Jordandal Farms, Brunkow Cheese team up to make Certified Humane® cheese

The dairy herd on Jordandal Farm is grass fed.  The farm consists of 45 acres, where the owners, Eric and Carrie Johnson grow vegetables in addition to their Jersey dairy cow herd. Eric emphasizes that he doesn’t push his cows for high production. “We milk our cows seasonally,” he says, “and only once a day. We’re focused on having a really high quality product, and to do that, we have to treat our animals really well.”  

The Johnsons sell their milk directly to Brunkow Cheese of Wisconsin, which is developing a line of specialty cheeses made just from the Jordandal Farms’ milk.  Having the Certified Humane® seal was important to both parties.  “The Certified Humane® designation adds a lot of value for consumers,” says Joe Burns, the owner of Brunkow Cheese. “It provides that assurance that the cows are being treated humanely.”  Eric adds that they are happy to now be “walking the talk” by becoming Certified Humane® for their dairy.

Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of farm animals by certifying their humane treatment.  Supported by more than 38 humane organizations, the Certified Humane Raised and Handled® program is nationally recognized as the Gold Standard for certifying animal welfare from birth through slaughter.  Since the program was unveiled in May 2003, more than 85 companies, representing thousands of farms and millions of farm animals, have been certified.

HFAC’s Animal Care Standards were developed by a veritable “Who’s Who” of national and international animal scientists and farm-animal welfare experts. Producer compliance with the HFAC standards is verified through annual on-site visits by HFAC’s third-party inspectors.

Brunkow Cheese will be selling their Certified Humane® cheese at the farmer’s markets in the Chicago area.  For more information on where to find Certified Humane® products, visit HFAC’s “{cms_selflink page=’where-to-buy’ text=’Where to Buy’}” page.  

For additional information, visit HFAC’s Website at, {cms_selflink page=’home’ text=’www.certifiedhumane.org’}.