How your herd share works
You own part of our dairy herd. We care for and milk your animals, and you pick up one gallon from your share each week while the cows are producing.
What you legally own
North Carolina does not allow us to sell raw milk for people to drink. A herd share works through ownership instead: you make a one-time, nonrefundable $80 share purchase for an undivided interest in our dairy herd, equipment, and infrastructure. The milk from the animals you own belongs to you.
You pay us $60 per month per share to board, feed, pasture, milk, chill, jar, and bring your milk to the scheduled pickup. That monthly payment covers care and farm work. It is not a purchase of milk. Each share provides one gallon a week while the cows are producing, and you may hold more than one share when we have capacity.
From the waitlist to your first pickup
1. Join the waitlist
Tell us your area, preferred pickup days, and how many gallons your household wants. The herd share is full right now, so every new membership begins on the waitlist.
2. Accept the opening
When a share opens, we contact the next household in order. You have 48 hours to accept before we offer it to the next family.
3. Open your member portal
The portal creates your pending share, your $80 share-purchase invoice, and the current herd-share agreement. You can pay by card in the portal, or arrange cash, check, or Venmo with the farm office.
4. Sign and complete onboarding
Read and sign the agreement, enter your member and authorized-pickup information, and complete the seven acknowledgments covering raw milk, pickup, containers, dry periods, missed milk, payment, and termination.
5. We activate the share
Your membership becomes active only after the share purchase is paid, the current agreement is signed, and every required acknowledgment is recorded. Then you choose your usual pickup and begin your weekly rhythm.
Weekly pickup, skipped weeks, and authorized helpers
Your usual pickup is a scheduled community drop or the farm in Louisburg. Each producing share provides one cold gallon in glass every week. You pick up during the listed window and return your empty jar for us to sanitize and refill. If operations, weather, a holiday, or travel cancels a community drop, we give as much notice as we can and keep your milk cold at the farm for pickup.
If you will be away, use I'll Be Away beside that pickup in your portal. We will skip packing your gallon for that week. Give us at least two weeks' notice if you want to ask about extra milk before or after the trip, subject to production. A skipped week does not pause the monthly maintenance fee because we still care for your animals. You may also name a spouse, relative, or friend as an authorized pickup person during onboarding.
The dry period is part of caring for the cow
Every milk cow needs a dry period of at least 60 days before she calves again. During that rest there is no milk from the share and no $60 maintenance fee. We plan to give members about two weeks' notice before the dry period begins. Milk follows animals and seasons, so we will tell you what the cows are doing instead of promising uninterrupted production.
Ending a share is different from skipping a pickup
Skipping one pickup in the portal leaves your membership active. To cancel the membership itself, use Request to End My Herd Share in the member portal. The portal timestamps the request and calculates the end date after the required 60-day notice. We may shorten or adjust that date when a replacement member is ready. The original $80 share purchase remains nonrefundable.
Ready to be contacted when a share opens?
Join the waitlist with your area, pickup preferences, and gallons wanted. We will contact households in order as capacity opens.