Portia McKnight & Flo Hawley

Chapel Hill, NC

Portia McKnight and Flo Hawley began the Chapel Hill Creamery in 2001. They purchased land south of Dairyland Road and began clearing and converting it to pasture with a mix of grasses. They partitioned over a dozen separate areas; the cows move onto fresh pasture twice a day, after milking. Allowing maximum grass growth leads to maximum nutrition for the cows, in line with their philosophy of raising “cows that are healthy and happy and improving the quality of the land.”

They chose Jersey cows over Holsteins, the traditional dairy cow, because Jerseys produce a creamy, rich milk. Jerseys are also more tolerant of heat and better suited to the intensive grazing system. They also chose Jersey cows for their fertility. Now that Chapel Hill Creamery produces cheese year-round, they need a year-round supply of milk. Thus they have two calving groups: a bigger one in spring that coincides with the large supply of spring grass and a smaller fall calving group. The 2011 fall calving included the Creamery’s 100th heifer!

Read a longer article about Chapel Hill Creamery at the Weaver Street Market website. Watch a video about the farm below.