I have some friends who are very interested in helping our little homestead grow and they want to 'sponsor' a goat. Which means they are willing to help with expenses of bringing on another goat in milk, pay for her upkeep of hay, grain, minerals, etc. in exchange for a portion of the milk she produces. The husband also happens to be a chef so he would help me learn how to make cheese as well and has the equipment to do so. Before taking this leap I was wondering if any others had people sponsor animals on their homesteads and how they went about it both short term and long term. For now the short term would be receiving milk while she is producing but I am pondering what long term looks like. I know it would surely involve sharing of milk again but then there is the whole kid aspect added. I also am unsure how my time spent caring for all needs, milking out twice daily, etc. weighs against their expenses of upkeep. What are your thoughts on this?
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Be very aware that is a fine line there. It totally depends on the exact wording of the laws in your state.
I had asked someone if they would board my goat and I would come and milk her a few times a week and they could have the milk when I didn't get there. They were not willing to do that as it was possibly crossing that herd share line (which is not legal here). I understood.
I have had people ask if they can milk mine and keep the milk they milked out as that would not be transferring it. I declined because even though they would be taking milk they milked, the animal still belonged to me and is cared for by me. I am super cautious because I foolishly had TB tests done not realizing it was putting my animals on a federal registry as being used for milk! It was for nothing because I live in a TB-free area and there was no need to test.
I have an idea - since I've wished we could do the herd share thing but won't take a chance given Massachusetts is grouchy about raw milk although maybe not as bad as Wisconsin.
Perhaps if YOU are willing - these people buy a goat that THEY own and become a partner in the farm - they grow their own goat/goats. You guys get to team up to do interesting things together and form a work plan.
I don't do this but what I do is have 2 people help me on my farm. One is a volunteer and she and I don't want her to be a partner but essentially she is unofficially. I couldn't do what I do without her support mentally and physically at times. I pay someone else to do some of the chores just to give me a break sometimes.
IF this person bought his own goat - could be one of your goats or a baby or some lovely doe you wanted - you guys could create quite a fun set of goals and benefit from each other. With him owning the goat - there should be no issue with milk or cheese or any such stupidity.
If only I were queen!!! I've been saying that an awful lot recently.
Judy
It is also illegal in Washington state. Our law forbids "sale or transfer" of raw milk which includes herd shares unless you are a certified dairy. I cannot legally give my own granddaughters raw milk at my kitchen table because they are not members of my immediate family residing in my household. The way the law reads, I cannot board a goat and give the owner milk from that goat. Our law was changed a few years ago because of an outbreak attributed to a local farm in November of 2005 and has now gone to the extreme but, thankfully, we can still purchase raw milk from certified dairies and it is available at various grocery stores. I have mixed feelings about this incident and have heard several different stories; however, a friend's child is one of those who was hospitalized and nearly died - she was a long-time advocate of raw milk, note "was."
As Deborah says, the laws vary state-to-state. Because there is such a anti-raw-milk movement, we must be super careful to abide by the laws and not give those people anything to use to get their way.
Our law is why I make only custard-base ice cream (completely cooked) and pasteurize my milk before making yogurt or cheese. Then there is no question about anyone having raw milk from my girls.
Deborah Niemann-Boehle said:
Rachel and Rachel, thanks for your responses. :) I'd never heard the term herd share before and the thoughts on sponsorship vs. herd share are interesting to note. I'll tuck them away in case I ever move, LOL! As Deborah noted I live in WI, land of the cheese heads and some of THE strictest guidelines on dairy regulations.
Thank you so much for sharing the link you provided Deborah. I hadn't thought about the legal aspect of bringing a goat home and providing milk in return to someone taking it from here when there wasn't any money involved, but alas it isn't legal. It would be considered a herd share and we can't do that. I did further research in to all our guidelines and it appears there is an amendment to the laws trying to make it possible for farms to sell raw milk. It passed the Senate in 2013 but the session closed before it could move further. In March, I believe, it became active again but even with the changes it would still be quite intensive for the smaller farmer to achieve selling raw milk successfully. Of course there is all sorts of heat surrounding this because of our dairy industry worrying over losing money so who knows if it will ever really pass.
Dede it would've been a sweet deal, huh? Too bad my state is so strict! :P Like Deborah said our dairy industry in WI is powerful and there aren't very many people willing to mess with it. I know he'll still help me learn how to make cheese and he can enjoy some milk while he is here - no one can tell me what I serve guests in my home, at least I don't think they can, haha, but I wish he could've taken some milk home with him.
To me that sounds like a sweet deal, and he is willing to help you learn how to make cheese. You should have a contract I would think to protect you and your interests and the sponsors also. Good luck in this venture.
As Rachel said, what you are describing sounds like a herd share, which I think is illegal or questionably legal in Wisconsin. The legality varies from state to state, but I know WI is very anti-raw milk. The dairy industry up there is very powerful. This map has a little info:
http://www.farmtoconsumer.org/raw_milk_map.htm
I like the idea of a sponsorship over a herd share, because I think it makes it more clear that there is no profit for the person sponsoring. I think legally, it is more clear too. You can write up a definition of what sponsorship does and doesn't mean, and have them sign it, saying they understand. What exactly it will entail is really up to you. Just be sure you're following your state's laws. In Oregon, I would not be able to offer cheese, but raw milk would be fine. The person sponsoring would be required to come to my farm to pick up the milk, though. It's illegal to transport raw milk for sale (which I think even a sponsorship would technically fall under) Cheese sale requires licensing that I do not care to get. Soap, I could offer if I wanted, though.