Over the years, Stickney Hill Dairy has grown in size and popularity. Since it opened in 1999, the farm’s goat cheese has become available all over the state and in other parts of the country. In 2002, that same cheese made it into the top 10 at the World Championship Cheese Contest. One could say Stickney Hill Dairy has become a rising star in the world of goat cheese. On Monday, Aug. 9, Stickney Hill Dairy got its first taste of television stardom when Chef Andrew Zimmern of Fox 9 Morning News came up to shoot a segment on the farm. “It was a surprise,” said Mary Loch, cheese plant manager at Stickney Hill. “We are a little business out in the middle of nowhere and we were proud they wanted to come out and do a story on us.” The story aired on the Fox 9 Morning News Wednesday, Aug. 11. In the segment, Zimmern took viewers behind-the-scenes at Stickney Hill Dairy to give them a closer look at all the steps taken to produce goat cheese. Since Loch manages the cheese-making, it was up to her to demonstrate and explain what goes on in a cheese plant. “I was nervous and excited,” Loch said of her first time being filmed in front of a television camera. “But we knew Chef Andrew likes our cheese so much and we are real proud of sharing our cheese with people.” Zimmern admits he is a big fan of the cheese that comes out of Stickney Hill Dairy. “I’ve been eating their goat cheese for a long time and they’ve won some nice awards,” Zimmern said. “I think they have the best goat cheese in Minnesota.” Zimmern, a trained chef, is a food reporter for Fox 9 and does four stories a week for the morning news cooking segment. He has been featured on NBC’s Today Show and CNN’s Health. It was a couple of months ago when Zimmern bumped into David Lenzmeier, the owner of Stickney Hill, and jumped at the opportunity to do a story on the goat farm. “Our viewers like going behind-the-scenes and we’ve done a lot of stories on cheese,” Zimmern said. “Goat cheese hasn’t become as popular as Kraft Singles yet, but it also isn’t that exotic anymore.” He may be right about goat cheese gaining popularity. The number of goats on the farm has steadily increased over the years. Not too long ago in 2001, there were only 85 goats. In 2004, that number has increased to 500 and another 300 goats will be added in 2005, Loch said. One reason the demand for goat cheese has risen is because more and more people are becoming aware of its benefits. Loch said that it has become popular among people who are lactose intolerant because it is easier to digest than cow cheese. She also added that goat cheese can be kept longer than regular cheese because it can be frozen for long periods of time without spoiling. “Goat’s milk is a universal milk,” Loch said. “You can give it to small or large animals and people. You can’t do that with cow’s milk.”
