For those with cow share programs

[Yakiniku]

I live in California and while I know I can buy raw milk in the stores, it's pretty expensive stuff. After looking at the cow share program brochures at realmilk.org, it seems like it would be a lot cheaper in the end to just get my milk direct from the farmer. I just wanted to know what everyone else' experience with this has been, is it really cheaper, how did you find a dairy farm that does it, etc. Also, I have been trying to find cow share progams in CA, but have come up with nothing, so if you have any info on that, I would love to know. Thanks!

[newcastlemama]

If you call your local WAPF chapter leader than you can get some info. From what I have read, it seems to be 1/2 price than the Organic Pastures milk sold in the HFS for $7 1/2 gal here.

[samuel1:8]

I found my farm on Realmilk.com. Once I found one nearby, I met with them and they showed me around, how things work, etc. I pay $30/month (1 gallon of milk per week) which I suppose is a lot, but it is one of those things that is high on our priority list.

[kbchavez]

The flip side of California's great fortune in having raw cow's milk available in stores, is that it is highly regulated in a way that doesn't allow small farmers to legally sell raw milk. And there is not much incentive for them to buck this law since most customers who want raw milk will buy it at the store anyway. I'm allergic to cow's milk and live in Southern California, and it was a challenge to find a source of raw goat's milk. I have to drive a long way, and the goats eat grain instead of forage. I think it may be easier to find on farm sales of milk if you're in Northern Cal.

[Tcarwyn]

I am in CO and I too found my farm through realmilk.com...I pay $28 per month for 1 gallon a week which I think is really not that expensive considering that I would pay $3 or so per half gallon of supermarket organic milk. We did not drink very many milk, but now my kiddos like some warmed milk before bed, and I make yogurt with part of it too. And this has TONS of cream ( I just had some of it over a pear...

But a huge part for me is that being a cow share owner give me the right to also buy all their other products ( chicken, eggs, duck ( and their eggs) turkey, bison, beef, pork, cream, butter, cheese, raw honey) and it has allowed me to only really have to shop for veggies at the supermarket ( and trashbags

Tanya