Willow-Marsh Farm Store in Ballston Spa
Offering a variety of foods & products
that are clean, natural, & chemical free.
For the bio security of our animals, no pets, horses or other animals are allowed on the farm property. This is a smoke-free property.
Our Raw Milk
Raw Milk Subscription Sales have ended. Thank you for the tremendous amount of support. We are overwhelmed and grateful for this community!
Progress Update 8/28/2026
💙🥛 RAW MILK UPDATE! 🥛💙
We are waiting for some welding to be completed, an inspection, and then the cows come home!!!!!!!!!!!!
The final step will be to send our milk for the lab for testing. WE ARE SO EXCITED! - Sara
Hi Farm Friends! We have another exciting update to share on our journey to bring raw milk back to Willow-Marsh Farm!
We've installed new water bowls for the cows with the help of our new friend, Justin, who generously came over on Chuck's birthday to lend a hand. The dairy barn stainless-steel fabricator shortened the milk pipeline. The organic grain and sand have been delivered. The plumbing repairs are complete, and the cement repairs were made in the milk room. The barn is almost ready for our future A2A2 dairy herd. I'll be sweeping it out tomorrow morning and Chuck will bring the sand in for bedding. I will definitely be taking pictures. It finally feels like all of the pieces are coming together!
Our vision for Willow-Marsh Farm is becoming a reality through our deep commitment to this fifth-generation farm, bringing us one big step closer to bringing dairy cows to the farm and providing raw milk to our community once again.
🐄 And now for the really exciting part...
If everything continues on schedule, we're expecting our beautiful A2A2 cows to arrive this week! We are waiting for the results of their blood test. After they have had a chance to settle in, we'll request our New York State inspection.
Once we pass inspection, there is just one final step. The New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets will collect a fresh raw milk sample and deliver it to the laboratory for testing. As soon as those test results are approved, we'll officially be able to offer our raw milk once again!
After all the months of planning, paperwork, construction, and preparation, we are so incredibly close. We can't wait to welcome the girls home and share this next chapter with all of you.
Thank you for believing in us, encouraging us, and standing beside our family through this journey. Your support has helped carry us to this moment, and we are so grateful. 💙
🐄🥛 The countdown has officially begun!
Here is how the subscriptions worked:
People could sign-up by choosing a day of the week to pick up the raw milk, and the amount of milk.
We collected contact information so we can notify people as soon as raw milk is back on our shelves. There is no way to buy online. We cannot ship or deliver raw milk. We are currently no longer selling subscriptions. This will be re-evaluated once the first 12-week round of subscriptions has been fulfilled. Feel free to call us during store hours with questions. 518-288-3347. Our store hours are: Wednesday 12-4, Thursday & Friday 12-5 and Saturday & Sunday 10-4. These hours will be updated as of September 1, 2026. There are holiday and vacation day exceptions.
The most frequently asked question we hear is, are your cows grass fed? The short answer is yes. BUT... asking this question is not going to get the answers you may be looking for. Scientifically, corn is a grass. and many of you have expressed concern over the cows eating corn covered in pesticides and other chemicals, and the corn being GMO or what is called- Round-Up ready. Our corn is non-GMO and free of pesticides and herbicides. We cultivate; we do not spray our fields.
We raise Holstein and Jersey Dairy cows on our farm. Their feed consists of pasture grasses, hay, non-GMO corn silage, alfalfa, and a grain mixture consisting of corn and distillers' grains for their minerals (also non-GMO). We have 132 acres and grow everything except the grain mixture. Why is what the cows eat important? It can affect the cows' gut health and the quality of the milk. We aim to bring you the best quality clean foods that we can. The Curtiss family are 5th generation farmers who are constantly educating themselves on regenerative practices, beef and dairy farming.
There has been some dissemination of false information recently online concerning how we feed our dairy cows and we'd like to clear that up. Cows are known as “ruminants” because the largest pouch of the stomach is called the rumen. Feeding cows a high grain diet of finely ground corn is bad for them. It can be digested too quickly causing gas and bloating while increasing bacteria we don't want to increase. We feed our cows a diet of pasture grasses, hay, and alfalfa, supplemented with chopped corn that uses the entire plant from the ground up - from the stalk to the tassels. The reason this is important is two-fold: effective fiber stimulates rumination, chewing and saliva production and it also maintains normal rumen ph. The way we feed our cows actually decreases the amount of the bacteria we don't want in the milk and supports the good bacteria that increases udder health. Our cows are happy and healthy. The following link is to a scientific study outlining and supporting what is being discussed here. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9197574/
Corn silage is our own non-GMO corn planted, grown and harvested by the Curtiss family, stored here on our farm. It includes the corn from the ground up to the tassels so that the cows get what they would if they were foraging - the entire plant. Our corn silage is high in energy and digestibility and provides more fiber than if the cow was eating just the tops of the corn.plants.
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Transporting Greek Yogurt & Raw Milk in The Heat
Keeping raw milk cold is critical to keeping it fresh. Raw milk should always be stored in the refrigerator, not left out on the table or counter. If it does get left out accidentally, it will begin to grow bacteria, thus, shortening the shelf life.
This translates to how the milk should be transported. When it is warmer than 40 degrees the longer it stays in the car, the shorter its shelf life. If it is 75 degrees and the milk (pasteurized or raw) is in your warm car for over an hour, it won't last as long. Pasteurized milk will go bad in two hours in a 70-90 degree car, and will last only an hour if it's over 90 degrees in the trunk.
What do we suggest? During warmer times of year bring a cooler and ice packs with you when purchasing yogurt or raw milk. The further you have to travel with it, the more important this is. When raw milk is kept cold it will last 7-10 days and often longer. It really depends on how frequently it is removed from the refrigerator. Greek yogurt will last several weeks until it is opened and then about 3-4 days from first being used. It has no preservatives and active cultures.
For more information about raw milk, and to support the non-profit Raw Milk Institute or subscribe to their newsletter click on the link below.