I have seen lots of threads relating to the price of milk. While it is great to help support your neighbor farmers it is also a good idea to know how little a farmer gets for all the work to produce your Grade A milk. Presently about $1.25/gal for truckload quantities. I'm one of those, and this is one of many reasons, I am learning about making great artisan cheese.
http://future.aae.wisc.edu/data/annual_values/by_area/6?tab=prices (http://future.aae.wisc.edu/data/annual_values/by_area/6?tab=prices)
Are you in Wisconsin, Joe? I ask because I live in the west central part of the state and am totally disgusted by our governor's veto of the recent raw milk bill. He was obviously bought out by the dairy middle men who are making the money on milk. Passage of the bill would have been a boon to dairy farmers, IMHO, and would have gone a long way towards educating the general public on the benefits of raw milk.
I wish you well on your venture in artisan cheese making.
Did you go to the recent symposium, KK?
MrsKK - I too was disgusted by your govenor's actions. A lot of milk people around the country were watching the outcome. Wisconsin could have been (was in fact) a leader in the raw milk battle. But as we all know it's really about the politics and not public health. In the governor's case he had agreed to sign off on the bill before it was passed and was talked out of it, so the politics were pretty blatant. Lets the big producers maintain their monopoly and dictate milk prices to farmers. This legislation would have gone a long way towards educating the public and more importantly the food industry people. Our largest regional grocery chain is Krogers. They refuse to sell any cheeses that are made from unpasteurized milk. And yet they are selling tons of raw sushi every day.
It's sad that Wisconsin of all places can't sellraw milk. I buy my raw milk from a few some what local farmers for $6/gallon. Here is legal to sell raw milk. Questionable pasturized /homoginized commercial milk is about $4/gallon in grocery stores so I think it a great deal!
I'm getting my raw milk for $4/gal. I don't know if the farmer isn't aware of what raw milk can sell for or if he is just glad to get more than $1/gal from the company that buys it. Either way, I'll consider myself lucky and not tell him what I would pay for it!
No, I haven't been able to attend the meetings. The first one was just 20 miles from home, but my car was in the shop with an un-driveable condition. The second big meeting was in Madison, which is clear across the state and not a place I like to visit (I hate big cities).
It makes me sad, but very grateful that I made the move to get my own cow long before this fiasco occurred. I just hope people wise up for the next election!
Are cow shares or herd shares legal up there? They were just made legal (really, just affirmed) here in Tennessee last year. Many cow/herd shares are now popping up here. It is possible to make a decent living doing a herd or cow share with 2-10 cows and, perhaps, selling some grass fed beef and a few other farm products. This is exactly what "they" don't want farmers doing. Makes them too independent. No farm aid needed anymore. Aid to farmers = votes. Of course, this works in other industries as well.
If this is too political, say so and I will delete it. I get a bit steamed with local, state, and federal governments that keep us from making a real, decent living. Farming is what made this country great. Without it, the industrial revolution could not have happened.
Just MHO
Kristin
No, cow shares are not legal. For a couple of years, Grade A dairy farmers were able to sell shares in their milking license and people could buy raw milk that way, then the legislators decided that they were using it as a way to get around the ban on raw milk, so they outlawed license shares.
It truly is about where the big money is.
I just got back from the store (Trader Joe's) and noticed the price per gallon of generic homo milk has gone up 20cents/gallon to $2.89. I'd noticed the past couple weeks an upward price creep in a local chain store (at $2.69 now), but TJ's prices have been relatively stable - till today.
In Utah the law was changed to allow raw milk but not from small farmers >:(. The raw milk dairies aren't large by diary standard but they had enough pull to outlaw milk shares and milk sold as 'pet quality'. One person I know who has tried it says that by the time they are done testing it and approving released for sale, the milk is 5 days old.
When we were in Vermont last weekend the lady at Shelborne Farms told us they can sell raw milk to people for their own consumption but not to stores now. That's a plus.
Store milk here has been $3.89/gallon for the past two years. I think Walmart milk is $3.15 but it won't make cheese - must be UHT but it doesn't say it. Raw cows milk can be had for $6/gallon. Goats milk is $12/gallon and sheeps milk when available is $8/gallon.
I am really blessed! I only pay $3.00 a gallon for Raw milk. The lady comes to town once a week and makes 2 stops. One of them is just a couple mile from my house. So, every Wednesday, i get my 5 gallons at 12:30. ;D
That's one of the best deals in the country for fresh, raw milk. Be sure you give her some cheese every now and then.
WOW! I can't even get the store stuff for $3/gallon! Good deal!
Yeah, from what i am seeing, it is a great deal. And yes, I have started giving her cheese. I gave her some really good mozz last week.
I went to wal-mart this morning (something we rarely do) and looked at the milk prices and couldn't believe that regular old whole milk was $4.89 a gallon. That is insane seeing that it comes from the processing plant that is just 4 miles from the store.
Fascinating. Milk at Wal-Mart or Sam's Club is just $2.10 here.
Quote from: Sailor Con Queso on September 19, 2010, 12:55:47 AM
Fascinating. Milk at Wal-Mart or Sam's Club is just $2.10 here.
For a gallon or a half gallon?
A gallon. Farmers here are obviously losing money on their milk.
Farmers don't make squat no matter what they charge at the market.
I find this fascinating... http://farm.ewg.org/progdetail.php?fips=00000&progcode=dairy (http://farm.ewg.org/progdetail.php?fips=00000&progcode=dairy)
I'm not sure how the dairy subsidies relate to the small dairies, but if it's anything like small farmers, the subsidies are helping wipe out smaller farms, and helping the larger farms/corporate farms buy up more land.
In Australia the farmer has just had an increase from 20 to 22 cents per litre, yet it retails at $2.50 for 2Lts for the very cheap stuff. Somebody is getting rich!
And sadly it's not the person that should be.
I live in NE Iowa, about 12 miles from the Mississippi river and Wisconsin.
I pay $2.00 per gallon for raw cows milk & $2.75 for raw goats milk.
The Raw cows milk is running about 4% butter fat. (Average this area is 3.5%.
Not sure what the current cost per 100 weight is (pricing changes)
Not sure what store price is as I don't buy milk from the grocery.
I can tell you the milk truck goes down my road every other day at 10:50 AM ;)
Regards:
Wow! You are lucky. I didn't know the milk truck still went down ANY street in this country any more. I still feel fortunate that I can go to the farmer and get it (only 5 miles). I pay about the same. But having the truck come to you.... sweet!
Susan
Quote from: susanky on November 12, 2010, 12:56:25 PM
Wow! You are lucky. I didn't know the milk truck still went down ANY street in this country any more. I still feel fortunate that I can go to the farmer and get it (only 5 miles). I pay about the same. But having the truck come to you.... sweet!
Susan
I didn't mean to imply that I buy from the Milk truck. You see the milk truck has a scheduled route and he passes my home at the same time on his route.
There four or five different dairy's who pick up milk in this area. Farmers sell depending on what type of milk they are selling and who is looking to add on new customers.
I buy my milk from friends & neighbors who run small dairy's. The conversation goes something like this
"Hi Mr farmer can I buy some milk from you?
Farmer ... No I can't sell you milk for your consumption.
Well can I buy some milk for my cats?
Farmer ... Sure how much do you want?
BTW: The pricing is set by the US Gov "Milk Marketing Order" A Colossal piece of confusing Government regulation.
Regards:
$2.75 for raw goat milk... My dream. I pay $5 for the half gallon. :o
Not many dairies in my corner of SoCal.
I pay $10 for a gallon of goat's milk from friends and $5-6 for cow milk. I recently had a bout of angst over the "high" price of milk and asked DH if I should get a cow. After all, we have 160 acres of grass/alfalfa hay, a barn, etc.. He went fairly ballistic, and said that whatever the milk cost, it was cheap compared to buying a cow, feeding, vet bills, etc., etc., etc..
So, I thank those who are willing to do it for me, and am grateful for the opportunity to buy their gorgeous milk. I wish more people had the opportunity to make that choice.
The variation in price of P/H milk across the country is interesting.
I pay 1 euro per liter for raw milk, from the dairy across the field in front of my house. So, whenever I want raw milk I load up my bag with my milk bottles and buy fresh raw milk from the milk vending machine outside the barn, day or night! It's pretty awesome. The only problem is that that local cows (I don't know what they are called, but they are brown mountain cows with stumpy legs and cuter than regular cows) make milk that tastes distinctly like fontina, which is pretty much the main cheese made here. So, every cheese I make tastes like fontina. Other than that it is awesome milk.
I'm still looking for a goat milk source... we have friends with a goat farm up the mountain that would sell us some, but it's a bit of a drive and the roads are too snowy for the next 4 months or so to attempt the drive up there.