Some of you may be purchasing your raw milk directly from the farm. Here are some tips about how to transport and store your farm-fresh raw milk.
Chill raw milk within an hour of milking
Raw milk is approximately 99-102 degrees Fahrenheit (F) as it comes from the cow, and needs to be chilled to 40°F as fast as possible, preferably within an hour of milking since bacteria count doubles every 20 minutes at body temperature. Chilling the milk fast ensures a longer shelf life — and it just tastes better (will have less "off flavors") if it is chilled quickly and stays cool. (If milk does not stay cool, it will sour and separate.)
The bulk milk tank at the organic farm is the beginning of the “cold chain”. Rapid cooling inhibits the good lactic-acid bacteria which causes milk to sour (turning it into clabber) and will inhibit the growth of bad bacteria faster. For optimal preservation of milk quality, it should be stirred as it is rapidly chilling, and it should be kept cool during transportation and storage until use.
How to store raw milk
It's very important that farm-fresh raw milk be kept below 40 degrees F at all times in the delivery system — from tested clean source to home kitchen. Containers that maintain proper temperature are needed all the way to the delivery point. Your milk will stay fresher longer if you never break the cold chain.
Container size and type are important. I have two amber gallon jugs that are optimum for maintaining nutrients and flavor but are heavy to transport. Most choose returnable food-grade plastic gallon jugs, which run about $3.50-$5 each, and label them uniquely on the cap. Bottles or jars larger than a gallon in winter and a 1/2 gallon in summer are not recommended because the large size makes it harder to keep the milk evenly cooled.
Transporting fresh raw milk
For transporting fresh raw milk, a cooler or ice chest is needed in order to keep the milk at a cool 40 degrees F or lower at all times. (It is helpful to have the family name on the inside and outside of the cooler.) When handling milk, hand washing is the most effective way to prevent contamination for all parties; just before filling the milk jugs is important. I recommend Thieves foaming handsoap with essential oils for this and all toxin-free skin disinfecting needs. A rinse with a weak H2O2 solution followed by clear water is good for containers.
How to Freeze Whole Organic Raw Milk
I like to keep a supply of organic whole raw milk in my freezer. I label wide-mouth glass containers like my grandma used for freezing with the words "Whole Milk" and the date. After losing too many quarts of valuable organic milk to burst jars, I now leave plenty of headroom, cap tightly, and lay them on their sides to freeze as quickly as possible, and store them upright after they are frozen. I was surprised to see good quality raw whole milk is yellow when frozen. I think this is because we now see the butter suspended clearly in frozen liquid.
Thawing frozen raw milk. To use frozen low-fat or whole milk, thaw slowly at room temperature. I use a pan of warm water on my wood stove. Don't be concerned if fast thawing results in slight separation of the butterfat from the milk. These are just luscious lumps of Vitamin A & D-rich cream that can be whisked back in — real delicious superfood. I mainly use defrosted organic raw milk to make smoothies, to make kefir (an ancient cultured milk beverage) and for cooking, but it is perfectly tasty by the glass, too.
If you won't be freezing the milk, check the temperature of the home refrigerator to find the coldest area for storing the milk. Use the door shelf only for the bottle in current use. During hot weather, place ice in plastic quart-sized bags or re-freezable gel packs in front of or next to the containers that will be stored the longest. It is important to keep the milk COLD, as I've said before, at between 35 and 37 degrees F and protected from UV (ultraviolet) light to preserve the Vitamin D in the milk.
About the Vitamin D: consider the clear plastic gallons of Grade A pasteurized Vitamin D enriched milk (pasteurization kills Vitamin D) setting in Quick Stop coolers all over America being bathed in continuous light that blasts the Vitamin D that's just been added.
Make sure your milk containers are clean. All organic dairymen I know are sticklers about squeaky clean containers; customers get charged for incompletely cleaned containers (when they've been capped for awhile, they give a definite odor when opened). Food-grade H2O2 (hydrogen peroxide) is uniquely perfect as a cleaner and disinfectant for dairy equipment because its by-product is just plain water.
There's a lot that I've learned since I began regular visits to the organic dairy. Two-quart, wide-mouth canning jars are optimal for ease of cleaning. Use only tempered glass. A good habit to get into is to rinse emptied containers immediately. Use lukewarm water so as not to “set” the milk protein. Then wash in hot, soapy water. Rinse three times with water first to cut suds and then with warm-hot water to speed drying. Drain on a clean dish towel or rack, let air-dry on the counter and then cap. You can also wash in a dishwasher with a non-toxic product.
How long does organic raw milk last?
With care, organic milk that has not been warm since it left the contented pastured cow can be stored 7 to 14 days for drinking as sweet milk, with meals to help digestion or as a healthy satisfying snack. After a couple weeks culturing in cold storage, healthy raw milk develops the subtle tang that advertises that the good lacto-bacillus bacteria are stirring; then it's a wonderful flavor for cream soups, white sauces, and custards.
On the slim chance there will be any left before fresh milk arrives, this treasure can become the healthy liquid that gives sourdough pancakes, biscuits, and bread their taste appeal. I never waste sour milk down the drain — I feed it to my pets — I pour it on my compost — I dump it on the earth.
At least, I would, if I had any leftover to go sour.
Related posts:
39 Comments for "How to transport and store farm-fresh raw milk"
Share your thoughts:
We value your privacy (you must be 18 or over to post). Comments from first-time posters will be held for moderation (but are appreciated).
To make a long dash (—), type three hyphens and our software will convert it.
Balnath Avhad
Comment posted on 08/13/08 @ 6:27 am
How milk is to be handled at 10 deg.celcius.
Diane Vigil
Comment posted on 08/13/08 @ 7:05 am
Hi, Balnath. Welcome to We Want Organic Food.
I'm not sure what you're asking, however, some manner of refrigeration or cooling is necessary. I did find a Fahrenheit-Celcius Converter, which reports that 40° Fahrenheit is 4.4 Celcius.
Does that help?
Lynn Cameron
Comment posted on 08/13/08 @ 11:27 am
Thanks to the F-C Converter at Diane's link here, I found that 10Cel = 50*Fah. So, based upon my experience with uncooked 50* milk from contented, grass-fed cows, I'd say the natural culturing process (also called souring) is just barely beginning from the spontaneous culturing process utilized by our ancestors. The milk will still be sweetly palatable for some time, but will "turn" more the longer it stays above 40*=4.4Cel.
The milk I am fortunate enough to use will spontaneously curd-up (curdle) from its natural living bacteria after 15-20 days even in the refrigerator, but it does not ever spoil (rot) like pasteurized product devoid of life force, and it can be used for tasty pancakes, bisquits and wherever sour cream or buttermilk is called for in a recipe – and at supremely increased nutrient-density, B-complex vitamins particularly. In fact, even cooking doesn't negate its broadly increased food value, and old-time dairy farms always had milk/cream/butter+ in various stages of culturing to the great benefit of both humans and animals living there.
[Kefir can be made]
http://wewantorganicfood.com/2008/03/06/kefir-history-
information-and-a-kefir-recipe/ at warm room temperature while the culturing of yogurt requires some warmer conditions. Even my own farm-fresh milk is heated to scald on the candy thermometer and then cooled when using a culture that needs warmer than room temperatures. This is to allow only the specific strains of innoculant (bacteria) in the product for a mild and standardized taste. You can read in italics on dairy case yogurt cartons the very few LAB that are utilized commercially because these have been the easy and prolific beasties to study and hence, to market .
The vast and diverse symbiotic umbrella of LAB (lacto-bacillus bacteria ), crucial to life on earth, is truly ancient in its sustenance and joy as a food with a bonus for modern times of personal well-being as you experiment and research further its tasty therapy.
Regards,
Lynn
+Consider Little Miss Muffet a healthy maid even if she was afraid of spiders.
Kandace
Comment posted on 09/6/08 @ 7:28 pm
Question – How long does raw goats milk last in the frezzer?
Lynn Cameron
Comment posted on 09/8/08 @ 8:26 pm
Hello Kandace,
I have experience only with freezing raw cows' milk – it is the most readily available to me here in Northern NY, and I like the taste of it much better. As you probably know, flavors of the foods a lactating mother eats are very much present in their milk, and goats will eat most anything. Cows, on the other hand, choose grass over anything else and are even picky about the species if given the chance.
I don't even know how long my cows' milk will last frozen; it's still been perfect after 12 months. I like to freeze June milk because it has the highest cream content then, and the entire nutrient profile of raw milk is peaking as the cows are grazing the first-growth pasture of Spring.
Raw goats' milk may freeze differently because its cream content is lower; it's keeping abilities may be compromised for the same reason. Other than texture and incomplete remix issues at thawing which cows' milk has sometimes, I have no reason to believe that goats' milk wouldn't freeze well for many months. And please remember that, even if its taste is slightly less than fresh, it can always be made into a cultured drink or condiment. Goats' milk yogurt is deliciously mild as well as easy to digest. I often make batches of white sauce with milk past its 'sweetness' and freeze it.
I say if you have an abundance of milk from ANY grass-fed ruminant, by all means, freeze it for later use. It's as good as money in the bank, in my opinion.
Good luck,
Lynn
katie
Comment posted on 10/16/08 @ 4:37 pm
wow- I just bought my first two gallons and this is some very helpful information. Thanks!
Diane Vigil
Comment posted on 10/16/08 @ 5:22 pm
Hi Katie. Excellent, and our thanks to Lynn for writing this article! (And welcome to We Want Organic Food.)
Jack
Comment posted on 12/1/08 @ 2:23 pm
Our family has a farm in Northern California, I am interested in transporting some of our raw goat milk to our home in San Diego. Can you recommend an efficient way for us to transport our raw goat milk? We have 12 goats and will probably be transporting 5-10 gallons at a time. (We drive)
Any input would be appriciated.
Thanks
Jack
Diane Vigil
Comment posted on 12/1/08 @ 3:20 pm
Hi Jack. I'd say that — beyond having a Star Trek "Beam me up, Scottie" device (which would cover the "efficient" part), your best bet is probably to super-chill the milk (as Lynn says above) during your drive and then get it into the refrigerator ASAP when you arrive.
Dusty
Comment posted on 01/9/09 @ 7:54 am
We have a goat farm in No. CA. and I would like to say that goat milk and cow milk are identical in cream %, the difference is that goat milk has smaller fat globules than cow, thus making it easier to digest for most people. It also has one less prtein, and so some people who are allergic to cow\'s milk may dring goat\'s milk.
Goat diaries are becoming more and more popular, mostly due to the latter above.
Goat\'s fed a corrrect diet will NOT have an off flavor milk. In fact grass fed cow milk and raw goat milk are very similar inflavor. On our farm when we have tours we always do a blind taste test. Over 50% tested say the raw goat milk is better in flavor than raw cow\'s milk.
The reason raw goat milk has a bad reputation is that many people who \"sell\" goat milk do NOT process it properly. It must be strained and chilled with-in minutes of milking. Using plastic \"milk\" buckets will severely affect the flavor.
While the article above is excellent and halpful, there is one more thing I must disagree with. Cream INCREASES in % as the animal\'s lactation continues. The first milk (after colostrum) is usually the mildest in flavor, as amount of milk increase for the first three months, then tappers off and eventually the animal dries off at around 9 months. The animal during the last month as it is drying off is milked less frequesntly, the longer time the milk stays in the udder the more off flavors it collects. Between 6-10 months the % of butterfat is the highest.
dusty
Diane Vigil
Comment posted on 01/9/09 @ 8:01 am
Hi, Dusty. Thanks for the information; very helpful! (And welcome to We Want Organic Food.)
Dusty
Comment posted on 01/9/09 @ 9:11 am
Great site. We have a local group of moms who work together, when one spots a great deal on orgainc produce, she passes it on via the internet. It is amazing to me that the family farmer is "held-up" to providing his/her neighbors with the products he produces at the farm.
Another suggestion:
Take a country drive and look around. You may find some family farms that would be willing to sell you some products they can produce on the farm. WE have a local orchard that can not aford employees so the trees are sitting neglected. I suggested she "lease" her trees out. oI suggested our group go out and prune, gather and she gets her other trees gathered and pruned as well.
We have done goat shares in teh past where we "lease" a goat to several families. They pay room and board and we milk for them. they come by once a week to pick up the milk.
Lynn Cameron
Comment posted on 01/9/09 @ 4:40 pm
Hello Dusty,
Thank you for appreciating my article and for your valuable input here. Your hands-on experience is an important addition – actual farming leaves little time or energy for blogging. Ideas like yours coupled with experience are what the current sustainable agriculture movement could use more of. The Obama-Biden govt.sponsored site has quite the heated discussion going on; each email address is allowed 10 votes.
http://www.change.org/ideas/view/legalize_milk
covers both raw goat and raw cow's milk. It's mostly focused around the legality issue and the vegan perspective, at present.
It seems to me work must be done without delay to formulate methods whereby farms under a certain size can be regulated with simplified state laws designed to foster produce safety for artisan and local markets. http://fooddemocracynow.org names a Sustainable Dozen qualified persons already in the govt. arena to support for Ag. under-secretary positions.
It has been asserted that the president-elect\'s choice for Secretary of Agriculture so far has engendered more opposition than his choice for any other department. The Organic Consumer's Association gives the grim reasons and an opportunity to register your opinion.
http://www.organicconsumers.org/vilsack.cfm
Press on, Dusty, and best of good fortune to you and all other farmers. We're lovin' you out here!
Ben Cowart
Comment posted on 05/29/09 @ 5:59 am
I grew up drinking raw cow's milk until the government decided to save us from the terrible effects of consuming the stuff, and outlawed it. Nowadays, my brother, has this herd of goats, and so now we get the raw stuff for free. (We've decided he's the smart one in the family.) The only problem was, it spoiled every 3 days so he was having to deliver it all the time.
I had a lot of experience with a gadget called a Foodsaver. It basically just vacuum seals food in containers and bags. The raw stuff was coming in mason jars, and it just so happens that Foodsaver makes an attatchment for large and small mason jars which works amazingly well. After a little experimenting, I have discovered that raw milk can last much longer in the refrigerator. The current experiment is going on 3 weeks now. I had a glass this morning. It still tastes great. Oh, and my blood pressure is now down to 112 over 82. I can't wait to tell my doctor/insurance company who were trying to get me to take their pills for what would have been a very short rest of my life.
Diane Vigil
Comment posted on 05/29/09 @ 6:11 am
What a wonderful story, Ben — and using the Foodsaver on the mason jars is a great tip.
I'd say at this point that I recognize that some people do (or have had) problems with raw milk. But that could be said about other foods as well. We don't have a problem with it and, in fact, have felt much better since we've gone back to drinking it.
Lynn Cameron
Comment posted on 05/30/09 @ 4:11 pm
Hey Ben, thanks for the post. I, too, use a Food Saver extensively. You're absolutely right, it is a valuable tool in keeping milk and a lot of other organic food tasty and fresh.
My method with milk is to leave about an inch at the top of a wide mouth canning jar and vacuum seal it with my Food Saver. I then lay the jars on their sides in the freezer until they are frozen; then I stand them up for storage. This keeps the milk so beautifully, and laying on their side while freezing gives the expansion more surface so the jar has way less chance of breaking. I make a special effort to get extra milk during May and June for freezing because that is the time when the cows are first on fresh Spring pasture; the milk is extremely nutritious at this time – see http://www.realmilk.com for the why/how of this. In the high meadows of European dairy country, the milk from early Spring grazers is all kept for making cheese because it has special qualities.
I'm finishing up my last quarts from June 2008 making yogurt and cream sauces/soups. I have ordered extra milk for the coming month of June, and I'll be using the Food Saver again. T
Lynn
Bob Putnam
Comment posted on 08/8/09 @ 10:33 am
We are fortunate to have a Dairy that delivers raw milk, buttermilk and cream in South Carolina. They deliver every two weeks. Milk cost is 5 dollars a gallon, buttermilk same. Cream has gone to ten a half gallon …. still quite a deal. The milk ALWAYS lasts fresh. It is only from Jersey cows and all grass fed. The owner's Dad had run the same breed and selected his best cows. Fifty years later, still the same COW.. this is true raw milk from a bygone era. Not plugging any dairy, but Milkyway, L.D. Peeler… is a man who really just loves what he does. MAYBE LOVED COWS… give better milk. I just know as the season changes and I make butter, in spring and early summer GOLDEN butter, then as heat comes… the color disappears. Just WOW to fresh milk. Oh, and the buttermilk… REAL BUTTERMILK… will just blow your mind. It is so great in all recipes, or drinking. I will not even mention how great the cream and butter are. I JUST REALLY REALLY LOVE IT!!!!!!!!! I to was raised on a dairy. But we milked holsteins… they do not give the quality milk that jerseys do. But beats HEATED milk if that is all you can get.
Bob
Diane Vigil
Comment posted on 08/8/09 @ 12:04 pm
Hi, Bob. What a coincidence — I'd done a little research at RealMilk.com's Where can I find Real Milk? and found L.D. Peeler's Milky Way Farms in South Carolina. Hadn't mentioned it here, so thanks for postng your comments.
It's good to hear, too, the difference between milk from Holsteins and Jerseys. Thanks for that tip!
Lynn Cameron
Comment posted on 08/8/09 @ 12:31 pm
Hi Bob,
Hooray for South Carolina and their enlightened laws about real milk! In NY we must make do & belong to a 'buyer's club' to obtain farm-fresh milk, and then it can only be liquid milk. And, it is definitely not a popular idea with the big dairy powers that be here in this state – 3rd for milk production behind CA and WI. Such a shame that my farm supplier who milks 300 organic pastured cows cannot make his own cream and butter to market. Instead, he sells his delicious, rich whole milk from contented cows of several breeds to a huge dairy conglomerate that super cooks and homogenizes this priceless white gold. What a shame and waste of the cows' and the farmers' labors of love!
Lynn
p.s. I use 8 gallons of milk a month with a family of just two. I make yogurt, kefir, freeze it whole and as creamy white sauce. AND there are no overweight or cholesterol problems in the family, either.
Bob Putnam
Comment posted on 08/8/09 @ 2:56 pm
What is really sad here, is that most have no idea what raw milk is. Many have moved in from other areas and think it is gross. Sad, is the most expensive and highly respected milk is the Mayfield Brand. What they do not know, is that a lot of it comes from Mikly Way. Same MILK, but burnt and higher price.
We are really fortunate in other areas, our peach crop is so sweet this year, as are our nectarines. There are a lot of U pick places and for ten dollars can get a bushel. Several smaller orchards use only insects to control the bad pests, so again we are fortunate. Also they never gouge the prices. If you go to the farm, it is cheaper. Even with the milk, at the farm is four dollars.
We have no cholesterol problems nor weight. Most think we are underweight. YOU REALLY ARE WHAT YOU EAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ben Cowart
Comment posted on 08/8/09 @ 3:58 pm
Has anyone heard about any new federal legislation concerning raw milk? I heard there was something called the "Food Safety Act" that was going to make it even more difficult to get raw milk.
Jan Steinman
Comment posted on 01/1/10 @ 2:48 pm
I'm trying to establish a price for organic raw goat cream.
Has anyone purchased such a thing recently? If so, do you recall what you paid?
Thanks!
Diane Vigil
Comment posted on 01/1/10 @ 7:49 pm
Hi Jan. I haven't but, lacking a better solution, you might call some of the folks listed on the Weston A. Price Foundation's Where Can I Find Real Milk? page, which lists sources around the U.S.A.
There's also an Other Countries page (which lists your organization as well).
Perhaps a call to some of these organizations/farms/etc. might render an answer.
Otherwise, I hope someone stops in here with some information.
Lynn Cameron
Comment posted on 01/1/10 @ 8:15 pm
Hi Jan,
You don\'t say if these are your own goats. If they are, then you already know that goats\' cream is nearly as scarce as hens\' teeth. In my estimation, raw goat cream would come very dear; I don\'t think I\'ve ever seen it for sale. Those who sell bovine cream, if you can find a farmer who has a cream separator and who has a use for the vast quantities of skimmed milk that\'s left, calculate how much they charge for a gallon of fresh whole milk, figure how much cream they get from that gallon and then calculate the price from there making sure to factor in the extra work involved in prep and the container.
If I had goats, I\'d be tempted to make yoghurt from every bit of the milk using a very mild \'greek-type\' culture to make a finished product much like creme fraiche; it could be marketed easier than raw cream for just about the same price. Moreover, for adults, it is easier to digest dairy in naturally fermented and cultured form like kefir, yoghurt, sour cream, buttermilk etc. The experienced moms using the traditional kitchen methods of Weston A. Price advise starting babies out early with the sour flavor of these nutrient dense gems so that they\'ll develop a taste that will serve them well lifelong.
Jan Steinman
Comment posted on 01/1/10 @ 10:05 pm
Thanks, Diane & Lynn,
For people living here at <a href=\"http://www.EcoReality.org\">EcoReality Co-op</a>, I did just what Lynn suggested, calculating the price from what I can get for the skim. It came out to $20/kg, not including my extra labour. (I get $5/kg for the milk, and $4/kg for skim.)
I have several regular milk customers that use about half of what I produce, and I make cheese once a week with what\'s left. I\'ve been making raw, vegetable-rennet flavoured chevre, using wildcrafted flavours like haw berry and rose hip. I also make feta and mozzarella.
I got the <a href=\"http://www.novocreamseparators.com\">Novo</a> cream separator, which we use mostly for our own entertainment (ice cream!) but I just made 500g of butter today.
Jack,
For regular transport of raw milk over such distances (must be an eight hour drive!), I recommend a propane or three-way camping fridge. I got a really nice one from Camping World made by Coleman, but I don\'t think they sell it any more. (Just checked, they <a href=\"http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/dometic-portable-refrigerator/27837\">have something similar</a> made by Dometic now.)
Don\'t confuse these with the \"thermo-electric\" coolers, which may not get cold enough. If you do get a thermo-electric, treat it like a cooler and fill it with ice before plugging it in.
Jan Steinman
Comment posted on 01/1/10 @ 10:07 pm
Hmmm… no way to edit once you've saved… I guess I didn't exactly follow the directions for making links… sorry about that…
Lynn Cameron
Comment posted on 01/2/10 @ 4:51 pm
Jan,
Thanks for the nova cream separator link. I'm passing it on to the diary farmer I have a purchase contract with according to NY state laws regarding marketing of farm-fresh milk.
Your cheese sounds delicious, and as your community grows there will be a ready supply for your lucky customers. Are your Canadian laws simple regarding sale of milk raw from the farm?
Jan Steinman
Comment posted on 01/2/10 @ 7:02 pm
Lynn wrote: Are your Canadian laws simple regarding sale of milk raw from the farm?
Unfortunately, no. It is illegal to distribute raw milk for human consumption anywhere in Canada, except in certain special circumstances in Quebec. That's right: you can't even legally give it away.
However, it can be distributed as pet food, and I'm working with a group who is lobbying for setting up a certification system in British Columbia. But that has to wait for the Federal government to say "okay."
It really is quite extreme and fascist. See the story of Michael Schmidt, who had a dozen armed, flak-jacketed police raid his farm and confiscate all his equipment and animals, then they threw him in jail. He had been selling raw milk for a dozen years without mishap nor complaint, but then he sold his milk marketing board rights (worth thousands of dollars per animal), and within weeks, he was raided. Mussolini defined fascism as "the alignment of corporate and state interests." It sure sounds like we're there!
(Hopefully, I have the link syntax figured out this time…)
Sorry for rambling on. Michael Schmidt is my hero. If any are so inclined, please go to his site and contribute to his legal defence fund. He is committed to going all the way to the Supreme Court.
Lynn Cameron
Comment posted on 01/3/10 @ 9:09 am
Jan,
Here's a link for you to find like-minded folks in BC. http://www.westonaprice.org/chapters/#can
Check with them to see what strategy they have developed for marketing. Perhaps you will just have to utilize your lovely milk within your own community. Canada, unfortunately, follows the USA lead in their draconian milk laws. You're certainly right about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
If you don't already know about Weston A. Price, this site is a goldmine of info and support for those of us who want real milk and other nutrient dense foods available.
Jan Steinman
Comment posted on 01/3/10 @ 9:21 pm
Thanks, Lynn! I'm a big fan of the late Weston A. Price and Sally Fallon.
I'm currently reading Untold Story of Milk, by Ron Schmid, which goes into a lot of the work of Weston A. Price.
I also have Sally Fallon's book, Nourishing Traditions: The Cookbook that Challenges Politically Correct Nutrition and the Diet Dictocrats, but I haven't really dug into it yet.
Lynn Cameron
Comment posted on 01/3/10 @ 10:00 pm
Oh Jan, my copy of Nourishing Traditions is well-worn from my years of using it. I like the easy learning on every page. Here on WWOF, I\'ve quoted Fallon\'s cookbook a lot. I am very enthused about her ketchup recipe, published here onsite, and which I make every couple months.
I also highly recommend membership in WAP because of the terrific quarterly journal on food, farming and the healing arts that comes with the very reasonable fee. I just got my Shopping Guide 2010, also included, which is invaluable when trying to decide what to choose in the grocery store.
Suzy
Comment posted on 01/20/10 @ 6:36 pm
I'm a goat breeder in AK, and we do goat share which thankfully is legal here (so far!). People buy a share of my herd, then pay a monthly boarding fee and in exchange receive a share of the milk produced by the herd. I'm starting to re-work my boarding contract to try to engage my shareholders in helping me achieve the solution for the feast-or-famine world of goat milk. For several months in the summer I can barely keep up with the heavy production, I try to pick up new shareholders, and occasionally pitch the excess out to the chickens. But in late winter I am desperate for every drop of milk I can lay my hands on, sometimes contracting with goat-owning friends to cover the short-fall in my own herd.
Although I try to stagger breedings and kiddings as best as I can it doesn't always work out according to my plans. I'm considering the idea of a level-pay plan where one share equals an average of a gallon per week, but in order to receive a full 52 gallons per year they will need to pick up extra in the summer in anticipation of the winter shortage. Monthly boarding fees would remain unchanged throughout the year.
I'd like input from anyone else with a contract along these lines. My hubby is convinced that if people get extra milk in the summer they will quit in the fall & I'll just be out the product, but I figure I can amend the contract to require "settling up" if someone quits. Who else is doing this, and how do you get around this issue?
Jan Steinman
Comment posted on 01/20/10 @ 7:55 pm
Suzy, I'd write your contract for a year, requiring fixed payments throughout the year, possibly with a deposit for missed payments.
Our two Nubians show no sign of letting up, and it's almost February! They're giving almost as much as they did in July. I was going to freshen them this winter, but I think I'm just going to see how long they'll go. I've heard anecdotally of does giving milk for 4-5 years without freshening. So we'll probably breed the doelings next fall, and just let their dams go until they start to noticeably fall off.
Plus the butterfat continues to rise. The last separation run gave me 6.9% heavy heavy cream (it's solid in the fridge; we use it like butter) whereas it was more like 6.0 in December.
Lynn Cameron
Comment posted on 01/20/10 @ 9:00 pm
Jan, I'm so pleased you answered Suzy. I've forwarded her questions to the farmer I get my milk from. They organized our buying club according to WAP advisors – they joined the WAP Legal Defense Fund and so had access to some legal pro-bono advice on the legalalities the organization helps with to support farmers.
We sign a contract for a year with twice monthly deliveries. The minimum purchase is one share which is 4 gallons per month and some single ladies in our group share a share. We also pay 6 mos. in advance.
Your Eco project http://www.EcoReality.org is so exciting and is certainly something the USA might explore. Our laws are becoming so draconian, though, that it might not be possible here. I know of another similar project of the Natural Solutions Foundation, and it is in Panama – Valley of the Moon. They, too, are bounded by national park land. They plan a health clinic/spa because their director is a dedicated natural MD. Currently, they are selling portions to finalize land purchase and run their organic coffee finca.
Lynn Cameron
Comment posted on 01/20/10 @ 9:31 pm
Suzy,
I buy more milk in summer than in winter. In fact, I buy extra in May, June, July because of the rich cream content – hence the Vit.A&D. This milk I freeze and gradually use for kefir and yogurt throughout the dark winter as well as using the fresh liquid white gold.
I guess our share system is run much like what you propose to do. I think your dh is mistaken about folks giving up on having milk in winter. I WOULD NEVER VOLUNTARILLY GIVE UP MY FARM FRESH MILK! And all the folks in my buying club feel the same way.
Maybe Jan would share with you what she feeds her stock in winter to get the incredible volumn w/the butterfat.
A bit off topic:
Studies have been done on the benefits supplemental use of mycellium (makes mushrooms)in pasture lands and in feed provide that look very promising. See the work of Paul Stamets at http://www.fungi.com I learned, among many other great facts, that mushrooms are actually high in VITAMIN D, for goodness sakes! It surprised me since it is known as the sunshine vitamin and mushrooms grow very well without sunlight. I also learned that they love gamma radiation which our planet is being ever more beamed with and is harmful to sun loving organisms. Sooo, I\\\'m going to pursue an idea I had over a decade ago – I\\\'m going to culture mushrooms because it is one of the very slim options open to culture here in camp. The woods I live in the middle of provide the medium and the climate for wild cultivation. I don\\\'t see why AK and BC wouldn\\\'t have good growing conditions for fungi too; there\\\'s a huge number of species and fungi.com sells a good selection of starter mycellium.
Jan Steinman
Comment posted on 01/20/10 @ 11:07 pm
Lynne Cameron wrote: Maybe Jan would share with you what she feeds her stock in winter to get the incredible volumn w/the butterfat.
We're doing nothing special. We have four big bales of hay under cover right outside their "goat camper" (which we drag around in a paddock rotation). The milking does get about 750 grams of 16% protein (plus selenium) feed each day, half in the morning, half in the evening. They have copper/selenium salt blocks available. They have access to fresh pasture and blackberry brambles. We take them on walks a couple times a week — lately, they've been crazy for sword fern.
Perhaps the secret ingredient is the forage pears we cut up for them to eat. These are huge, bitter, hard heritage pears from trees that are about 120 years old. I can't imagine why they were planted, except perhaps for alcohol — or feeding goats! We gather them up in the fall and put them under tarps surrounded by cattle panel (to keep the deer out), then cut them up into bite-sized pieces and feed them to the goats all winter.
Jan Steinman
Comment posted on 01/20/10 @ 11:08 pm
(Sigh, having trouble making links work again. The previous link is supposed to go to: http://www.ecoreality.org/wiki/Image:Carol_night_milking.jpg .)
Lynn Cameron
Comment posted on 01/21/10 @ 12:54 pm
Jans quote: We are doing nothing special.
HA! I don't think so! You farmers are all alike – performing incredible feats daily, more than once, even, and considering it all in a days work that comes with animal husbandry. Your kids are spoiled in a good way, and they reward you with their most valuable offering.
Consider: They have their own camper, and it's open 24/7. They are hand-fed exotic delicacies from trees more than a century old. They are taken for walks by folks who know where the sword fern grows. Their favorite food, succulent grass and wildflowers, is served up with the finest of seasoning, and for dessert they have blackberry bushes. They not only leave the berries for you, but donate delectable cream for you to put on them.
It sounds to me like both the farmer and kids are, indeed, doing something very special. May you continue to prosper, and thanks for sharing.
Jan Steinman
Comment posted on 01/21/10 @ 1:02 pm
Lynne wrote: <i> They not only leave the berries for you, but donate delectable cream for you to put on them.</i>
And the \"berries\" that they leave that are, shall we say, inedible, we put on the garden!
Every now and then, someone will ask me the best way to compost this or that, to which I reply, \"Run it through an animal first!\" Some people go to \"garden porn\" catalogues to get big black plastic composting machines. Our \"composting machines\" give milk and go on walks with us! :-)