FAQ Page
Here is a list of our most frequently asked questions. If you don’t find the answer you are looking for please contact us and we are here to help.
How much is the milk? Because we sell our milk in a herdshare we don’t sell milk individually to the public. If our members would like to add more milk to their order we charge $11.50 per 1/2 gallon.
What if I sign up and I’m not happy with the situation? We offer a 100% guarantee, no questions asked. If you’re not pleased with the milk, or our service simply contact us via email or text and we’ll gladly refund you.
What if I’m gone and cannot pick up my milk that week? If you're planning to go on vacation or won't need milk for a certain amount of time, please let us know before the last day of the month. We'll prorate the next month's bill.
If you're unable to let us know before the end of the month, you'll end up paying for the whole month, and the milk that won't be used will be donated to a veteran or family in need in Columbia County (that's where the dairy is).
If you have an emergency, we will work with you through it. In some cases we will offer a gift card that you can use on your following months invoice.
What happens if I forget to pick up my milk?
If you are meeting us at a specific place & between a certain time & miss your window, we will take the milk back to the farm.
If your milk is left in a cooler, you can try to pickup later, but it’s completely at your own risk. Any milk left in coolers will be returned to the farm.
If your milk is in a fridge and it’s still there the next time we restock we will take the milk back to the farm.
ALL LEFT OVER MILK IS USED FOR CALVES, MAKING CHEESE, OR GIVEN TO OUR EMPLOYEES
What do I do if I forget to return my glass jars? Each jar has a tag with your name on it. If your jar(s)& tags are not returned when we go to fill your order the following week, we will put the milk into a recyclable plastic milk jug. Once the jars are returned we’ll fill your order in glass.
What do I do if I want to add more milk to my order this week? Contact us via email or text ASAP to let us know. We fill our orders 24 hours in advance (due to our strict testing standards). If we have the milk available we will invoice you and deliver your milk with your regular order. The trick is to give us as much time as possible.
Do you offer any other services besides raw milk herdshares? Here is a list of prices for our services. Feel free to add any of these to your membership. You can contact us if you'd like to add an individual item during the month. We'll try to accommodate. Please note that orders in quart & pint jars will have a glass jar deposit with them.
Monthly Share Prices.
Herd Share = $50 per month for a 1/2 Gallon of milk each week
1/2 Herd Share = $30 per month for 1 Quart of milk each week
Cream Share = $65 per month for 1 Pint or $100 per Quart each week
Kefir Shares = $32 per month for 1 quart or $55 per 1/2 gallon
Individual Pricing
1/2 gallon of milk $11.50
1 Pint Cream $16
1 Quart Cream $28
1 Quart Kefir = $8
1/2 Gallon Kefir = $14
Do you test the milk? YES! We test our milk every day. All of our orders are filled 24 hours in advance so we have enough time to get our test results back. Our milk is tested for chloroform & a standard bacterial test. We pride ourselves on offering our members the best raw milk possible and this is one way we make that happen.
I can’t pickup my milk, can I send a friend or family member? Of course you can. We ask that you let us know the person’s name and phone number beforehand so we have a record of everyone who has access to our lock codes.
How can I visit the farm? During the late spring, early summer, and December, we open the farm up on specific days for our members to come up for a visit with the staff, meet the cows, and enjoy each others company. We are limited on the resources to have our farm open to the public at this time.
Does milking hurt the cows? Do they like being milked? No, the milking process does not hurt the cows. We set our vacuum pump to a level that only allows the right amount of pressure to extract the milk without harming the cows. Our cows enjoy getting milked and meet us as the gate every morning to get their turn to be milked.
What do you feed your cows? Our cows have access to pasture, alfalfa from Eastern Oregon, and local grass hay 365 days a year. We also supplement them with a clover grass seed pellet to keep the taste of our milk consistent and the cows in prime condition. We do not use corn or soy, and if a cow needs a special mix to bring her body condition up we offer her a beet pulp pellet, rice bran oil, and rolled wheat or oats, but this is only on special occasions and only until her body condition gets regulated.
How often do you milk the cows? One time a day in the mornings.
What if I want to switch from glass to plastic jugs? Simply contact us via text or email and let us know. When you glass jars & tags make it back into the system, we will refund the jar deposit.
How do you treat your cows if they get sick? We aim to treat our cows as naturally as possible. There are lots of natural remedies that we use to treat an array of illnesses or wounds. If the cow is not responding well to the natural treatments, we will take the advice from our vet and, if needed, administer an antibiotic. If the cow has been given an antibiotic, the milk will not be used for human consumption until the antibiotic has cleared her system. Under no circumstances will we allow a cow to suffer if we can prevent it. They are our pride and joy, we love them, and only want the best for them.
Can I feed my milk to my dog or cat if I have extra? We are not vets, just farmers. We allow our animals to consume the raw milk in small doses as treats. It is your own personal choice what you feed or don’t feed your animals.
Is your milk good for making cheese? Of course. Raw milk is the best for cheese making. Depending on the type of cheese you are making & cultures you are using, you’ll need to make sure you follow the instructions closely. The fresher the milk, the better it is for cheese making, so make sure to pick it up right away.
How many acres of pasture do the cows graze on? Our farm is on 27.7 acres. The house and barn yard sit on about 3 acres, the rest is roated seasonally for the cows to graze on. In the spring and fall we rotationally graze the cows so we don’t overgraze the pastures.
Do you spray herbicide on your pastures? In the spring & fall we walk the pasture with backpack sprayer and direct hit each weed we see. Tansey, pigweed, thistles, and blackberries are what we aim to control. The cows are not allowed into the areas that have been sprayed for 48 hours afterwards. They don’t much care for any of those weeds anyways and don’t eat them.
Do you milk by hand or machine? We use a machine to milk the cows. This takes the milk directly from the teet through a filter and into the milk bucket keeping the milk clean the entire processes.
Are the cows vaccinated? Wormed? Yes, we vaccinate and worm our cows. The wormers & vaccines we use are specific to dairy cows, so they don’t get into the milk supply. We’ve been asked if the vaccines we use are mRna, at this time, the pharmaceutical companies are not required to label the vaccines mRna, so we don’t know if they are or not anymore. We work with our vet who understands our desire to be as natural as possible and they only adminitures what is necessary for our area and the size of our herd.
