Rooted in Family
Five generations of family farming, fresh local goods, and handmade products rooted in Grants Pass since 1951.
Windmill Springs Farm began as a family homestead and has grown into the farm stand you see today.
What started with raw milk has expanded into a mix of farm-fresh products, homemade goods, seasonal offerings, kids’ sensory play, and hands-on classes. Through every new chapter, we remain focused on family, caring for our animals and land, creating things by hand, and sharing what we love with our community.
Five generations later, we are still growing, creating, and finding new ways to bring a little piece of the farm to your family.
Our Story
Windmill Springs Farm is more than a farm. It is a piece of family history that has been growing for more than 75 years.
How Raw Milk Became Part of Our Story
Our story began in 1951, when Viola Thrasher moved to Grants Pass and began homesteading and farming this property. The original farmhouse was a barracks from Camp White during World War II, transported to the property on a flatbed cart. Viola’s husband, “Bud” Thrasher, used his equipment to build the barn, level the land, and help shape the property into a working farm. They were fortunate to purchase land with irrigation rights, which have helped generations of us continue caring for and working the land.
Over the years, the farmhouse grew, new buildings appeared, and plenty of animals called the farm home. Goats, sheep, beef cattle, horses, chickens, pigs, and dairy cows have all been part of our story.
Viola and Bud raised two daughters here. Their youngest, Susan, still lives on the property today. Susan’s daughter, Valerie, became the next generation to help shape the farm, and Valerie’s children, Seth and Kate, grew up as the fourth generation on the land. Today, we have reached our fifth generation, continuing a story that began more than seven decades ago.
Our raw milk journey began when Kate had her son, bringing the fifth generation into the family. From birth, he struggled with stomach issues, and we tried option after option in search of something he could tolerate. Then, over a holiday weekend, the formula they had been using was recalled. With few options left, we reached out to a local raw milk producer. The transition took time, but we felt we saw a remarkable change in how he was doing. Raw milk soon became a regular part of life for us.
Then came an unexpected opportunity.
We learned that the people we had been purchasing milk from were selling their cows. Grain prices were climbing, COVID was just beginning, and the sellers no longer had the property they needed to maintain the herd. We contacted them immediately.
And just like that, we bought the cows.
Not just the cows, either. We took on the milker, the refrigerator, the jars, and even the existing customers.
Our first priority was simple: make sure Kate’s son still had access to the milk that had become so important to us. But suddenly we also had cows producing extra milk, customers looking for it, and a brand-new business to figure out.
From Our Farm to Your Family
A lot has changed since Viola and Bud first began working this land in 1951.
A World War II barracks became a family home. A piece of land became a farm. A milk refrigerator became a 4-by-8-foot shed. That little shed grew into a farm stand. And what began as us searching for something we needed has grown into something we now get to share with our community.
Through every version of the farm, the heart of it has stayed much the same.
It is about family.
It is about caring for the land and the animals entrusted to us.
It is about making and creating things with our own hands.
It is about learning as we go, passing knowledge from one generation to the next, and finding new ways to keep a family farm growing.
Five generations after Viola first called this property home, we are proud to continue her story and grateful to share a little piece of Windmill Springs Farm with your family too.
It started simply with a refrigerator for the milk. Then Seth built a little 4-by-8-foot shed around it, with room for the fridge and a small assortment of goodies.
One thing led to another...
That tiny shed eventually grew into the farm stand we have today, filled with farm-fresh products, homemade goods, seasonal offerings, and plenty of ideas that probably started with someone saying, “What if we tried this?”
The dairy has grown right along with it. Today, we are continuing to develop a herd selected with grass-based farming in mind. Our cows are soy-free and receive minimal grain, and in 2026 we added a brand-new milk processing room to support the next chapter of the dairy.
Kate originally took the lead with the cows, but as life and motherhood became busier, Seth stepped in and eventually took over the day-to-day care of the herd. Today, he handles the majority of the milking and cow care and has become the driving force behind the dairy side of the farm. Kate has since moved on to a new adventure, while Seth and Valerie continue growing the milk business and farm stand together.
From a Milk Fridge to the Farm Stand
Carrying the Farm Forward
Meet the people helping shape the farm's next chapter.
Susan - Susan still lives on the property and keeps a watchful eye on the herd. Now known around the farm as “Gramma Susan,” she remains one of our go-to people for cow questions and research, drawing on years of experience that include raising grand champion beef cattle.
Seth - Seth has taken the lead on the dairy side of the farm, handling most of the milking and day-to-day care of the herd. He also keeps much of the farm running behind the scenes through maintenance, repairs, and building projects. If we dream up something new, there is a pretty good chance Seth is the one figuring out how to build it.
Valerie - Valerie continues to help grow the milk business and farm stand while also dreaming up what comes next. Most recently, that has included creating our Little Farmers sensory play line and developing new products and ideas for the stand.
Kate - Kate originally took the lead with the cows and played an important role in the beginning of our raw milk journey. As life and motherhood became busier, she stepped away from the day-to-day dairy work and moved on to a new adventure, but she remains an important part of the farm’s story.
Lindsey - Lindsey helps with social media, design work, and our growing online presence, including the website. Her connection to Windmill Springs Farm goes back more than 25 years. A longtime friend of the family, she spent time here growing up and now helps with everything from labels and product design to sharing what is happening around the farm. As a mom herself, she has also been helping shape the Little Farmers sensory play line alongside Valerie.