Brasher Falls, New York

Bringing BackMilk Delivery Routes

Help Ortman Farms build a micro creamery to deliver fresh, farm-pasteurized milk directly to your door—just like the good old days.

$545 raised$40,000 goal

1.4% funded

supporters

Goal Deadline

June 2025

Transparency Note: Support amounts and supporter count are updated manually every 24 hours to ensure accuracy and transparency. All funds go directly toward our micro creamery equipment and facility upgrades.

Meet Michael Ortman

From Farm to Family

Hi, I'm Michael Ortman. I run a small family farm with my wife and two daughters, located at 455 Maple Ridge Road in Brasher Falls, NY. For 11 years, I've served as a New York State Paramedic and have actively worked in our community.

We raise beef cattle, and pasture-raise pigs. We produce all of our own feed for our animals and operate a corn, soybean, oats, and winter rye grain business.

My family and I have decided to change the direction of our farm to become more connected with our customers and community. My wife is trained as a community school teacher and has a passion to reconnect our youth back to farming.

Our Farm in Pictures

Take a visual journey through Ortman Farms and see what we're building for our community.

Young calf with dairy cows at Ortman Farms

Michael Ortman with farm-fresh meat products

Michael at the farm's red barn and store

Ortman family with John Deere combine harvester

Ortman family portrait in the farm fields

Farm stand and equipment at Ortman Farms

Our Mission

Why We Need Your Support

Our Dairy Operation

At Ortman Farms, we milk cows and want to bring that fresh milk directly to your table. We're dedicated to creating the highest quality dairy products right here on our farm.

Building a Micro Creamery

We want to take our farm's raw milk, pasteurize it on-site, and create fresh bottled milk, cheese, curds, yogurt, and other dairy products—all right here on our farm.

Bringing Back Milk Routes

We're reviving the old-fashioned milk delivery service where milk is produced, pasteurized, and bottled on our farm, then delivered directly to customers who value what we're doing.

Closed Loop System

Currently serving customers with beef, pork, and local products, we want to complete the circle by adding fresh dairy to create a truly local food system.

What the $40,000 Will Fund:

Stainless steel milk pasteurization equipment
Building renovation for clean processing space
Cold storage systems for proper milk temperature
Facility upgrades to meet pasteurization standards
Equipment to scale up to 75 dairy cows
Bathroom and sanitation facilities

Timeline: With your support, we can start processing milk within 6-12 months. There are virtually no milk farms doing on-farm pasteurization in our county—the closest similar operation is 2 hours away.

Project Updates

Follow our progress as we work toward building our micro creamery and bringing back milk delivery routes.

8/15/25

Met with state inspector for facility designs and permits

7/23/25

Created milk routes

7/20/25

Waiting for meeting with the state milk inspector to discuss facility requirements.

6/15/25

Completed preliminary research on pasteurization equipment and facility upgrades needed.

2/20/25

Purchased the delivery truck

Updates are posted regularly as we make progress. Check back for the latest news!

Support Levels & Rewards

Every contribution helps us get closer to bringing fresh, local dairy back to our community. Choose a level that works for you!

$100-249

Tier 1

A thank you gift for your support

Farm fresh care package

Selection of our farm products

Ships anywhere in the United States

$250-999

Tier 2

Fresh milk plus farm box

All Tier 1 rewards

1 gallon of fresh milk per month for a year

Delivered directly to your location

Available within our delivery route area

$1000+

Tier 3

The ultimate farm supporter package

All Tier 1 & 2 rewards

Quarter pig (approximately 40-50 lbs)

Premium farm supporter recognition

Pickup or local delivery arrangement

Important Note: These reward items are available for purchase at considerably cheaper rates on our website. These rewards are simply our way of saying thank you for your generous support. If you want these specific items, please consider purchasing them directly from our website instead.