Selling Raw Milk

We’ve produced raw milk for most of my life, often just for family, and equally often for customers who wished they were family.

Public raw milk sales became legal in Arkansas last year, as well as raw butter, cheese, etc. It’s been an amazingly awesome change!! Micro dairies have popped up everywhere in our state, with many farms consistently selling out. Not us. We have always had more milk than demand. It’s been good in many ways. I’ve had the abundance to experiment with any cheese that catches my eye. I’ve had plenty of butter for years. Our hogs make the best pork when they’re raised on the best milk! And we’ve been able to feed our replacement heifers VERY WELL on milk and they grow AMAZINGLY!

But, I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be short of milk, or to sell out?? We live in a very rural area, with a less-than-excellent driveway, and despite how popular the idea was to Drive to the Farm, and Meet the Farmer…it was pretty short lived. People are busy, no one has time to drive extra to get milk instead of being home with their kids—I get it!!

We tried delivering to town several times…that also didn’t take off like we hoped.

we’ve done a couple shows with cheese and chocolate milk—those have done fantastic! But I can’t do that every week.

The past couple weeks we’ve started selling to a couple local stores. It’s exciting, nerve wracking, and hopefully profitable 😂

For the first time in 20 years, we might run short of milk or cheese!

(I have heifers coming that I want to keep and have a need for!)

Labels, always the details. I swear, paperwork is the bane of a farmer’s existence! But I think we can work through it.

And delivery. Coolers and ice? Should I get a commercial ice maker? Or a refrigerated van? Can I afford to drive?

Stream lining the process so orders stay orderly….there’s so much to this learning curve!!🤣

(One of the fat heifers we will keep!)