What is herdsharing?
In many states, West Virginia included, it is illegal to buy raw cow or goat milk. If you’re new to the term “raw milk” you might ask, “Why would anyone want to buy raw milk? Isn’t pasteurized milk better and more healthy?” For a discussion of the health benefits of raw milk in general and goat milk in particular, please click HERE. Then, come back!
So, now you want raw milk, and we farmers have more milk than we can use! But, we can’t legally sell it to you. However, there is no law against a person drinking raw milk from his/her own dairy animal.
“Great!” you say, “But, what if you don’t farm, or can’t keep a goat, but still want all the wonderful health benefits of raw milk?”
(Cue the herdsharing theme….) WV law provides you an opportunity to purchase part ownership of a dairy herd, which then entitles you to consume raw milk from your goats.
For a monthly maintenance fee, you quite literally share a herd with the farmer and other raw milk lovers. You share its expenses, and you get to drink its milk!
At Storybook Farm, we raise dairy goats, so we’ll talk about goat milk for the rest of this discussion.
About the taste of goat milk…
Let’s see: it’s creamy, sweet, delicious — oh, not your impression? Have you tried fresh goat milk, or only bought it off the shelf in a store? If you have never tasted fresh goat milk from Mini Nubian goats, you are in for a treat!
As a breed, Mini Nubians are a newer development. They combine the best features of Nubian goats and Nigerian Dwarf goats. Both are dairy breeds. Nubians are known for their sweet milk. Nigerians are known for milk that is high in butterfat, rich, creamy, and great for making cheeses. Combine these, and you get milk that tastes wonderful… and did we mention that it’s full of health benefits?
And, you get beautiful colors and long floppy ears. What’s not to love?
If you’re local, in Pendleton County, WV, you owe it to yourself to come by for a taste test! We bet you’re gonna find that you like our fresh goat milk far better than any kind of milk that you’ve ever bought in a store!
Back to how herdsharing works…
In a nutshell…
In a typical herdshare agreement, you pay a one-time fee for each share of a herd. This is the purchase price of the share. Congratulations! You are now a goat owner! AND because you now are part owner of our herd, you must pay the farmer a monthly fee (called an agistment) for boarding your goats, caring for them, and milking your dairy animals.
Each share entitles you to a percentage of milk from the herd, per week. So, typically, one share evens out to about a half-gallon a week of delicious, creamy milk from our goat herd.
Some farmers also offer “value added” products, where they will turn your milk into cheeses or yogurt, for instance, for an added fee. We do this.
So, the monthly fee you pay covers a portion of the farmer’s expenses in keeping and milking your dairy animals. The farmer then hands you a weekly allotment of milk from your herd. Thus: the herdshare owner legally obtains (but does not purchase) the milk from his/her own herd.
You can think of this arrangement as similar to owning a share in a condominium timeshare—but much easier to get out of!—or to a CSA share for a farm’s vegetable produce.
Sharing the Storybook Farm Goat Herd
Herdshare agreements (which are legally binding contracts) vary from farm to farm. Here is how our system works.
First, the cost of a share in our goat herd will be $25 per share. This is the cost of one share, and entitles the shareholder to a percentage of the herd’s milk: basically, 1/2 gallon of goat milk weekly, dependent on production. If you want to consume more than a 1/2 gallon per week, you can purchase two (or more) shares.
The monthly board expense (agistment) for the animals per share will be $10.00. You will pay this amount to Storybook Farm at the start of each month. Keeping it simple for the moment (because there are some details I’m leaving out here) you will then receive your percentage of the herd’s milk through the month.
- Milk ebbs and flows with the seasons, and all products are subject to shortages or overages because we are dealing with live animals here. We work to do year-round breeding, but the fact is that goat milk is more plentiful from March to November than it is from December to February.
- We are therefore adopting and “in first, out first” approach: those who are the first to buy herdshares will get priority when milk supplies dwindle.
There will be modest start-up fees. The herdshare owner will need to purchase at least two (2) half-gallon mason jars (with lids) for distribution purposes. These will cost $3 apiece. (If you wish to have your milk delivered in gallong jars, they are $7/each, and you’ll need two.)
If, at any time, you find that herdsharing is not working out for you we will buy back your share(s) at the same rate you purchased them for (currently $25/share). Shares are not transferable to other customers.
Storybook Farm will work out with each member of our herdshare family how best to transfer the milk. Some will need to pick up at the farm; others can get delivery in/from Franklin, WV. Each week, herdshare owners must return a clean 1/2 gallon jar (or other washable containers) to their pick-up place for filling of their milk allotment or value-added products.
Storybook Farm is offering to make these value added products:
Goat Milk Products: (all must be ordered at least a week in advance).
- Feta cheese
- Chevre cheese
- Mozzarella cheese
- Greek-style yogurt (can be purchased by non-herdshare customers)
- Farm cheddar cheeses (can be purchased by non-herdshare customers)
The prices of these products will be similar to what is purchased in Franklin grocery stores, but, of course, superior in terms of freshness and taste, not to mention those health benefits! (Oh, have you not read about the health benefits of goat milk yet? No? CLICK HERE!)
How do I get started?
Drop us an email and let us know you’re interested. You might then do several different things, depending on you!
- Come for a farm tour and do some taste testing of our milk, yogurt, and cheeses. Do bring the whole family, if you want to. Petting baby goats is part of the whole experience. To make an appointment, email us at storybook.farm.wv@gmail.com.
- If you want more details about the program and how it works, either come to the farm or start an email conversation with us: storybook.farm.wv@gmail.com.
After we have made contact, we will send you a link to a page that is ONLY for those who are ready to take the next step and commit to herdshares. We hope you will be one of those friends who decides to share in our goat herding adventure!