Cost and Plans for Micro Dairy-Scale Parlor/Barn in the United States

Started by shf777, March 30, 2022, 11:36:46 PM

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shf777

I am brand new to the site and almost as new to Dairy.  I am thinking about starting a micro dairy business in the United States and am interested in knowing more about cost and plans for a suitable milking parlor and processing facility.  I have a copy of the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance that the Missouri state milk folks recommended I read, to start.  Can anyone who has started a small US-based micro dairy talk to me about how they built their milking parlor and building, and cost?  I understand minimum requirements are "three separate rooms separated by a door, and a bathroom."  Hoping for some affordable, basic plans I can give a builder that meet USDA requirements and are not expensive to build.  Thanks in advance.

Bantams

I can do a phone consult if you're interested.
We're in WA state but the PMO regs are essentially the same across most states. 
I think I would have trouble coming up with cost estimates, but I can discuss equipment needs, building requirements, processing flow, etc, in detail. 
https://www.venisonvalleyfarm.com/farm-consultations

ArnaudForestier

Quote from: shf777 on March 30, 2022, 11:36:46 PM
I am brand new to the site and almost as new to Dairy.  I am thinking about starting a micro dairy business in the United States and am interested in knowing more about cost and plans for a suitable milking parlor and processing facility.  I have a copy of the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance that the Missouri state milk folks recommended I read, to start.  Can anyone who has started a small US-based micro dairy talk to me about how they built their milking parlor and building, and cost?  I understand minimum requirements are "three separate rooms separated by a door, and a bathroom."  Hoping for some affordable, basic plans I can give a builder that meet USDA requirements and are not expensive to build.  Thanks in advance.

I have long been out of all of this, so everything below might be incredibly dated.  And with the usual "are you sure's - incredibly tough, profit margins narrow and precarious?", etc. out of the way, while they cannot give specifics as to pricing out your idea, they were helpful to me when I was planning for a small French alpine creamery.  If you don't know them, Gianaclis Caldwell is a gem and her books are great.  This is hers, on starting a small creamery, though I heartily recommend all her books:

The Farmstead Creamery Advisor: The Complete Guide to Building and Running a Small, Farm-Based Cheese Business
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1603582215/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This is more on making then putting together a business (esp IIRC seasonal considerations), and it's been a long time but if memory serves, this was a good read:

American Farmstead Cheese: The Complete Guide To Making and Selling Artisan Cheeses, by Paul Kindstedt.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1931498776/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Also in my purchases over the years, can't recall much but perhaps it's useful:

Farmstead and Artisan Cheeses: A Guide to Building a Business, by Barbara Reed.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1601076924/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Again going on faint memory but there are a ton of stories here on the site of people doing just what you want to do, replete with everything you'd want to know.  I'd just encourage you to poke around here as there is a wealth of specific material you might very well find immediately useful.

Good luck to you.


- Paul