# Wondering about dairy farming in the US



## odin1985 (Jan 6, 2015)

Im looking into the possibility to restart a live in the US, and given that in venezuela we have a farm i wanted to maybe continue the tradition that came from my gramdparents.

But i was wondering is it possible to live off dairy farming?
What are the challenges that i would probably be facing off(currently biggest challenges are finding every day needs and stuffs)?
What am I looking as a initial investment?

Thanks if you can answer some of this and maybe give me some more ideas of what i would need to know.


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

Probably the best thing to do is find an area where you like the weather, check if there are dairies around and take a job on one. (VERY cold in Minnesota right now) Many opportunities here to do that and learn the business. It is hard, long hours and many regulations to be a grade A dairy. It depends on the size but it takes a lot of good feed to produce all that milk. Don't know of any homesteading size dairies around me. Small dairies are 60 cows and go up to 2 to 3 thousand. There used to be a small goat dairy close but they stopped. It was more a hobby farm (20 goats) and became too much work for the retired people. They sold everything they produced through an on farm store. Yogurt, milk, ice cream, etc....James.


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## odin1985 (Jan 6, 2015)

Well i was planning on probably using what i know already, being farming a long time, most if i can recall, even tho I'm mostly a Manager in the farm, but still I was wanting to know about production from small number of cows, how is it to buy or get the basic products and equipment.

For location i dont have one exactly, i would prefer probably florida given than I have family there already but i dont mind going to someplace new and starting over, more than willing to start from the ground up


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

My Brother in law started a dairy in 1980 from a few heifers he got working for a dairy. He was a city boy from Long Beach California. I helped him build the buildings, he only owned 16 acres but rented more to raise the roughage and bought the parlor feed mix. He started milking 18 cows. It was a lot easier then. He bought the milk tank and equipment used from a friend I knew who had quit milking. It is not an easy thing to get started. Probably best to buy an existing dairy from someone getting out. There are pasture grazed farms here in Oregon that sell milk to a facility that pay a premium for organic milk. Mostly Jersey cows for the butterfat for cheese. For a small homestead dairy, there are a lot of problems in parts of this country selling raw milk, some get around it by selling feed milk and letting the buyer beware. Would need to figure out where you want to be and check out the regulations....James


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## odin1985 (Jan 6, 2015)

thanks james, yeah i was thinking of starting small i guess and growing from there.

mostly living in the same farm and working myself, though of buying mechanical milking system and be able to myself maybe with another helper just do all the milking and so on. In my country we normaly do rotational grazing and i was hoping to do that also in the states if possible and plus we normaly do 2 milking per day but i keep hearing in the us is more normal to have 3


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

Big producers do 3 times, get more milk per cow. Cows don't loose milk standing, waiting to be milked. Most smaller dairies that don't push so hard still milk 2 times a day. Cows give more milk in cooler climates or in winter. Grazing needs irrigation, even here in rainy Oregon. Hay and grain, too....James


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## lexierowsell (Dec 10, 2013)

I have a 6 cow, grass-fed, A2/A2, raw milk operation. 

I have stopped pursuing my grade A license (there is a raw for retail license here in Texas) for the moment because other life things are more important right now. 

I produce approximately 5-6 gallons of milk per cow per day. My cows are very small, homestead size and temperament jerseys (48" and smaller). They eat less, are hardy as get out, and sell for a premium to the home cow market. They are all (except 1) 4th (or more, have one 7th!) generation grass only cows. 

Everything depends on what you care about, what you can afford, and what your market will bare. I priced my milk at $14/g for cows milk (I have sheep and goats on the line too), and my clientele didn't blink at the quotes, have a list for when I'm ready to sell.


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## odin1985 (Jan 6, 2015)

holy, 5 gallons? thats about 18 liters per day, and only with grass? most of my current cows, and we have about 100 of them are on the 4 to 6 litters so about 2-3 gallons at the most.

Is 14$ common for that?

My main idea is to have a hybrid type of cattle, dairy and beef cattle, as we have atm in my current farm, having forage or some form of permanent feed for the animals (i dont like too much corn or other types that i need to replant every so often).


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## lexierowsell (Dec 10, 2013)

Yes, and they hold great condition. This is Pixie, my best cow (thrilled to have a nice little heifer out of her this year). 

















It's all in the genetics of the cow. Pixie is 7th gen grass only. It's shows. She's also a little bigger than my other girls at about 51". 

I don't think $14/g is common. I have a premium product, I cater to a premium market.


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## odin1985 (Jan 6, 2015)

thats awesome, here is some of the ones we have atm,


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## odin1985 (Jan 6, 2015)

what is a normal price for milk given that you say you have a premium price


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## lexierowsell (Dec 10, 2013)

A non-organic, grain based raw dairy a few miles from here sells milk for $10/g alone or $8/g if you buy other products from their shop. 

Your cows look great!


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## lexierowsell (Dec 10, 2013)

I have no idea the prices on conventional milk from conventional dairies. If you don't choose to go raw, you'll need to contact the dairy associations. Us raw milkers are totally on our own, though some dairies I know carry a bulk producers license too and sell any extra milk to someone who pasteurizes and resells.


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## odin1985 (Jan 6, 2015)

oh great, i normally tend to think of having pasture grazing cows but using antibiotics when needed, altho not hormones or anything weird like that, i believe that would take me from the organic category.

do you know any dairy associations that i can talk to?


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## lexierowsell (Dec 10, 2013)

odin1985 said:


> oh great, i normally tend to think of having pasture grazing cows but using antibiotics when needed, altho not hormones or anything weird like that, i believe that would take me from the organic category.
> 
> do you know any dairy associations that i can talk to?



That's exactly why I'm not certified organic. I won't let an animal suffer or die to save my certification. I will look at my paperwork and see what # I can find.


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## odin1985 (Jan 6, 2015)

thanks but yeah i believe that organic to a point is right, the growth hormone is just wrong, i would use babecide or something for muscle growth when drought is hard on them and it might seem that it will die.


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