Sky Top Farms

Rating
Farm/Brand HeadquartersBrooklyn, NY
ProductsFluid milk
Websitewww.skytopfarms.com
Market AreaNY
Total Score1315

Our Farms and Practices
Sky Top Farms is family run and dedicated to sustainable farming and production methods. We have great reverence for mother earth and all that call her home. In 2002, Sky Top Farms was founded as a cooperation amongst small farmers and artisan producers to bring outstanding small batch products to market. We recognised the growing demand for delicious organic, natural and farmstead products, and we decided to turn our business focus to where our hearts and conscience always were.

For over fifteen years we have brought the farmers market to your home by way of our outstanding, high-quality, artisanal, organic and natural products. Our philosophy is ‘less is more’ when it comes to offering wholesome products to the your families table with simple super high quality ingredients. We invite you to reach for the top with Sky Top Farms and explore our flavourful and nutritious products!

Our Cows
We are fully committed to family farming and keep our cow herd below 100 to ensure they get the tender loving care they deserve. As well our cows get plenty of access to pasture as they enjoy a diet of grass fed goodness while they roam about, in addition to certified organic and non GMO haylage during inclement weather. We are proud to say our cows are known by names, not numbers as part of our extended family.

Our USDA certified organic dairy is certified and inspected by North American Supply Chain Food Safety (NSF) to ensure the highest quality, as well all our milk is OU Kosher Certified and inspected. For these many good reasons we believe our organic grass-fed, unhomoginzed, cream at the top milk is best served in a champagne glass:)

CriteriaPointsComment
TOTAL (possible score is 1600 plus extra credit) 1315
4-Cow Rating | Excellent
Farmstead dairies earn the most points. Corporations that have a history of skirting the organic rules receive the fewest.
Ownership structure
60Privately held corporation
Farms that produce 100% of their milk receive the most points. Milk from "open market" or known confinement dairies receive the fewest.
Milk Supply
50Likely milk of integrity
100% organic farms receive the most points. Split operations with conventional dairy on the same property receive the fewest.
Organic Production
100All-organic production
Farms that completed the survey in detail received the most points.
Disclosure of Information for Verification
100Full disclosure
Points determined by integrity of the brand’s organic certifier.
Organic Certification
85PCO
Animal Welfare Approved and Biodynamic certifications receive the most bonus points. Producers are not penalized for not having additional certifications beyond organic.
Other Labels/Standards
0None
100% grass-fed with independent verification of standards
Grass-fed
80Good grass-fed compliance
No points are given for this but the information may be useful to certain consumers looking to avoid soy.
Soy Free Ration?
NoNot soy-free
Sliding scale based on policies, enforcement, acreage/cow, days/year on pasture, and permissible exemption.
Pasture
90Good pasture compliance
One time/day receives the most points. Two times per day is standard.
Times Milked
90Two times a day (standard practice)
Lower cull rate scores better, with under 10% receiving the most points.
Cull/death Rate
100Low cull/death rate likely
Farms with closed herds receive the most points. Farms that sell organic calves and buy conventional replacements receive the fewest.
Replacements
100Closed herd
Standard practice is removing calves shortly after birth, with extra points given for unique ways of managing calves
Calves
70Standard practices
Farms that prohibit antibiotics receive the most points. Farms that allow young stock to receive antibiotics (under one year), receive the fewest.
Antibiotic Use
100Likely no antibiotics used
No hormones is the standard, however some farms do use oxytocin for therapeutic purposes.
Hormone Usage
100Likely no hormones used
Farmstead dairies (owner lives on-site) receive the most points. Fewer points are given as oversight declines.
Farm Support
90Staff visits regularly
All ingredients sourced from inside the organization or on the farm receives the highest points. Ingredients from confinement factory farms and/or imported ingredients receive the fewest.
Procurement of Ingredients
100Full control/no outside ingredients
Various levels of extra credit given for 1) providing full organic systems plan, 2) providing details on all farms (multi-farm brands, details on largest five required), and 3) sourcing feed on-farm or domestically.
Extra Credit
0None