So what exactly is a Cow Milk Herd Share? Well, a herd share, or otherwise known as a farm share or cow share, is where people buy shares of a milking cow or herd, and pay the farmer to care for the animals and milk them. As owners, the shareholders are entitled to the milk from their animals.I would not be selling milk to you; instead you are receiving milk from your own cow. MHF currently has one milking Jersey cow with plans to add a milking shorthorn before mid 2019.
How does the Cow Share work? One Cow Share provides 1 (one) gallon of milk per week. The cost of the share is a $100 annual fee (non refundable), plus $40 per month for board. I can also offer 1/2 gallon shares at $20 per month, or 2 gallon shares $60 per month. MHF takes excellent care of our cows. They are given free choice 2nd cut hay, and are on pasture 24/7. Our cows are supplied with clean water daily, have access to a lovely new shelter if they choose, are brushed clean, fly sprayed overall doted on.
Why a Cow Share? Well Reason 1. fresh raw milk just can't be beat. Much healthier than conventionally pasteurized milk plus, you can make all kinds of dairy products with your fresh milk, from cream, to butter and cheese, to keifer and so much more. Reason 2, With so much controversy in today's day in age around the treatment of commercial dairy cows and their calves, by utilizing a cow share you know exactly where you milk is coming from, and can feel good knowing the care both mother and calf receive, why still enjoying milk. The calves stay with their mothers until the appropriate weaning age of 6 months. Mother cows are milked 1-2 times a day depending on what the calf needs and their natural production. Dairy cows have been selectively bred to produce way more milk than their calf could ever drink. The reason they pull calves in the commercial dairies is because it leaves more milk for the market and makes them more money. Leaving a calf on a mother cow makes it much harder for a commercial dairy to conduct business (getting the cows into the stalls for milking, cleaning them, etc). A herd share with a local farm provides you not only with delicious raw milk, but also a peace of mind knowing you are supporting humane farming.
Oh yes, raw milk,, isn't is dangerous to drink? To answer that question, I want to go over why pasteurization became a thing to begin with. Pasteurization of milk was developed out of necessity as the result of the dairy industry trying to cut corners and maximize profits. In the early 1900's,, confinement feeding with grain began to rise in popularity. It was a faster way to get the cows more food at a higher nutrition level, so they would in turn produce more milk faster. It was also a much lower maintenance way to feed the cows as you didn't have to worry about maintaining pastureland. Pasteurization of milk began when cows were house in these concentrated feed operations, and was necessary to kill the bacteria from the cows that were fed in these crammed spaces, wading in fecal matter, in full confinement and then fed an unnatural diet. MHF's cows are 95% Grass fed. I will give grain only if the cow looks like she needs it to maintain proper body conditioning. My girls graze on pasture all day long and it is cleaned of manure weekly. There is no confinement of our cows, no wading in fecal matter, and no corners cut when it comes to proper cleaning technique and milk processing.
What is proper cleaning technique and milk processing?
Milking Process
How do I get started?! So you'd like to join the herd share? YIPPEE!! You will love the fresh raw milk and feel its benefits almost immediately!! To get started first email me to find out share availability. Once availability is confirmed, simply fill out the Cow Milk Herd Share contract, and send it back via to the same email address.
How does the Cow Share work? One Cow Share provides 1 (one) gallon of milk per week. The cost of the share is a $100 annual fee (non refundable), plus $40 per month for board. I can also offer 1/2 gallon shares at $20 per month, or 2 gallon shares $60 per month. MHF takes excellent care of our cows. They are given free choice 2nd cut hay, and are on pasture 24/7. Our cows are supplied with clean water daily, have access to a lovely new shelter if they choose, are brushed clean, fly sprayed overall doted on.
Why a Cow Share? Well Reason 1. fresh raw milk just can't be beat. Much healthier than conventionally pasteurized milk plus, you can make all kinds of dairy products with your fresh milk, from cream, to butter and cheese, to keifer and so much more. Reason 2, With so much controversy in today's day in age around the treatment of commercial dairy cows and their calves, by utilizing a cow share you know exactly where you milk is coming from, and can feel good knowing the care both mother and calf receive, why still enjoying milk. The calves stay with their mothers until the appropriate weaning age of 6 months. Mother cows are milked 1-2 times a day depending on what the calf needs and their natural production. Dairy cows have been selectively bred to produce way more milk than their calf could ever drink. The reason they pull calves in the commercial dairies is because it leaves more milk for the market and makes them more money. Leaving a calf on a mother cow makes it much harder for a commercial dairy to conduct business (getting the cows into the stalls for milking, cleaning them, etc). A herd share with a local farm provides you not only with delicious raw milk, but also a peace of mind knowing you are supporting humane farming.
Oh yes, raw milk,, isn't is dangerous to drink? To answer that question, I want to go over why pasteurization became a thing to begin with. Pasteurization of milk was developed out of necessity as the result of the dairy industry trying to cut corners and maximize profits. In the early 1900's,, confinement feeding with grain began to rise in popularity. It was a faster way to get the cows more food at a higher nutrition level, so they would in turn produce more milk faster. It was also a much lower maintenance way to feed the cows as you didn't have to worry about maintaining pastureland. Pasteurization of milk began when cows were house in these concentrated feed operations, and was necessary to kill the bacteria from the cows that were fed in these crammed spaces, wading in fecal matter, in full confinement and then fed an unnatural diet. MHF's cows are 95% Grass fed. I will give grain only if the cow looks like she needs it to maintain proper body conditioning. My girls graze on pasture all day long and it is cleaned of manure weekly. There is no confinement of our cows, no wading in fecal matter, and no corners cut when it comes to proper cleaning technique and milk processing.
What is proper cleaning technique and milk processing?
Milking Process
- Shave the area around the udder, and brush belly and hinds leg well to remove any debris.
- Clean each teat using udder wash in warm water. One paper towel per swipe of the teat- no folding the paper towel and reusing it. You may NOT re-dip a used paper towel into the udder wash.
- Forestrip: removing 3-4 squirts from each quarter helps to check for abnormalities and removes the milk containing the highest somatic cell count.
- Dry each teat and surrounding udder.
- Attach milker or begin to hand milk.
- Once complete all four quarters are sprayed with an anti bacterial agent called "Fight Bac"
- Once milking is complete, all milk is immediately filtered and put into the share holders containers (1/2 gallon glass mason jars with plastic lids)
- The jars are then placed in the freezer for proper cool down.
- Jars are then placed in the refrigerator and kept at 35 degrees. NOTE: It is important to keep your milk between 35-38 degrees especially when transporting your fresh milk on those hot summer days.
- Milking buckets, Udder wash buckets and when i have it the milk machine are all thoroughly cleaned and sterilized after EVERY milking. Every third milking all equipment is cleaned with a dilute bleach solution to ensure no build up of milk stone.
How do I get started?! So you'd like to join the herd share? YIPPEE!! You will love the fresh raw milk and feel its benefits almost immediately!! To get started first email me to find out share availability. Once availability is confirmed, simply fill out the Cow Milk Herd Share contract, and send it back via to the same email address.
Meet the girls!
This beautiful lady is Honey. Honey is a registered Jersey cow and is due to calve this month (March, 2019). A Jersey cow as a part of my herd share herd is a necessity as the breed has the highest butterfat content of all the dairy cow breeds, (which happen to be the same reason I breed Nigerian Dwarf Goats!), and I love the yummy creamy milk they produce :) Honey is bred to a registered Jersey bull and I am thinking pink! I would love to add another Jersey heifer to our Cow share herd!
This pretty lady is Maybeline. Maybeline, is a registered Milking Shorthorn. She is bred to an award winning shorthorn bull with sexed semen, (which is so fascinating to me that they can sex semen!) and has a 95% chance of having a heifer. The bull is also homozygous polled, which means there is a darn good chance the calf will be polled as well (polled is when they are naturally hornless, as opposed to disbudding). I am a fan of polled cows as I am not a fan of horned cows, but also feel horrible disbudding them. Maybeline is slated to join the herd end of April, 2019.
Currently, MHFs milking cow herd is kept at a sister farm in Newtown, CT to allow them the space to graze on pasture, something I don't have enough of here in Bethel. The pictures above are from their previous homes. I can't wait to receive them and update the site!