...should be in the farm forum.

I think this is a great way to suppliment the homestead! sure gets you past all the legalities of selling milk for human consumption! I know that when I milk and get 13-18 gallons of milk a day, there is only so much cheese I can make, and after a few weeks the dogs and chickens run the other way!

Milk prices are down for dairy farmers by 30%. They are working for 1970 wages and paying 2002 prices. Someone in the household needs to make money and cover health insurance. Farmers sell wholesale, but have to buy retail. The dairy industry is in sad shape! We import milk from New Zealand and other countrys. Cows are a worthless commodity right now. They are not worth the feed you have to feed them!

I am not a dairy farmer, my wife works for a cow breed assosiation.

In New Hampshire you can sell raw milk from the farm, I think in Vermont too. You can go to a dairy and buy fresh todays milk and maybe a dozen eggs here. Just like the old days, The cream floats to the top, you shake or stir then serve. More people should buy direct. When my children were small they loved going down to the farm to buy milk! You would have to bring your own container and if you went at mlking time you got warm milk. If you wanted to try milking they taught you. If you went when no one was around you helped your self. The milk would all be dated. The old milk would be fed to the pigs. A good cow makes alot of milk and when she freshens you get another animal! If you have a pasture, live on a homestead, like animals and have children a couple of cows and a flock of chickens go along way. Throw in a dozen pigs and a large garden you will not starve! You feed the pigs, grain, milk, hay and garden vegies. They love greens of any kind. You keep what you need and then post to your milk customers live ready to butcher pigs in the fall. They pay for the butcher and pick the pork up from the butcher.

This is true country living that we need to get back too.

We have several dairies in our area,the first 10 years of my life was spent on one,, many of the local dairies do hire out for just milkers,, we used to milk the morning shift,,however after a few good kicks to my head,I quit,LOL,,,My husband milked for years when we were first married ,His aunt has done milking shifts for the last 30 years,,,here alot of the dairy ranchers tend to work as well as run the ranch so they milk one shift and hire for another,,
,we normally trade for milk with a family who still hand milks their two pet cows,,we have considered getting a milk cow,, just to provide milk,, however since we live in a wilderness area it was not advised,,sooo we trade and buy in the meantime

,we let the milk set in the fridge to seperate then, skim the heavy cream off, using it to make butter and icecreams,, from the buttr we have the buttermil which I use for cooking,our kids prefer the milk leaner,, so this works great for us,,
jwj