Polish Family Farm Turns to Cheesemaking and Direct Sales With 20 Cows

In the town of Dynów in Poland's Podkarpackie region, a family farm with 20 cows moved into processing and direct sales after a period of low milk purchase prices nine years ago. Dorota and Michał Siry, together with their daughter Natalia and son Mateusz, now turn milk into cheese in their own dairy, sell it through a milk vending machine and supply cheese to shops, restaurants and customers across Poland. The case shows how a small farm can keep its income stable without enlarging its herd.

Herd and feed

The farm covers about 50 hectares and keeps 20 dairy cows and around 20 young animals. Red-and-white Holstein-Friesians were kept at first, but in 2010 the family sold them and built a Simmental herd. Average yield is about 7,000 litres per cow per year. The owners chose the breed for milk quality and cow longevity; one cow is in her tenth lactation. Maize silage, haylage and grain come from the farm's own fields, and the cows graze from May to October.

Milk and cheese

The farm produces 300–350 litres of milk a day. About 200 litres go to the cheese dairy, 50–70 litres are sold through the vending machine at 4 zloty per litre, and the remainder still goes to a dairy company. The machine has operated for nine years and stands about 2 kilometres from the farm.

Cheese production began six years ago. The family received 120,000 zloty in co-funding for equipment. It now makes about 40 types of cheese, plus butter and cream. The most popular cheeses weigh 250–300 grams and cost about 20 zloty each. Products are sold at the farm, in five shops, at local markets and by mail order.

Organising the work

The farm has no hired staff. The working day begins around 4:00 a.m. and can last until midnight. Michał Siry says the aim is not to expand the herd quickly but to maintain what the family has built. Daughter Natalia helps in the cheese dairy and with marketing, while son Mateusz works in the fields.