A Different Kind Of Milk In Milford
MILFORD — One of the last places to expect a camel would be in rural Milford, but four can be found in the Blakeslee family’s pasture. Amber and Luke have spent the past two years researching and preparing themselves to bring them to their humble home where the camels have plenty of room to gallop and graze. Born and raised in Milford, they’re excited to see where River Jordan Camel Dairy will take them and how it will impact the community.
“It has really been a neat bonding experience, to wake-up in the early mornings and evenings to go milk together,” commented Luke. “Five years ago when we got married, we didn’t really put on our to-do list to milk a camel at 6:30 in the morning.”
They were searching for a different kind of animal that could be ridden and worked with at home. They began their start-up by hand-making soaps and lotions from camel’s milk, which has built up their business followers. There are plenty of benefits from camel’s milk such as being naturally anti-oxidant and low-fat, with a molecular make-up that’s friendly to lactose-intolerant people and children on the autism spectrum.
Being involved with dairy camels has led them to connect with similar people around the country known as “cameleers.” The Blakeslees attained their camels from Bender Camel Dairy in Shipshewana, the same ones who had been supplying milk for their lotion and soaps for the past few years.
Amber and Luke own three home-based businesses between the both of them while raising two children. With a great support system and loving what they do, they make it a priority to balance their time. They contribute a special thanks to their parents, the Wawasee FFA farm hand, Logan Hollar, and vet, Dr. Tom Smith, for helping them.
“We’re usually busy but we try to keep everything balanced,” said Amber. “We don’t want to be so busy that we’re not taking time just to hangout with the family, especially when our siblings are visiting. We want to spend time with them.”
“Definitely one of our goals with the camels was to use them as a tool to connect more with people,” added Luke. “We don’t have a lot of neighbors and it’s easy to feel isolated. With young kids, it can get tricky and difficult to visit with other families.”
Having camels isn’t without challenges. The test in the first few weeks was establishing a new routine for the animals. Camels only drop milk for 90 seconds; the more relaxed the animal is, the great the milk let-down, whereas adrenaline in an excited or nervous animal directly blocks a good flow. Unlike stereotypes seen in movies, camels are mild-mannered, friendly and forgiving creatures though they can be ruffled if there is something off in their daily routine. Smoothing out small changes is a daily goal to keep the dairy running smoothly.
Future plans for River Jordan is to host camel treks, rides, tours, take part in live nativities at local churches and expand the line of food and cosmetic products offered. After only having the camels for three months, training has been a big part of the Blakeslees’ summer. Much like teaching a child good manners, camels are taught basic ground manners such as heeding and lying down.
While still in their fresh stages, the Blakeslees hope to show the community what great animals camels are and share good experiences with them. Amber and Luke will have a booth set-up at Rentown Old Fashion Days and Nappanee Apple Festival along with their camels.
“This has been our goal for the last two years. It was achieved through a lot of serious thought and prayer.” Amber informed. “We didn’t just jump into it after those first light bulb moments. It has been a goal for a long time that we achieved through a lot of patience, hard work and persistence.”