Herd Share Information

Herd Share FAQs

What is a herd share?

A herd share (or "cow share," "milk share," etc.) is a legal arrangement in which the consumer owns part of the dairy cow to access raw (unpasteurized) milk and dairy products.

Why is Old Souls Farm implementing a herd share program?

1. The State of Oregon requires implementation of a herd share program for raw milk producers that have more than 2 dairy cows in milk at any given time; or if raw milk producers also want to provide raw milk products (like cheese, yogurt, butter, etc.) to their customers.
2. With the increase in raw milk customers we experienced in 2024, we need to have more than 2 dairy cows in milk at one time. 

How the herd share works:

The initial setup of the herd share is cumbersome and can take time to wrap your head around – but it’s essentially just a different way to pay for the same products. 

There is a ONE TIME membership fee of $40.00 per member/family

• When you join, you become part owner in our Jersey cow herd – and you get to reap the benefits of dairy cow milk production in return
• You can sign up or leave the herd share at any time (selling your share back to us for $40 -- think "refund" if you decide to pull out of the program for any reason) 

After the one-time membership fee, you pay monthly for the care of your share of the herd. In return, you get dairy products.

• See the tables below for more detailed product size and cost information
• This does require a little planning ahead on your part (how much milk/milk products will you/your family consume?)
• You can add or remove shares at any time
• We like flexibility! If you miss a week (i.e. you go on vacation, you have a busy schedule, or you just forget), you can roll over your products to the next week -- so you're not losing out on any payments made
• Value-added dairy products require payment of an additional fee, on top of the share value – this is known as a ‘labor fee’, through which you’re paying us for the time it takes to make each product from your share of raw milk
• The cost of these dairy products includes the share cost + labor fee