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V O L . X X I N O. V I I A P R I L 6 , 2 0 1 5 16 value-added goods brought in more: $18 per pound for hard cheese and $13 per pound for soft cheese. Raising prices and switching to value-added products made a big diff er- ence. "We were in the hole for the fi rst two years here. e last two years were the only time we didn't see a loss on Schedule F [profi t or loss from farming on income tax form]," says Heather. Still, expenses are steep. eir net income was only $36,000 of Balfour's $140,000 in gross sales in 2014, with $104,000 going toward keeping the farm running. Feed and energy are the two biggest costs. Organic grains and soil amendments like nitrogen fertilizer typically cost more than conventional grains and chemical fertilizers. e MOFGA organic cer- tifi cation fee ran $1,350, and they got $900 back from the federal govern- ment, which reimburses up to $750 per certifi ed product type, for example milk products and vegetables, both of which Balfour produces and sells. Balfour is their third farm, though Heather and Doug weren't born into farming. e high school sweethearts set up their fi rst farm on 15 acres in Alton, N.H., where Heather taught middle school science and Doug was a contractor and builder. ey initially bought a beef cow and one milk cow, Blackie, now 15 years old and still with them. ey enjoyed farming more than their full-time jobs, and in 2004 bought a 200-acre farm in northern New York. ey initially raised pigs and beef cows, but the costs to haul the animals to auction and the price per animal weren't enough for a sustainable lifestyle. Heather took a job in an OB/GYN offi ce, but Doug was laid off from his construction job and took a position with Genex, an artifi cial insemination company. at's where they got the idea to switch to dairy farming. rough a local church member, they traded their 20 beef cows for 20 milk cows. In 2006 they transitioned the herd to be organic using 100% organic certifi ed feed for a year, a requirement of the USDA's National Organic Program. e NOP also mandates that cows and certain other animals have free outdoor access at least 120 days a year and not be given drugs, except for vaccines. e NOP oversees MOFGA and other USDA organic certifi cation agencies. e Donohues grew their herd to 50 cows over the six years they farmed in New York. Because their milk was organic, they received a minimum base price, unlike conventional farmers, who face dra- matic market price fl uctuations each time they sell their milk. ey returned to New England in 2010 when Heather's father became ill, moving 10 cows and 12 to 15 heif- ers with them in the dead of winter. eir current farm had been vacant for four years, so they quickly got it certifi ed as organic. ey needed the certifi cation before one cow set foot on a fi eld to assure the organic process was uninterrupted. With their certifi cation in hand, Horizon (now part of WhiteWave) continued to honor their previous contract on the new farm, which they named Balfour after the Gaelic word for "of or from the pasture." Most of their gross sales, $110,000, come from the seven farmers mar- kets where they sell. Another $30,000 is from wholesale to small grocery stores and cafés. But along with the hefty costs to farm and high insurance rates, Heather says the cost of buying feed because they don't own enough grazing fi elds is a big reason for their downsizing. "Energy costs also are a chal- lenge. Take the cheese vat. We pay for electricity to cool products, then heat them, and then cool them. at's all for one product," says Doug. Even though they're selling the current farm, neither Donohue wants to get out of farming. "We didn't think we'd been doing this, but we're glad," says Heather of organic dairy farming. "Being on the go for so long has really worn us down. Our kids are gone and don't want to be farm- ers. But I'd never go back to being a teacher. I'd rather be outside." P H O T O S / R U S S D I L L I N G H A M » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E Jan Goranson waters pea shoots in the greenhouse at Goranson Farm in Dresden. P H O T O S / R U S S D I L L I N G H A M It's maple syrup time: Rob Johanson carries a propane heater to the sugar house to get it ready for the sugaring season at Goranson Farm in Dresden.

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