On farm leasing of dairy animals?

[Chicken Fruit]

I tried posting this in back yard herds too, but that forum isnt as active as this one quite yet, and you people are pretty knowledgeable too

I had an idea not too long ago, and I wondered if anyone might have an idea of the legalities involved.

I run into a lot of people who need or want raw, safe, milk, either goat or cow, but either dont have the time, space, or ability to buy the animal themselves. BUT these same people cannot buy raw milk by NY state law.

WE have the time space and ability, and are getting some milk goats this year for our own uses. I grew up with dairy cattle and at some point would like a mini cow for our home use as well.

Why cant I have a partial lease agreement with people for a set period of time on an animal, which allows them access to said animal once a week or twice a week, for them to care for and pet and love on the animal. Part of the care being that they milk the animal. Then the milk would be theirs because the animal is partially theirs.

Theres a lot of safety issues for the animal to consider and iron out, but there HAS to be a way to do this.

Has anyone considered, known of, or could imagine how something like this would work?

 

[NGT ANGL]

There are a lot of people already doing this and doing it successfully! Wish I had someone closer to me so I could buy a share. The cnearest place to me has a nice website which tells a bit about how they do it. Here is the link to the site - http://www.averysbranchfarms.com/. Good luck in you endeavor and wish I lived closer to you!

 

[Chicken Fruit]

ooo, see, good minds think alike, I knew there had to be SOMETHING like this available, or at least considerable.

 

[Chicken Fruit]

Thats pretty expensive! wow, 100 on etime fee, 35 a month, one time bottle fees, all for 4 gallons of milk a month, and not during the time when the cows are first bred and dry. holy cow!

I cant imagine charging that much, or wanting to pay it. But I bet they make a pretty penny doing it... lol. Cornell has an extension office in our area, I contacted them to find the best direction to go concerning legalities. If there's a way to do it it sure would be a way to cover the costs of our own dairy goats. Done right maybe even to make a profit.

 

[NGT ANGL]

The cost/charge/fee may be a locality thing - that particular farm, I believe, is near Richmond, VA which can be a bit of a pricey area BUT the main thing is that you have a lead now and know it can be done!! Best of luck - I will be rooting for you!! Let me know how it goes when you get yourself started!!

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Actually I really doubt they are.

Remember that costs are not just hay and milking labor -- yearly cost for maintaining facilities (or setup costs amortized over X years) are nontrivial, also general cow-keeping labor, also routine and emergency vet expenses, also extra testing that is done b/c the milk is being sold raw.

The main reason that pasteurized milk doesn't cost that much is that a) it's produced on a much vaster scale, thus with more economy; and b) its price is government-subsidized.

Talk to people doing cow-share. I do not believe you will find them getting rich off it, in any way shape or form. Most that I've seen seem to be doing it as a matter of principle, because they strongly believe raw milk should be more widely available, NOT because it's such a great business to be in

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[Chicken Fruit]

Thats true, but Iam not getting into it as a business or income per say, just want to help cover the cost of the goats or cow we keep for our own use. And find a way to share the extra milk. We cant use 7-10 gallons of milk every week, more or less, but we can certainly share it out!

A small one time purchase" or lease fee, plus a monthly boarding fee, maybe 20 bucks a month.. it would cover the cost of a couple 50# bags of feed or 6 bales of hay. Depending on how I worked it and how my animals produced I might be able to lease out the same animal to more than one family- meaning two gallons or milk each week out of my production. 40 bucks a month... not a bad idea. Not impossibly expensive either for the consumer- we are in a low income area, with a few well to do post-yuppy hippies.

I dunno, I have to sit and really work out the costs versus risk versus income. If all else fails I could always dye the extra milk blue and donate it to the local animal shelter, or sell it for non-human use.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Be sure to HAVE A CONTRACT!!!!!

 

[patandchickens]

It would be an awfully good idea to find out what your homeowners' insurance has to say about this sort of thing. Not only because they may not cover it, but also because it is possible that if you were doing it without their knowledge and it was against their policies they could potentially drop you, which can also make it real hard to get anyone ELSE to cover you either.

Looking into some sort of liability insurance, perhaps incorporating the thing as a separate business to protect your own assets, would not be a terrible idea either. A person doesn't necessarily have to win a big suit against you to still cost you pretty much everything you own.

I've known a couple people basically-bankrupted by running a boarding barn (in one case) or teaching riding lessons (in the other) without appropriate insurance coverage etc, when Something Happened.

I know there are some people who are blithely unconcerned about those sorts of possibilities, but in case you're not one, just thought I'd point it out.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat