Dairy Cow Herdshare Buy in (Full Share)

Benefits of Raw Milk:
Most lactose allergies disappear because raw milk contains the proper enzymes and probiotics that allow your body to properly digest it while improving your gut health with good bacteria that shield you from undesirables in your gut. Raw milk is immune boosting and has also been correlated with reduced risk of respiratory infections and fevers, as well as reduced risk of asthma and allergies. There’s SO many more healing and health benefits in addition to all this. We encourage you to do your own research and do not take any of the info above as accurate as we are not doctors or health professionals.

What is a herdshare?

A herdshare is where the consumer does not buy milk from the farmer; rather, they pay the farmer for the service of keeping the animals and her labor for milking. Herdshare programs share the farmers' liability since the consumers are members and the consumers are drinking the raw milk from their own membership of herdshare and therefore allows protection for both parties (as raw milk laws can be tricky).

Here’s the basics of how this is expected to play out:

Herdshare’s structure and pricing can vary greatly depending on location, size of farm, etc.  My thoughts for this herdshare would be based on the fact that we are hyper local to Dripping Springs, and would plan to stay very small and family owned (no more than 4 cows max).  We will have an open door policy (or visitation days) where we welcome our herdshare members to come visit with the cow if they like – I know especially for families with children this can be a fun experience and provide some good education on where their food comes from.  We could offer milking opportunities if anyone wanted to try milking, etc.  It could be as hands off as you like, or you could get more cozy with our sweet cow if you like.  The cows would be pasture, grass, and hay fed with minimal grain supplementation as needed when lactating.  All organic, all natural and all the goodness.  No antibiotics unless it’s needed for lifesaving causes and deworming as needed with natural protocols always as a first choice. (If either of the aforementioned is ever needed we will follow protocol of making sure any substance is out of her system before sharing milk products again). We plan to put a lot of time, effort and money into maintaining a healthy pasture and parasite free area for our cows. As a mother of young kids myself, I really love the concept of bringing in the families for experiences throughout the year, so that thought is extra special to me.

We charge a yearly buy in fee of $350 which would go towards larger yearly expenses, vet bills, pasture improvements, equipment, the cow purchase itself, etc.  This would allow us to maintain and constantly improve the area where our dairy is coming from, which I put a lot of value on.  A happy and healthy well taken care of cow is going to provide us with the best milk!  Then, the monthly “maintenance” fee of $65 goes towards feed, labor, and other regular expenses.  This includes a gallon of raw milk a week for each herdshare member.  Milk would be in re-useable half gallon glass bottles that need to be returned each week to be sanitized and re-used (dropped off when you pick up new milk).  If you need more milk or less milk we can make adjustments based on your family’s needs.  I also plan to make butter, cream, and other dairy products so for example, if you only need a half gallon of milk a week, we could also provide the cost equivalent of the other half gallon in butter/buttermilk/yogurt/cream etc.  Udders will be sanitized with iodine before milking. We will flash cool and filter the raw milk directly after milking to maintain freshness and quality. I plan on having local pick up days and hours and other days pickup by appointment if the normal times don’t work for whatever reason.  I am also looking into what delivery would look like, there would be a delivery fee involved and I’d need to map things out time-wise or hire a delivery person – so let me know if delivery is a deal maker or breaker for you!  As we grow, I envision a farm stand with a fridge that has codes given to our members so they can access at will for their weekly dairy products – there will also be farm fresh eggs, sourdough, and other products when available on honor system.  

I hope this paints a good picture for you.  Please let me know if you have any questions.  I’m only looking at A2A2 small farm Jersey cows that are of high quality breeding, family friendly/very sweet, and have been screened for diseases.

PLEASE do share and let me know of others who may be interested in joining in.  It takes a village to make the best milk happen!