# Price for fresh milk



## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

right from the farmer. What do/would you pay? I'm going to go speak with my neighbor. They do not have the time to grow a garden, so I'd like to barter and will also purchase milk for butter and cheese making. Can you make me some suggestions, Please.


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## suzyhomemaker09 (Sep 24, 2004)

I'd suggest an equivalent price set somewhere between health food store prices and grocery store prices...
May check your local Craigslist to get an idea of how much it sells for in your area.


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## TurnerHill (Jun 8, 2009)

I buy milk from the farmer for right around $5/gallon.


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## mosepijo (Oct 21, 2008)

I buy directly from the owner. She has three milk cows. She bought a stainless steel milking machine last summer. 

Anyway, she charges $3.00 a gal. and delivers. She said she would not up her price. I think she just likes doing it. (Not in it for the money) 

I would probably pay as much as $5.00 per gallon.

One of the employees at our health food store sells hers for $3.00 also.


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## Trisha in WA (Sep 28, 2005)

suzyhomemaker09 said:


> I'd suggest an equivalent price set somewhere between health food store prices and grocery store prices...
> May check your local Craigslist to get an idea of how much it sells for in your area.


That's probably your best bet. Here it is 5-10 per gallon depending on the farm you get it from and if they are licensed or not. Pretty wide range. I think it is 10 or 11 per gallon in the store. 
Yes, every thing is more expensive in western WA!


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## eam (Jun 5, 2002)

Around here, it's $8.00 a gallon from the farm for raw, fresh milk.
Elizabeth


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## shellmar (Apr 4, 2008)

We pay $7.00 a gallon for goat's milk.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Thank you so much everyone. I'll be watching and reading about how you all make your cheese. Butter i've done, but have no Idea whats so ever where to even get anything like rennet. I've asked at the Mennonite store, no luck. I had to quit buying cheese from them, and it has really lowered my blood pressure. So, figured if I make it, I'll be able to control the salt more. Thanks again.


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## cathleenc (Aug 16, 2007)

get rennet and other dairy supplies from www.dairyconnection.com


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## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

You might want to check out rawmilk.com as they have lots of great information. It's not legal to sell raw milk in every state!! They also have links to providers in those states where it IS legal. Prices will range depending on lots of variables such as how many cows the farmer has, how big a demand they have, size of towns nearby, etc. The prices you're seeing here I think are fair. Of course I hear Chicago folks pay up to $10/gal! 
Catherine


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## steff bugielski (Nov 10, 2003)

I sell raw goat milk for $9 a gallon.


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## Elevenpoint (Nov 17, 2009)

I am paying $3 for one gallon of milk with cream or one pound of fresh butter


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## rscheiderer (Dec 30, 2009)

When I started buying it, a dairy farmer sold it to me for $2.00 a gallon. Now that I have my own cow, I sell for the same price to friends and family. We're lucky here in Illinois because it's legal to sell it with few restrictions. My biggest problem is keeping up! My Molly is tapering off and she's my only milking cow. I get about 8-9 gallons a week and sell about 6-7 of them, which doesn't leave me much for myself. I realize now that I underpriced the milk to begin with, and I'll probably lose customers if/when I raise prices.


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## CarolynRenee (Jan 30, 2008)

I only sell my goat milk to two people, although I could do many more if I had more than one goat in milk. I get $4 per gallon, although I think that next year it's going to go up to $4.50 - $5 and no one would blink an eye.


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

I buy it for $4.25 at a local Amish farm here in PA


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

springvalley - the rawmilk.com website took me to Trethowen's Dairy site in West Wales. Do you have another link with additional information?


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## braidsandboots (Jan 7, 2010)

We pay $2.50 a gallon for raw milk.


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## steff bugielski (Nov 10, 2003)

http://realmilk.com/

this site gives you the laws state by state and also some farms that sell raw.


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## Kelly (Mar 5, 2008)

$2 a gallon??? Wow, we use to pay our neighbor $1.50/gal 30 years ago!! (and thought THAT was a deal!).

But on the other, the farmer doesn't make $2 a gallon selling milk wholesale so it is still more than he/she would get. That's pretty sad...reason why small dairy farmers are selling out.


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## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

How do I go about finding a source for raw milk?
I sure would love to try it. 

I tried the rawmilk.com and it asked me for a password?

Thanks for your help.


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## okiemomof3 (Jan 11, 2010)

i think it all depends on what you "get" when you are buying. are you going to have to provide your own containers? are you going to have to go at a certain time, i.e., milking time only, or can you come buy anytime and get the milk, etc. a lot of that factors into the price. i have bought straight from a small local farmer who is in the Braum's Coop just two miles from my house, and i had to bring my own container and come at a certain time, during milking time...eh, the milk was "okay" and i paid $2/gallon.

BUT...then i found this GREAT dairy some 30 minutes from my house, it comes sealed in gallon jugs just like at the store, can buy pints of cream, raw cheeses, and even in the summertime, some organically homegrown veggies, and i am paying $3.75 for a gallon of raw whole milk and $2/pint of cream....can't remember the price per pound of the cheese. 

While it is a bit of drive, there are three of us who take turns, so really, we only go for milk once every three weeks. the rest of the weeks, we have milk delivered directly to our door. 

It never hurts to ask, i love the barter system!


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## steff bugielski (Nov 10, 2003)

It is www.realmilk.com --- not raw milk.org


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## BlackWillowFarm (Mar 24, 2008)

I'm in W.Mich and I"ve seen it priced from $5.00 gallon to $9.00 gallon. 

I have my own cow now and have a few shareholders getting milk from me. I ask a monthly boarding fee which translates to $5.00 gallon.

It's illegal to sell raw milk in Michigan. You will probably need to join a herdshare program or something like it.


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

okiemomof3 said:


> i think it all depends on what you "get" when you are buying. are you going to have to provide your own containers? are you going to have to go at a certain time, i.e., milking time only, or can you come buy anytime and get the milk, etc. a lot of that factors into the price. i have bought straight from a small local farmer who is in the Braum's Coop just two miles from my house, and i had to bring my own container and come at a certain time, during milking time...eh, the milk was "okay" and i paid $2/gallon.
> 
> BUT...then i found this GREAT dairy some 30 minutes from my house, it comes sealed in gallon jugs just like at the store, can buy pints of cream, raw cheeses, and even in the summertime, some organically homegrown veggies, and i am paying $3.75 for a gallon of raw whole milk and $2/pint of cream....can't remember the price per pound of the cheese.
> 
> ...



okiemom, 
Would you be referring to Swans Dairy in Claremore? I've heard a lot of people buy their milk. 

I sale raw jersey milk for $4.00 a gallon and can't milk it fast enough. If I was willing to take the gamble, I'd bet I could quit my day job and do it full time. The phone rings off the hook. Problem is, in Oklahoma I'm only allowed to sale 100 gallons per month off the farm without getting a grade A permit. I keep my sales under that amount to keep within the boudaries of the law. The grade A permit would be easily attainable as I have a pretty sanitary set up and know how to build most of it myself to save money. The real cost would be in building the proper sewage lagoon. Whether you're milking 5 or 500 head, about the smallest lagoon they will let you build is a 60'X60'-12' deep lagoon. A bit overkill for milking 5 cows.


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## okiemomof3 (Jan 11, 2010)

yup, that's the one!!!


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## chickenista (Mar 24, 2007)

I pay $5 a gal with the fresh cream on top...but we have to sneak across the border to the next state to get it..it is illegal here.


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

Thanks for the link Steff!


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## Kmac15 (May 19, 2007)

we pay $4 a gallon but would willingly pay up to $6
We can buy non-homogenized at the store for $6 gallon


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## Heritagefarm (Feb 21, 2010)

Well, looks like everyone's got different prices! We sell our (uncertified) raw goats milk for $5 per gallon.


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## Kmac15 (May 19, 2007)

raw goats milk goes for $8 a gallon here


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## TGUT (Dec 17, 2009)

Wow! I guess we're getting a really great deal! We pay $2 a gal for raw milk.


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## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

Hi guys, I need to say something on this link, I am one of those guys you buy raw milk from. We get 5.00 gal for ours, and have hours from 8-11 a.m. each day but Sunday, or by appointment. We need to have hours because we are not a convenient store, we have lives and other things to do also. And we will work around things if we have to, but don`t expect to come at 10 p.m. to get a gallon of milk, it won`t happen more than once. We do all we can to accommadate our customers, and most understand, and we do have customers that drive an hour or more to get our milk, so I appreciate that they are willing to drive that distance to get our milk. I have also seen a lot of new inquiries in the last few weeks, so I hope we have a productive and busy summer. Thanks To you all for buying raw milk, and remember you are supporting a local small farmer, and keeping him on the land. Thanks Marc


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## Heritagefarm (Feb 21, 2010)

Not only that, but buying local insures that wholesome foods remain available. It's also a way of telling the huge factory farms to go jump in a lake, "We don't want your imitation food!"


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## commonsense (Jun 1, 2008)

We sell our milk for $5/gallon, and I sell pretty much all I get from my cow who just freshened in January.

Some of my customers would like a lower price, and some tell me I'm not charging nearly enough. 

After the first visit, I allow people to come when it is convenient. The latest customer (a regular) came at 10 p.m. once, but she did arrange that first. 

I'm very flexible; my schedule is pretty accomodating in the evening, and I've been milking late anyway (10 p.m.) 

The "rules" are clearly posted in the milk room and my customers are generally a fantastic bunch of people!


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## Heritagefarm (Feb 21, 2010)

That's what we do - allow people to come whenever's convenient for them.


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## smit747 (Apr 9, 2006)

I sell my milk here for $3.00 a gallon and do it on the honor system where they can come at their own conveince put their money in the box leave thier jars sign the book and how many gallons they get. This has worked out to be a very good system for us.

Ervin
SW MO


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## TheMrs (Jun 11, 2008)

Wow, we pay $9 a gallon for raw milk from grass/hay-fed Jersey cows and we drive two hours one-way to pick it up. Fortunately, we alternate the drive with another family, so only have to make the trip once a month. I feel blessed to have this milk available to us, even if it is far away. It's so important to me to have this wholesome food available for my family. I don't know what my "maximum price" would be. I would cut other items out of our grocery budget before cutting out raw milk.

We're in southeastern Missouri.


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## RachelC (Oct 21, 2009)

We pay 3.25. Everyone pools their glass gallon jars and returns their clean ones when you pick up the next batch. Works on the honor system, you just put it down on the fridge in their garage. My family cannot drink commercial milk and wouldn't want to anyway, so we do pay a little more than the store price for it. Rachel


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

TheMrs., 
I would think if you're in SE MO, you could get milk a little closer than two hours away. Just my opinion. There are still quite a few dairys in MO and lots of folks with homemilk cows. Have you looked on the "where to find raw milk" website to try and locate some closer, cheaper milk?


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## Laverne (May 25, 2008)

When I get a chance to sell raw goats milk I charge 12.00 for one gallon or 2 or more I charge 10.00 gallon. Pasturized goat milk in the store around her is 14.00-16.00 a gallon. And believe me how my goat girls eat and the work I put into it I'm giving it away at those prices.


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## Heritagefarm (Feb 21, 2010)

Why, is hay expensive up there? And I can understand your price - everything's outrageous in OR.


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## chickenista (Mar 24, 2007)

There is now a Grade A goat dairy about an hour from us.. she is trying to sell goat's milk for $20 a gallon. Oh my...


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## Laverne (May 25, 2008)

Here in oregon, alfalfa pellets 400.00 a ton. Timothy hay, second cutting, 235.00. With all the other goodies they get, it's not cheap to produce good milk here. Especially when I don't scrimp on anything with my goats. Hope my husband keeps his job!


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## chicamarun (Dec 26, 2006)

We charge $6 per quart of raw goat milk. It's cheaper if you do the herd share program (goes down to $5 per quart). I just went to the store and they had ultra-pasteurized goat milk for $8-9 per quart.

I forgot that some months if there are 5 Saturdays it's actually a little cheaper that particular month since the herd share members pay by the month not per week.... it just evens out over the year.


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## Heritagefarm (Feb 21, 2010)

Um... wow. Who the heck pays that, people driving Cadillacs?


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## chicamarun (Dec 26, 2006)

The houses here around run from $500,000+ even foreclosures! - it's not an inexpensive place to live....we are 45 minutes west of Washington, DC. Grocery store ultra-past. milk right now has been up to $4.00 a gallon some weeks .....I know that one because we finally got a dairy goat that can keep up with my 4 kids


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