In order to enjoy all the benefits of raw milk in Colorado you are required to have a “milk share” or “herd share.” Essentially it is lawful for you to drink raw milk from a cow you own, so the milk share allows you to participate in the cow’s boarding fees and as a result you get a gift of the milk she produces. So you will need to become a member or our private association (unincorporated association) and get a milk share. 1 milk share is 1 gallon per week and membership must be “renewed” weekly (cancel anytime but with at least a couple weeks notice please). You can also do half shares; 1/2 milk share is a half gallon. Milk will come in 1/2 gallon glass mason jars (we use Ball brand with the Ball brand lids).
1 milk share for A2/A2 milk will have a membership dues of $20
1/2 milk share for A2/A2 milk will have a membership dues of $10
Jar Deposit is $10 for 1/2 Gallon
Jar Deposits is $20 for 1 Gallon (these are two half gallon jars)
We now have a few shares available, contact us to join and get raw milk.
Unwashed Jar fee – $1 We understand that some members are living off-grid and water is a precious resource. The same is true for our homestead. We only have so much water ourselves and this was a serious consideration on whether the milk share was going to be viable. For sanitary reasons we will wash all jars a second time when they arrive back in our hands. The initial wash by members means it makes this part much more efficient and also means we are not using excess water, effort, and time cleaning. Thank you ahead of time for your consideration and respect. As you can imagine we end up with many many jars back in our hands that need to go through this process so please take the time and effort to wash jars before returning them. Otherwise we are happy to wash the jars for a $1 fee per jar for our resources, effort, and time (and sanity lol).
UPDATE January 2025
In order for us to continue to provide this wonderful resource to the community via membership, the private association will need to increase the milk share fees to keep up with the cost of caring for the cows. When we recently assessed the maintenance and care of the cows we found that the fees were not covering their feed let alone the other expenses that go into providing raw milk shares. When the cows were pregnant but hadn’t had their calves, their feed would last much longer. What we are learning is now that the cows have had their calves and are producing milk they eat more and are going through their feed much quicker. There have also been costs to caring for the cows that are beyond our original estimates. In addition the cows are not giving near as much milk as anticipated. This could be because they are grass fed with only the occasional organic grains as a treat so it may result in less production than if they were on a grain diet. In any case there are more costs going in and less milk coming out so in order for this to be sustainable the membership fees will increase. The aim is $10 per half gallon jar by 2025. Jar deposits will be $10 per jar. We thank you ahead of time for your support and understanding.
All milk available will be A2/A2. To learn more about the difference and benefits of A2/A2 milk click here.
Jar deposits are collected for the first week membership, after that you can return your clean and washed jars so that you do no incur another jar deposit fee.
Where to find us: For Summer 2024 we plan to be at the Walsenburg Farmer’s market each Sunday from 12-2 PM. For Summer of 2025 we have not determined if we will be at the farmer’s market. In the meantime you can check out the pick-up location. See information below.
Pick up location: We will have a refrigerator at Local Roots Vintage Food Market located at 623 W 7th St, Walsenburg, Colorado [81089]. NOTE: Local Roots was kind enough to offer their store as a pick up location but they are not the ones running the milk share membership and are not apart of the private membership. Please contact us directly if you have questions or comments.
Instructions: We plan to drop off 1/2 gallon milk jars at Local Roots each Thursday. There will be a refrigerator in the store for you pick up your milk. There will also a drop box on the side of the fridge for you to drop off your membership agreement if it is your first time signing up and getting milk. Use this same drop box to pay your membership dues, make sure to put a sticky note or envelope with your name so we know the membership due paid is associated with your membership. You can find these membership agreements near the fridge. Your first time you will need to pay the $10 jar deposit, on subsequent visits you can drop off washed and clean lids in a bin/box next to the fridge to save on the next jar deposit, if possible please put a sticky or rubber band a piece of paper with your name on it so we know who returned their jars. If you forget your jar you will need to pay another $10 for the next jar. Instructions will be posted on the refrigerator as well. We will do it this way as long at makes sense but will tweak the logistics if needed.
We will be collecting milk and dropping off at Local Roots market each Thursday. To get the freshest milk please pick up your jar sooner than later as the milk is perishable. Your name will be on your jar to pick up. Notes: This is non-homogenized milk (read more here) so the cream will separate and you will see a cream line. You can always shake it up if you prefer to drink your milk with the cream mixed in evenly. You can also scoop out the cream and use in cooking or baking and then you have skim milk left over if you prefer skim milk over whole milk. This milk is a living food and as such will go through a fermenting process as is natural, which can give it a natural sour taste after some time. Much of this depends on how you store it and how fast you go through the milk. See FAQ’s more more information.
To get join and get a milk share contact us at [email protected]