Welcome, Georgie!

Darcy and Georgie shortly after birth and Georgie after feeding tonight.

Hello Skyview Friends,

It’s Wednesday instead of Monday, and for good reason!

Late Monday evening, right on schedule and just as the sun was setting, Darcy welcomed a beautiful bull calf into the world. We named him Georgie, and we’re happy to report that both momma and baby are doing great.

With storms in the forecast, we spent Monday night preparing a comfortable place for Darcy and Georgie to shelter overnight. By the time everyone was settled and cared for, the newsletter had to wait a couple of days. We figured you’d forgive us for choosing calf duty first!

As if welcoming a new calf wasn’t enough excitement for one week, we also officially moved into the farmhouse yesterday.

After weeks of commuting back and forth from Louisburg, we’re finally calling Skyview home. It was a hot day for moving, but our crew did an amazing job, and we were happy to send everyone home with milk and yogurt as a small extra thank-you. We’re still surrounded by boxes, but we’re home!

In the farm store, we’ve added a few new items and restocked some customer favorites. You’ll now find multiple bacon options and chicken cuts from Castle Farms available online. We also received fresh supplies of Twin Pine’s honey and the large-size Elderberry Syrup from Mindfully Made.

We’re also working to get all of your favorite Noffke cheeses back in stock. Bill and Sheri successfully completed their move to Atchison last Friday, and while we miss seeing them around the farm every day, we’re excited for this next chapter for them. Fortunately, it’s not goodbye—we’ll be seeing them again soon, and we look forward to continuing to carry the wonderful cheeses you’ve come to know and love.

Between a new calf, a new home, and lots of activity around the farm, it’s been a memorable week here at Skyview.

As always, thank you for supporting our family, our farm, and local agriculture. We appreciate every visit, every order, and every word of encouragement as we settle into this new chapter.

With gratitude,

— Jessica

Visitors, Gratitude & New Beginnings

Taking a break from the rain in the loafing shed.

Hello Skyview Friends,

This past week seemed to revolve around one big event: the Linn County Farm Tour.

Most of our time and energy was spent getting the farm ready to welcome visitors, and we couldn’t have been happier with how the day turned out. The weather cooperated, the turnout was wonderful, and we had the opportunity to meet so many friendly faces.

To everyone who stopped by to tour the farm, ask questions, shop in the store, or simply introduce yourselves—thank you. We feel incredibly grateful for the warm welcome we’ve received from this community. As new owners, your encouragement and support mean more than you know.

The week leading up to the tour brought plenty of rain. While we were watching the skies and hoping for a break in the weather, our girls seemed far less concerned. They spent much of the rainy days relaxing in the loafing shed, content to stay dry while the pastures soaked up another round of moisture. Thankfully, the rain cleared just in time for Saturday.

With each passing day, Derrick and I are becoming more in tune with the farm. We’re learning the routines, getting to know the herd better, and settling into the rhythm of caring for this special place. There’s still plenty to learn, but each week feels a little more familiar than the last.

This coming week will be another busy one, but for a different reason.

Bill and Sheri are putting the finishing touches on packing as they prepare to say goodbye to the farm this Friday. While we’re excited for them as they begin their next chapter and build their new creamery in Atchison, it’s certainly bittersweet to see them leave the place they’ve poured so much of themselves into over the years.

Thankfully, this isn’t really goodbye—it’s more of a “see you later.”

We look forward to continuing our friendship with the Noffkes, and we’re excited to continue carrying the wonderful cheeses they have perfected over the years. Their dedication to quality has built something special, and we’re proud to continue offering those products here at Skyview.

As always, thank you for supporting our family, our farm, and local agriculture. We look forward to seeing many of you again soon.

— Jessica

Great progress all around

Scenes from around the farm this Memorial Day.

Hello Skyview Friends!

What a beautiful Memorial Day it has been here at the farm. After such a rainy spring, today’s sunshine, fresh air, and green pastures have been a gift. As we enjoy the holiday today, we also want to pause and remember the true meaning of Memorial Day — honoring and remembering the men and women who gave their lives in service to our country. We are deeply grateful for the freedoms and opportunities we enjoy because of their sacrifice.

This past week was our first full official week here at Skyview Farm and Creamery, and we’re happy to say it went very well! We’ve made progress on many fronts and continue learning the rhythms of the farm. There is still plenty to do, but we’re feeling encouraged and grateful for all of your support during this transition.

One exciting update is that we believe we have resolved the payment card issue that some customers were experiencing during online checkout. As of today, Monday, May 25, orders should now process normally again. If you are still running into any issues completing an order with a payment card, please email us at info@skyviewfarm.net and we’ll be happy to help.

This week we are also busy preparing for the Linn County Farm Tour taking place this Saturday, May 30 from 9:00am–3:00pm. We’re looking forward to welcoming visitors to the farm and sharing more about what makes Skyview special. 

The Noffkes are also making great progress on their next steps. They closed on both their new residence and on the new creamery in Atchison last Friday. Packing and cleaning are getting more serious as their actual moving day is June 5. If you would like to help load the truck at this end, call Bill. We’ve heard that it’s National Donut Day that day, so maybe there will be some here?

The branding for their new creamery has been created and ready to apply to all kinds of things. Their new website has a place to sign up for the new creamery newsletter which will start back up soon. (Sign up via the link below!) Stephen and family are vacation/camping in the southwest for the next 10 days, but when they get back, they will be ready to tackle the next phase of setting up the new creamery - not only selling the cheese that is already made, but also for producing MORE. We’re so excited for them!

There are so many exciting things happening all around, and we’re grateful to be part of this next chapter together. Thank you again for supporting the farm and both our families’ dreams. We hope you all enjoy the beautiful weather and had a meaningful Memorial Day with your families.

 — Jessica Crozier

A big week at the farm

Three of the heifers — Falyn, Ellie Mae, and Skittles — say hello.

Hello Skyview Friends!

For those we have not yet met, we are Derrick and Jessica Crozier. Today marked the start of our first full week as the new owners of Skyview Farm & Creamery, and it feels both exciting and a little surreal to be writing those words. We are incredibly grateful for the warm welcome that many of you have already shown our family.

It’s been a big week at the farm. In addition to closing, we graduated four pregnant heifers and moved them in with the main herd. Darcy is getting close to her due date and is really rounding out. And for the most part, the cows don’t seem to mind the change — except Candy and Casey both decided they didn’t know how to come into the milking parlor for a few days. (I blame the heifer energy. It has them all a bit wiley.)

All in all, the transition of the busy has gone smoothly, but as with any big transition, we experienced a few hiccups. If you had a payment card saved in Local Line, you might need to re-add your information. (Payment security didn’t let us transfer card information when we switched business accounts.) Also - I can’t email out the newsletter just yet. Did you know it can take up to 7 days to transfer domains between owners? We learned that this week. We should be up and running again with the email newsletter next Monday.

Although we have officially taken over operations, Bill and Sheri will still be around the farm for the next couple of weeks before moving to Atchison, where they will begin their next adventure opening a new creamery alongside son and daughter-in-law, Stephen and Celia Noffke. To be honest, we’re grateful for the safety net for a couple more weeks! We know many of you have developed friendships with them over the years, so if you stop by in the coming weeks, there is still time to wish them well and thank them for everything they have built here at Skyview.

Lastly, I want to share a bit more about how we got here. Our journey to becoming dairy farmers has been quietly unfolding for the past few years. We reached a point in life where we began asking ourselves deeper questions about how we wanted to spend our time, what kind of work felt meaningful, and what sort of life we wanted to build for our family. Again and again, we found ourselves drawn back to farming, caring for animals, stewarding land, and producing good food for our community.

We are approaching this next chapter with a tremendous amount of gratitude and humility. The Noffkes have built something truly special here — not just a dairy, but a community centered around trust, hard work, and wholesome food. Our goal is not to reinvent what already works so well, but to continue caring for the animals and land in the same thoughtful way while slowly adding a few touches of our own over time.

As always, thank you for supporting local farms and local food. We firmly believe farmers are the backbone of healthy communities, and we feel deeply honored to now play a small role in continuing that tradition here at Skyview.

If you stop by the farm store in the coming weeks, please introduce yourself. We would truly love to meet you.

— Jessica Crozier

Skyview Farm Welcomes New Owners

As of May 14, 2026, Skyview Farm & Creamery is officially under the ownership and operation of Derrick and Jessica Crozier.

As longtime customers and supporters of local agriculture, we are honored to continue the stewardship of Skyview and build on the incredible foundation established by the Noffkes.

For customers, it will be business as usual. Milking operations will continue as normal, your favorite milk and dairy products will remain available, and all ordering and pickup processes will stay the same.

We are grateful for the continued support from this wonderful community and look forward to serving families across the region for years to come. And we’re excited to help share news about the Noffkes’ new adventures up North as they get more details in place.

If you stop by the farm store, be sure to introduce yourself!

— Derrick & Jessica Crozier

P.S. Please make checks payable to “Mine Creek Farmstead” moving forward. 😊

New Faces!

Hi Friends,

Just want to give an update. We may have found a family to take over the farm! While nothing is official, we are very optimistic about a family that approached us about taking over the business. They are wonderful people, and we think they have what it takes to run the farm. We are most of all excited about you all - our customers - continuing to have a reliable source of raw milk from our farm! Hang on to your hats (and jars!) Until we know more, we expect to continue operations as normal. If everything goes well, we will not stop at all!

It has been so worth it!

Hello friends,

I want to let you know right up front that this newsletter is the most difficult that I have had to write. Many of you have been loyal customers of ours for decades! From the beginning when we moved out to Pleasanton in 2000 for Bill to pastor a church, this was to be a hobby farm, but God had much more planned. We started with chickens, and then grass-finished beef. We raised turkeys and pigs, meat goats and dairy goats, and yes, Jersey cows. I have always loved Jersey cows. My phone is filled with pictures of cows and newborn calves. But the time has come for change.

After much deliberation as to the timing, we have come to the decision that we are going to stop milking at the end of January. Bill is looking forward to retiring, and Stephen will be able to be home every night with his family. Of course this will be a huge adjustment for everyone. We will probably continue to wake up at 5:45 a.m. but eventually we might just sleep in once. Stephen and I still have a passion for cheesemaking so perhaps we will move closer to his family and start something new. We will begin selling the cows after January 31, so if you are interested or know someone who is, send them our way. It would be awesome if someone wants to continue the business of selling raw milk, so again, if you or someone you know is interested, let us know. We will continue selling the aged cheese that we have made as long as the supply lasts, which may be quite a while.

Bill and I, Stephen and Celia, want to thank you all for being the BEST customers anywhere! We are so blessed by all the friends that we have made over the years, and we are so grateful for the incredible support and encouragement you have all given us. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Tomatoes and More Tomatoes

Monday, August 12, 2024
Hello friends,
              Happy Birthday to Christin who is in Austria for the next year!  Whoo hoo!  Last week I was complaining about the heat, and just like that, it was much cooler.  Wow, did I feel silly!  We went to the rodeo on Friday night and had to wear a wrap to be comfortable.  So pleasant!  However, we didn’t get beneficial rainfall yet.  I know, I know, it’s in the forecast.  Did you get rain in Kansas City this morning?  Yes?  It stayed north and we didn’t get rain.  The cloud cover has been nice, but Lord, we need rain.  Maybe tonight?  Or tomorrow?
              Tomatoes and more tomatoes!  Big beautiful beefy tomatoes.  Tomatoes that break your heart to cut up and can or freeze.  But I certainly don’t want them to go to waste, so can and freeze I will.  Bill would tell you that I planted too many.  It’s so hard to limit myself to only 4 varieties and only four of each plant.  That potent compost just caused them to grow like crazy.  And the bell peppers are huge!  I’m not complaining at all!  Nope!  Just needing to get busy putting it up…

Hot!

Monday, August 5, 2024
Hello friends,
              HOT!  I am ready for summer to slide into fall.  The grasshoppers are flying as we crunch through the dry grass.  It’s not just hot, but actually low humidity and breezy.  That sucks the moisture out of the plants quickly.  If we don’t get some rain relief soon, we’ll have to start feeding hay, which we don’t have delivered to our farm yet.  The nightly chore of watering everything is becoming tiresome and honestly, not nearly as good as a beneficial rain.  This is typical Kansas summer weather, but I don’t like it at all.
              The dairy cows still get their ration of alfalfa and non-GMO grain, so they are not as dependent on grass as beef cows would be.  Bill takes his “Carr-y’all” loaded with provisions and the cows follow him out to lane 10 after morning milking.  That’s the lane that has a large woodsy area for them to hang out in when it’s so hot.  They are managing so far with milk production dipping just a little.  Perhaps a little higher cream content in each jar as they conserve their moisture intake and put less into fluid milk.  The chickens don’t like heat much either.  I find a tomato or two that has a bad spot and then freeze it.  They have fun pecking the tomato popsicle!  Lord send rain!….

A Tease of Rain

Monday, July 29, 2024
Hello friends,
              A tease of rain.  Just sprinkles fall.  Customers come and tell us their rain stories.  Yeah, they had to stop mowing and wait for it to dry out.  We did get some cloud cover that kept the temperature down a bit, but I would love to squeeze some rain out of this humid air.  I’m just thankful that we still have water in the pond to water the garden. 
              The continuing saga of trying to save the apples and pears!  Last week we recognized that we had a problem.  We are very busy, and we put off doing anything about it.  More apples on the ground, fewer pears on the tree.  Finally, we had enough, and we took down the “easy to put up” fence (thank you Stephen) and brought out the electrified chicken netting.  Bill mowed the grass first, and I picked up all the wasted apples on the ground.  I’m used to windfalls, but 90% of the apples on the ground were either partly eaten or had teeth marks in them and left to drop.  The ground was dry and hard, so we had to wiggle, wiggle to get the stakes in the ground.  The corners were braced with the t-posts that we left in place, and we attached it to power.  After a test with the electric fence tester, we were satisfied that we had done what we could.  I’m not sure if the deer will jump the fence or not, but the coons will definitely be challenged.  So far, so good….

A Little Respite

Monday, July 22, 2024
Hello friends,
              A little respite from the summer heat!  Cool nights, and moderately warm days are just perfect if you ask me.  We could use some rain though.  The grass is beginning to go dormant.  It’s not unusual for summers in Kansas, but a little rain would help everything grow better.
              Just as we suspected, Sally had her calf last Tuesday.  Aunt Bonnie was at it again, hovering around momma and baby trying to take over for Sally.  Sally wasn’t having any of it.  The calf is another boy.  Drats!  Eventually the statistical average has to turn in favor of more heifers, doesn’t it?  Could it be that the cows conceive more males when the weather is a certain way?  I really don’t know.  Sounds like a wive’s tale to me.  Sally has already milked through the colostrum phase, and we are milking her in the bulk tank with all the other cows.  She is happy to be back…

It’s Hot!

Monday, July 15, 2024
Hello friends,
              It’s hot!  Not the hottest we’ve ever been, but certainly hot enough to justify a little complaining.  We have to make sure all the animals are as comfortable as possible.  Lane one has a lot of trees growing up in the western fence line, so a lot of afternoon shade for the cows.  We put a shade cloth on the top of the chicken enclosure, and I had some frozen cantaloupe from a year I had such an abundance.  They tasted like the freezer, but the chickens didn’t seem to mind, and they picked at it while it thawed.
              We put Fresca and Chanel with the dry cows and steers (no alfalfa or grain for the next almost two months for them) and brought Sally back with the milkers to keep an eye on her until her due date.  Next Monday is the estimated birthing day, but who knows.  Her udder is filling out and she is waddling around a bit.  There are two heifers in the front pasture that are just about old enough to breed, but not quite.  I’m keeping track of their cycles, and when the weather moderates, I will work on getting them bred and in the milker herd.  Hopefully the ratio of heifers to bull calves will bring us more females this year.  I have a name already picked out for Sally’s calf if she should have a heifer….

Two Cows Go Offline

Monday, July 8, 2024
Hello friends,
              Hope your Independence Day was liberating!  We had a houseful of family, and it was never a dull moment.  The weather was nice, and we had plenty of room to spread out and play.  We went fishing, we made pickles, we grilled, we ate, and we sat around a lot playing with grandchildren.  I think a good time was had by all.  It’s quiet now, but not without plenty to do.  Catch up on that laundry!
              This week two cows go offline for their pregnancy vacations, and we’ll be milking 12 cows.  That’s still plenty of milk for everyone who wants it, and enough to make yogurt, and an occasional cheese.  It means chores will be done a little more quickly, just a little.  By the end of the month Sally should have her calf and we’ll add one more milker.  It’s going to go up and down like that all fall as most of the cows take time off and come back online with a fresh supply of milk….

And Just Like That, June is Gone

Monday, July 1, 2024
Hello friends,
              Just like that, June is gone!  That was fast!  Those of you who live in the Kansas City area got pelted with rain this morning.  We saw the dark clouds.  We watched the radar.  We heard reports about flooding.  Not a drop fell here.  Isn’t that amazing?  Less than an hour south and we can have very different weather.  In this case, we are still fine after 0.8” of rain this past weekend so we weren’t longing for the deluge.  Looks like more chances of rain are coming.
              The WHOLE family will be here this week so we will have a happy house full!  Christin is home for a few days, Max and Rachel with Josephine will be here, and Stephen, Celia and the boys will be here.  I’m looking forward to it because everyone will pitch in.  It’s a great time to have everyone here because the garden is producing!  Help us eat all these wonderful vegetables.  I am stockpiling eggs and not selling them this week.  We just got a steer back from the butcher, so we have all the cuts available in the freezer.  The cows are producing lots of milk, and we have a cheese cave full of cheese.  We will not be hungry!  Living on a farm is a lot of work, but it’s nice to have an abundance of food in season…

Hottest Day of the Year So Far

Monday, June 24, 2024
Hello friends,
              The hottest day of the year so far!  Whew!  We tried to prepare yesterday by watering the garden and flower beds as much as we dared.  I pulled all the lettuce that I could because I figured it wouldn’t survive the searing sunshine.  I was right.  The tomato plants are loving this weather.  They are a tropical plant after all.  The cows were in pastures that have plenty of shade.  It is summer, but this is pretty hot for June.
              Bill has located a source of alfalfa in BIG square bales and this week his project is to bring it home and strategically stack it in the barn.  When you see the big round bales of regular hay out in the field waiting to be moved, they are designed to shed rainwater so they can be stored outside.  Alfalfa is generally put up in square bales so it can be stacked under a roof of some sort to protect the precious nutrient dense hay.  It’s very expensive and we carefully portion it out to the dairy cows a little at a time.  They love it and produce lots of milk because of it.  Asking a dairy cow to produce way more milk than it naturally would need to feed a calf means it needs more nutrition, and alfalfa is an important part of that.  It will be good to secure enough alfalfa for probably the whole year!…

The Pastures are Still Green and Lush

Monday, June 17, 2024
Hello friends,
              And just like that it’s summer!  Hot and dry, very seasonal but not my favorite weather.  After so much rain last weekend, the warm, dry air is sucking all the moisture out of the plants, and we actually have to water!  I can’t complain too much.  The pastures are still green and lush, and the pond is still full of water.  We’ll make it.  All over the county, farmers are putting up hay in this weather so I’m sure they are taking advantage…

More Rain!

Monday, June 10, 2024
Hello friends,
              More rain!  Three or four inches in the last 5 days!  We’re not sure exactly how much because there is a little top on the rain gauge that blew off some time in the night and it collected more rain than it officially should.  I don’t think we got that much rain all last year!  We don’t take this for granted.  I just wish I could save up some of that rain and bring it out when we needed it in July and August. 
              We’ve been out of ground beef for a couple of weeks now, but two more beeves are going in this Wednesday, so it won’t be long before we have a fresh supply.  One will be whole cow ground, the other we just have to take a few steaks out of our half Jersey, half Angus steer.  He looks so good.  There are two more steers coming and then we probably won’t have steer beef for a while.  Our grass has to go to the girls so we can milk and make cheese.  That being said, there are three half breed (Angus again) calves due around September 10 or so.  Remember when our neighbor’s bull paid us a visit?  Well, he wasn’t visiting us, rather our frisky milk cows.  We may be tempted to raise up another steer if we get a bull calf.  It takes a long time to get that beef!…

Where Did May Go?

Monday, June 3, 2023
Hello friends,
              Where did May go?  It seems like it just flew past and now it’s already June.  I guess time does fly when you are busy.  And we’re having fun.  We just celebrated my oldest grandson’s birthday yesterday.  How can it be that he is already 6 years old?  Seems like such a short time ago that he was just a little baby.
              Intermittent rains just keep the grass growing like crazy.  We decided that for the number of cows we have and want to have, we will need the pastures for them to graze.  That means we will plan on buying hay for the wintertime.  The last two years were so dry that hay was at a premium price.  This  year, if they can get the hay cut between rains, the price of hay should be lower because of the abundance of grass.  Milk production is still up, and the cows are really chowing down.  Yum!…

A Little Time Off

Monday, May 27, 2024
Hello friends,
              Happy Memorial Day!  A day that is specifically to remember those that have died serving our country, but also is used to remember loved ones in general that have passed away and frankly all service members.  It’s good to be thankful.  We can’t fully understand the benefit that we enjoy because those brave heroes gave the ultimate sacrifice so that we can live securely.  Thank you!
              This weekend was a bit of a mini vacation for Bill and me.  Stephen and Celia and the boys came down to watch the farm, our workers stepped up to the plate and covered for the weekend shifts that they normally have off, and we went to the city for some time off.  We went to the Liberty Memorial, we got sandwiches and ate them in the park, we went shopping, and then went out to eat again before going home to sleep in our own beds.  Then we got up Sunday day morning and after church went up to the zoo.  Today was a workday for us as Stephen and Celia were still here so we made cheese and caught up on some work in the creamery.  All in all, a very pleasant weekend making for two refreshed farmers…

Another Successful Farm Tour

Monday, May 20, 2024
Hello friends,
              More beneficial rain!  The grass is really growing now.  In the yard and especially in the pastures.  I took my window of opportunity and finished transplanting my tomatoes yesterday in a mad rush.  I get so much gardening done just before it rains.  All I have left is peppers to go out and then transplant my lettuce into a triangular planting bed.  Meanwhile, the weeds are going nuts!  The compost I applied was full of weed seeds and they are well fertilized.  Yikes!
              The farm tour was a success!  We already had quite a few people scheduled to come pick up milk, and then we had the tour people coming too.  Stephen and the boys were a big help.  Little Xavier was a big hit as he followed the tours and welcomed all the children and adults.  When it was over, and  after a little “chill” time, we went out to our pond for some fishing.  We discovered that the duck has been spending time on the dock leaving lots of little calling cards.  Actually, big calling cards.  Maybe the rain will wash it off.  We caught 2 fish, so it was a happy excursion.  After a long day, we were so tired!…