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F.A.Q.s

Frequently Asked Questions.

WHAT IS A HERDSHARE? 

A herdshare is an contractual arrangement between a farmer and an owner of livestock, which in this case, is the shareholder or herd share member. The contract allows the herdshare member access to raw milk, meat and other by-products of the livestock proportionate to the shareholder's interest in the herd. A herdshare agreement along with a Bill of Sale, transfers ownership of the herd to the herdshare member which allows them to legally obtain raw milk and other raw milk products. 

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We do not sell raw milk or engage in any transaction that can be construed as a sale. We agister livestock ( care for beef and dairy cattle on behalf of PMA herdshare owners ) and arrange delivery of byproducts of ownership to members. 

Cost of Ownership

There are two cost components of ownership: the Membership Association Fee and the Agistering Fee. For members convenience, we have combined these two fees in a single monthly fee of $15/month or $135/annually. â€‹

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The Agistering fee is used to care for the livestock, replenish the herd, provide bottles and other supplies needed for delivery. Again, this $3/month fee is included in your membership costs. 

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We do not sell raw milk or engage in any transaction that can be construed as a sale. We agister livestock ( care for beef and dairy cattle on behalf of herdshare owners ) and arrange delivery of byproducts of ownership to members. 

WHAT IS RAW MILK?

Real milk is milk that comes from pastured cows, that contains all the fat and that has not been processed in any way—it is raw and unhomogenized.

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Our dairy cattle are raised on 100% organically managed pasture and our own farm raised hay. We do not use antibiotics, hormones, grain, or gmo feed. We also do not pasteurize the milk which studies show can degrade the nutritional benefits of the milk. Please see www.realmilk.com for more info.

 

We milk daily, bottle fresh milk for our member owners and deliver it to their doorsteps weekly. 

DO YOU USE GMO's IN YOUR FEED or ANTIBIOTICS ON YOUR ANIMALS?

No. 

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We do not use GMO's in our feed or antibiotics on our animals. Our cattle are grazed on organically managed (not certified) pasture and are supplemented by hay that is raised on property.  

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We do not use antibiotics or mRNA vaccines. Both GMOs and the use of Antibiotics as disease mitigation are concepts that were created as a result of industrial "farming". In the rare event that a cow does get sick, we treat the cow with calcium and herbal compounds.  

RAW MILK CAN HELP PROTECT YOUR HEALTH. 

  • Killing pathogens in the milk (lactoperoxidase, lactoferrin, leukocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, antibodies, medium chain fatty acids, lysozyme, B12 binding protein, bifidus factor, beneficial bacteria);

  • Preventing pathogen absorption across the intestinal wall (polysaccharides, oligosaccharides, mucins, fibronectin, glycomacropeptides, bifidus factor, beneficial bacteria);

  • Strengthening the Immune System (lymphocytes, immunoglobulins, antibodies, hormones and growth factors) (Scientific American, December 1995; British J of Nutrition, 2000:84(Suppl. 1):S3-S10, S75-S80, S81-S89).

Other Health Benefits of Raw Milk

  • BENEFITS IN EARLY HUMAN STUDIES: In early studies involving humans, raw milk was shown to be superior to pasteurized in protecting against infection, diarrhea, rickets, tooth decay and TB; and children receiving had better growth than those receiving pasteurized milk.

  • ASTHMA & ALLERGIES: Three recent studies in Europe found that drinking “farm” (raw) milk protected against asthma and allergies (Lancet. 2001 Oct 6;358(9288):1129-33; J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2006 Jun;117(6):1374-8; Clinical & Experimental Allergy. 2007 May; 37(5) 627-630).

  • RAW HUMAN MILK: In recent studies, infants on pasteurized human milk did not gain weight as quickly compared to those fed raw human milk (J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 1986 Mar-Apr;5(2):248-53) and premature babies given raw human milk had more rapid weight gain than those given pasteurized human milk. Problems were attributed to pasteurization’s destruction of lipase (J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 1986 Mar-Apr;5(2):242-7).

  • THE MILK CURE: In the early 1900s, the Mayo Clinic administered the “Milk Cure,” which consisted in drinking 4-5 quarts of raw milk per day, obtaining favorable results for a range of illnesses including cancer, weight loss, kidney disease, allergies, skin problems, urinary tract problems, prostate problems and chronic fatigue; these results are not obtained using pasteurized milk.

  • LACTOSE INTOLERANCE: In a survey of raw milk drinkers in the state of Michigan, over 80 percent of those advised by a healthcare professional that they were lactose intolerant were able to consume raw milk without problem. (Pilot Survey of Cow Share Consumer/Owners Lactose Intolerance Section).

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  • ​NUTRIENT DEGRADATION BY PASTEURIZATION:

    • Vitamin C Raw milk but not pasteurized can resolve scurvy. “. . . Without doubt. . . the explosive increase in infantile scurvy during the latter part of the 19th century coincided with the advent of use of heated milks. . .” (Rajakumar, Pediatrics. 2001;108(4):E76).

    • Calcium Longer and denser bones on raw milk (Chapter 14 from History of Randleigh Farm-PDF).

    • Folate Carrier protein inactivated during pasteurization. (Gregory. J. Nutr. 1982, 1329-1338).

    • Vitamin B12 Binding protein inactivated by pasteurization.

    • Vitamin B6 Animal studies indicate B6 poorly absorbed from pasteurized milk (Chapter 14 from History of Randleigh Farm-PDF).

    • Vitamin A Beta-lactoglobulin, a heat-sensitive protein in milk, increases intestinal absorption of vitamin A. Heat degrades vitamin A. Said and others (Am J Clin Nutr. 1989;49:690-694. Runge and Heger. J Agric Food Chem. 2000 Jan;48(1):47-55).

    • Vitamin D Present in milk in protein-bound form, assimilation possibly affected by pasteurization. Hollis and others ( J Nutr. 1981;111:1240-1248).

    • Iron Lactoferrin, which contributes to iron assimilation, destroyed during pasteurization.

    • Iodine Lower in pasteurized milk. Wheeler and others (J Dairy Sci. 1983;66(2):187-95).

    • Minerals Lactobacilli, destroyed by pasteurization, enhance mineral absorption (MacDonald and others. 1985).

  • please visit www.rawmilk.com for more information on raw milk and its benefits. 

HOW DOES DELIVERY WORK? 

Currently, there are two ways to receive your order. If you live in the Greater Columbus area (and surrounding counties), we will deliver your order to your door. If you live outside of the Greater Columbus are or outside of Ohio, we will ship your order to you. 

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Local Deliveries:  We deliver products to our local members every WEDNESDAY between 4pm - 9:30pm. We will usually text message prior to delivering with a time window. All orders are packed with dry ice/ice brick to keep the products cold. Products should remain cold for up to 6 hours after delivery.

 

*** PLEASE NOTE, If you would like your raw milk frozen, it will be delivered on THURSDAY. You will be notified by call or text with an expected delivery window. 

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ALL ORDERS MUST BE PLACED BY 9PM MONDAY TO BE DELIVERED THE FOLLOWING WEDS/THURS. Orders received after MONDAY at 9pm EST, will be delivered the following week.  

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Out of City/State Deliveries:​

We have many members that live outside of Ohio. We happily ship their orders directly to their doors. Out of city or state orders usually ship out on the Mon/Tues following the order and usually arrive by Sat. Customers are notified by email when the product is shipped and they are provided a tracking number.  

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