Cow Shares
1.Why cow shares and what are they?
Owning a share in a cow enables you to enjoy the freshest, most natural milk
available. The only way to enjoy real, unprocessed fresh milk in Virginia is to drink it from your own cow, or your part of one. Think of it! Owning your own cow, and boarding it at a local farm. You may visit your cow at any time. We, the farmers perform a service for you by feeding, caring for, and milking your cow. You benefit by being able to utilize the milk.
Each cow can produce about 20 gallons a week, so each cow is divided into 20 shares. If you own one share in a cow you get one gallon a week.
2. How does Sweet Land Farm’s cowshare program operate?
To become a cowshare owner you must purchase a share in a cow. Welcome to
the true stock market. One share costs $75.00. This is a one time fee
and you own this portion of the cow until she dies, unless you decide
to sell it. As long as you own your cow there is a monthly boarding fee
of $35.00. This includes any care she needs, food, and of course
milking.
3. How long does a cow live?
That depends on the cow. Anywhere between 7 to 15 years.
4. When does a cow make milk?
A cow only produces milk after it’s had a calf. The cows at Sweet Land
Farm lactate for about 305 days and ‘dry off’(do not produce milk), for
the last 60 days before their next calf arrives. This way your
rejuvenated cow calves with vigor and produces ample milk for the next
season. This means for 60 days your cow will not be producing any milk.
5. Why can't I get milk year round?
A cow needs a rest period for at least the last sixty days before she gives birth to her next calf in March. Since you are recieving milk from a single cow there is no milk for the last 60 days of her lactation.
6. If my cow has a calf each year, what happens to the calf?
Sweet Land Farm retains rights to all calves.
7. Are cowshares legal?
Absolutely.
8. How do I buy a share?
Just contact us through e-mail, or phone letting us know how many shares you would
like, where you are located, and when you would like to start receiving milk.
Please have a credit or debit card handy as the boarding fee is deducted automatically each month on the second week of the month. You will need to obtain a bill of sale for your portion of the cow and read and agree to the cow boarding agreement. Also, please let us know if you would like your milk delivered to a drop site or picked up on farm.
9. Where do I get milk each week?
Your milk will be ready on a certain day each week. On that day you can pick
it up on the farm in Willis, or it can be delivered for a small fee of
$2.50, each week, to one of our drop sites. Currently we have drop site locations in Floyd, Roanoke, Bedford, Glad Hill, and Blackburg. If you would like to see a drop site in your area let us know, and we’lll see what we can do.
10. What containers do you use?
We offer all of our milk in half gallon glass containers. Each share
owner purchases a set of four jars at $15.00 once they purchase their
cow share. This provides you with one gallon in fridge, one on farm
waiting to be filled, one in transit, and one extra to cover any broken
jars.
11. Do you recycle your containers?
Yes! Each week when you pick up your milk you need to drop off your used (but cleaned)
container from the week before. You will need to clean your jars, so they are ready to be refilled.
It is important to thoroughly rinse your jars with warm water (not hot water, this will cook the milk residue to the glass) and a low-residue soap. Then wash and sanitize in very hot water before returning them to the drop site. It is very important for them to be dried thourghly before they are returned. Your jars will be labeled with your name. We will keep track of missing jars. If you neglect to bring back your jars 3 times, you will be notified. Please inform us if you accidentally break a jar and we will provide a new one for you out of the surplus jars. It feels silly to be so strict, but those jars are expensive!
12. Why Seasonal dairying?
Our cow's dry periods correspond with the harshest part of the year in
Virginia. Due to their small size, Jersey calves do poorly in the
terrible cold and snow of January and Febuary. March weather provides
new calves with the warmth they need to thrive.
Also, March is when the grass starts to grow again, providing the nutrients
you want in your milk, nutrients that you will not get from hay fed
cows. Winter milk has significantly lower amounts of Vitamin A, D, and
CLA. These nutrients are the most important part of milk.
Moreover, seasonal dairying gives us a break. We are not lazy, but raw milk must
be produced with great care. On account of this, my wife and I are the
only ones who milk your cows. The break in the winter provides us with
the rest we need to be able to milk with vigilance and strict attention
to cleanliness for the next 10 months.
Lastly, having a break from the monotony of milking day in and day out gives us
a chance to take a critical look at our system and revise things, work
more efficiently and sustainably. Most of the year there is little time
to read a book and get new ideas that could help us take better care of
the land, your cows and provide better quality milk to you.