxes of farm-fresh vegetables may still be months away, but amazing Minnesota cheese is available now. Shepherd’s Way Farms Cheese CSA is a monthly sheep cheese selection with pickup locations in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Northfield, and Rochester. Their cheeses are farmstead, which means the cheeses are made on the farm, with milk produced on the farm. There are very few farmstead sheep dairies in the entire country, so Minnesota cheese lovers are in for a treat.
Shepherd’s Way Farms sheep dairy is a family farm located an hour south of Minneapolis/St. Paul. Steven Read and Jodi Ohlsen Read live and work on the farm. Steven is the primary shepherd, managing the land and animals and business operations, as well as farmers markets. Jodi is the cheesemaker and responsible for marketing and sharing in business operations. All four of their young adult sons play various roles as their careers allow, with Maitias Read, the youngest son, working full-time on the farm. Farm staff also include cheesemaking assistant Brian, and two part-time farm and milking staff, Anna and Kennan.
Steven and Jodi founded Shepherd’s Way Farms in 1994 as a sheep dairy focused on fluid sheep milk. Cheesemaking began in 1998 with Friesago as the first cheese. In 2001, the farm moved from Carver County MN to its current location in Nerstrand MN. Our founding goals later became our mission statement, shared Jodi, “We believe there is a way to live that combines hard work, creativity, respect for the land and animals, and a focus on family and friends. We believe the small family farm still has a place in our society. Everything we do, everything we make, is in pursuit of this goal.”
CSA members have insider access to Shepherd’s Way Farms award-winning cheeses, including hard-to-find cheeses and special cheeses and spreads not available in stores. Cheese selections include the more familiar Big Woods Blue, Friesago, Shepherd’s Hope, and Hidden Falls, and the harder to find Burr Oak and Morcella, as well as cheese spreads (like Adobo), whey ricotta, and others. CSA members are the first to try new cheeses and are also invited to the farm for an annual CSA members-only event. Join for six months at $215 or for 1 year at $400, start any time. Details at shepherdwayfarms.com.
“I love being part of the full circle of life and the rhythms of nature that shape our work and daily life,” shared Jodi. “It is inspiring to see how the care of the soil, the diversity of plant life, grazing animals, varied birds and wildlife, cycles of the seasons all work together here. The process from grazing animals, to the sheep milk, to cheese that goes out to feed many people, is deeply rewarding. We love being part of the food and farming communities. And, working together as a family is such a privilege!”
While CSA members will see the widest variety of products – people can also find Shepherd’s Way cheeses (and likely say “Hi” to Steven) at Mill City Farmers Market, St Paul Farmers Market, and at local cheese shops, co-ops and specialty grocery stores.
Minnesota Grown is participating in National CSA Week from February 20-26. It's the most popular week of the year to sign up for a Community Supported Agriculture membership! During this week, we will feature in-depth profiles of local CSA farmers here and on our social media accounts, along with information about different types of CSAs available to Minnesotans.
National CSA Week is hosted by the CSA Innovation Network, a national network for local CSA farms. Read More.