Herd Sharing Allows Customers To Benefit From Raw Milk

Herd Sharing Allows Customers To Benefit From Raw Milk DAIRY EQUIPMENT & IDEAS The desire to provide healthy milk for their 8 children prompted Mike and Tammy Mitzel to start their “Herd Sharing operation ” They produce milk and a wide range of dairy products for their family and have enough left over for five individuals who own a share in the Mitzels’ goat herd All the “herd sharers” appreciate the value of raw goat’s milk “There are increasing numbers of people who cannot tolerate the lactose in cow’s milk but can enjoy the nutritional value of drinking real milk since goat milk is lower in lactose ” says Tammy Mitzel “That’s what led me into herd sharing In South Dakota it is not legal to sell raw milk unless you become a licensed raw dairy but it is nearly impossible to attain when you are small ” Customers pay one time for a share plus monthly care fees They receive regular deliveries of milk based on production over a year’s time If customers decide they want to quit their share they can sell it to someone else or give it back to the Mitzels Just five milking goats in the Mitzels’ herd of Nubian goats provide more than enough milk Mitzel says “Nubians have higher butter fat content in their milk so it makes good cheese ice cream pudding and Neufchatel cheese which is lower fat compared with cream cheese ” she explains Even after making all those dairy treats there is still extra milk during high milk production periods So the Mitzels recently started making soaps The Lonely Goat Soap Company to sell locally and through a website “We made soap last year for a church fundraiser We had such a positive response and people wanted more ” Mitzel says “We have quite a variety My husband is creative and we have everything from manly smells to flower smells Vanilla almond is one of our best sellers ” The couple’s children played a major role in developing the business and profits go into their college funds While they could expand and add more shareholders Mitzel says the small size works well for their family It provides extra income and is a good learning experience for their children Three sons between the ages of 12 and 17 and a 9-year-old daughter are involved in milking and caring for the goats “The boys benefit from 4-H involvement learning about record-keeping business practices and work ethic ” Mitzel says Each goat’s volume of milk is recorded every time they are milked That helps keep track of herd health and to make breeding and culling decisions “This is a commitment that takes time and effort ” she emphasizes to anyone considering herd sharing The Mitzels spend a couple hours a day on goat chores including milking twice a day She highly recommends contacting www farmtoconsumer org to set up a herd sharing operation whether small or large The organization provides safe milking practices training helps write contracts and answers questions about setting up shares For now a small operation is good for the Mitzels but they are open to change “If we were willing to allot more time every day into milking I’m sure I could find more herd share folks and grow the business ” she says Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Mike and Tammy Mitzel 38560 127th St Aberdeen S Dak 57401 ph 605 941-9955

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