I posted this in the Southeast Permies group, but I thought I'd throw the idea out here, too.

I live in the north Gilbert area (Baseline & Greenfield), and was wondering if anyone would be interested in a milk "cow-op." The idea is that we share a milk cow. This means we share the cost of a cow & setup (we have the space), share the milking and cleaning duties, and share the product, which is raw, non-homogenized milk. It would work something like this:

Benefits:

  • Raw milk and cream from your own cow.
  • You only get the milk you use, and don't have to deal with excess.
  • You only milk once or twice/week, according to your needs.
  • The costs are shared by all "members."
  • You can have a cow and milk even if you live in a subdivision.
  • You get training on how to milk the cow.
  • You don't have to be a cow expert. Most of the care, breeding, calfing, etc. would be taken care of for you.

Duties:

Each contributor would be assigned times to milk & clean, based on their membership.

Costs:

  • There would be a "membership" cost, to fund the initial setup, including the cow.
  • There would be a periodic (monthly or quarterly) payment to fund supplies, maintenance, replacement costs, breeding costs, etc.

I don't know what all this would add up to yet, but it will definitely be less than keeping a personal cow. If there's enough interest, I'll research the costs to see if it's feasible.

The way we're thinking about this, the membership can be sold, so the initial funds can be recouped if you decide not to continue.


If you're interested or have any questions, please respond to this post or email me at FarmAndGarden@i4ie.com.

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Replies

  • How to get her here? We need to assemble a group, divide usage, costs and make a schedule for care and milking, milk storage...I am willing to do whatever is necessary. Do you know people and costs? BTW thank you for responding to my posts.

    • We've put together a pretty good cost breakdown for setup and maintenance, given that we have a pasture that supplements the feed. I'll be working on an aquaponics fodder system soon to compensate for the dormant grass as the weather cools. Do you have a place for a cow?

  • Man, loop me in! I tried this a couple years ago and got no replies. I really would love to do this!

    • We've received quite a bit of interest from many directions. Actually, more than the cow can support, so as she comes closer to calving we'll be putting the names into a first-come-first serve list and seeing who is serious about working with us on this.

      A friend just over the canal from us just sold off her three milking cows. One went to another friend of ours down in Coolidge who ended up not being able to take the time to milk her, so that cow is for sale again. She's a sweet cow with a newborn bull calf, so it's just about time to start milking her. If I hear that any of the cows went to the west side, I'll let you know. Maybe you could make a connection.

  • Hello,

     

    I just joined the group and wanted to find out if you've made any decisions on the co-op?  I would be interested in joinging it depending on cost.  I live in Avondale(we are new to the area...from Indiana).  Would this make sense with where you are located?  I am not sure how far you are.

     

    Thanks!

     

    Sarah Williams

    • Sarah,

      Welcome to the group!

      You're about an hour away from us, so unless you do a lot of commuting to the East Side of the valley, it wouldn't make sense for you. But there might be other opportunities for you nearer your home.

      We did get a Jersey and she's due to calf in October, so we'll start milking in November. People have come out of the woodwork asking about it, so once I have time to work out the details, we'll be good to go.

      We also ended up with a Nigerian Dwarf goat in a horse trade (make that a goat trade) that we may milk as well. She's a little cutie with blue eyes. Since the cow's name is Pebbles, we named her Bam Bam. (a little masculine, but fitting, nonetheless.)

    • Sheri,

       

      Do you have any ideas on how I could find a farmer close to me?  They don't exactly advertise it around here.  In Indiana I could have probably found someone pretty easy.  I grew up in a small farming town.  It's not as easy here...and we don't really know too many people yet.

       

      Thanks for any suggestions...

    • Sheri,

       

      Thank you!  I do travel over to Paradise Valley to shop at Whole Foods but only every other week.  That's too bad.  There is a Health Food Store that sells it but it's more expensive and still a 30 minute drive...and I'd like to be able to see the condition of the farm and the cow.  It's sad that it's so hard to find.  If we had the land and know how I'd do it myself.  I've not had the pleasure of drinking raw milk myself but I want it for my two babies.  I don't want to feed them the store bought junk...I know it's not healthy for them.

       

      Thanks for responding and good luck with everything

    • Sheri, nice you acquired a goat.  The Nigerian's are one of the only or few to have a blue eye strain and as I noted a while back the Niger's are just wonderful.  Depending on her lineage you may be surprised at how much milk she gives you if you choose to milk her. Good Luck :-)

  • I have updated information on making this work, including cow costs, milk quantities, etc. If you're interested, please email me at FarmAndGarden@i4ie.com.

    We have our eye on a 3-year-old experienced Jersey.

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