# Guidelines for Selling Products?



## NavyWife53108

I've read that you have to be classified a "Class A Dairy" to sell milk products for consumption. Does this mean that whether you are selling a gallon of milk or a bowl of ice cream, you need to follow the same guidelines? In the future, my husband and I would like to try selling dairy products, not necessarily gallons of milk, rather cheesecake, cheese, etc. Is there a link that I can view to read all about what we need to do? From your experience, is it worth the time and money required to set up? I don't want to spend all kinds of money getting my facility up to code only to realize no one will buy my stuff! :help2


----------



## MiaBella Farm

Cheese is going to fall under another group than milk (at least in Texas) so you need to start with your State and County Health Department guidelines and find out what is required, then go from there. Only you will know how much money and time it will take to get your facility up to code.

If you make it, "they" will buy it! :biggrin


----------



## nightskyfarm

NavyWife53108 said:


> I've read that you have to be classified a "Class A Dairy" to sell milk products for consumption. Does this mean that whether you are selling a gallon of milk or a bowl of ice cream, you need to follow the same guidelines? In the future, my husband and I would like to try selling dairy products, not necessarily gallons of milk, rather cheesecake, cheese, etc. Is there a link that I can view to read all about what we need to do? From your experience, is it worth the time and money required to set up? I don't want to spend all kinds of money getting my facility up to code only to realize no one will buy my stuff! :help2


Unfortunately, the dairy business in most states is set up to the point that one cannot just "test" the waters. You either go Grade A or do goat/cow shares and produce "illegal" cheese. Depending on where you live determines the start up costs because the regulations are different state to state. I am not under any county regulation only state. Even producing items such as cheesecake can demand a commercial kitchen and of course, using ingredients that are pasteurized if it is milk and fresh cheese. That can be an issue if you want to use the milk your farm produces, then you need the certification of Grade A or B and you would need the facilities to pasteurize your milk according to the regulations. Again, those do not allow for home category pasteurizers and that is your biggest expense. It is complicated. Your first step, as Michelle said should be your state's Dairy Agency for info. A great deal of what you need to do will be determined by what you already have in place to meet that end.

From my experience it is worth all my efforts. It has not been an easy road, but now over 2 years into this business our sales have increased 4 fold since January 2010. I would do it again; I LOVE what I do! We are processing over 160 gallons of milk each week. I am still considered small-scale if I do not pasteurize over 50 gallons per day. I do pasteurize nearly every day. My dairy produces fresh cow and goat cheeses, soap and chevon in the Fall, packaged USDA and sold out of my freezers. All my whey is recycled to feed a friend's piggies and I receive packaged pork! That's a good deal. If it is truly what you want, it can be very rewarding.


----------



## hsmomof4

Bear in mind, though, that in most states, if you are going to do a Grade A dairy, you are talking about a lot of goats, relatively speaking, to make that pay for itself. Not sure what the break even point is for most, but as you can see from Jennifer's signature line, she is milking 50 goats. That's not a bad thing, but it is much different from milking 3 or 6 or even 10 goats. 

I also wanted to add that if your husband is still active duty (assuming here, based on "NavyWife"...I'm an Army wife, myself) and you will still be moving around, you will probably need to wait until he retires and/or you will be staying put. The cost of building a Grade A dairy facility can be pretty substantial, and then, if you are going to be making cheeses or other products with your milk, you can add a Commercial Kitchen to the expenses, in most places.


----------



## NavyWife53108

He's transitioning into Reserves now, so we are going to be permanent.

I will check with my local agencies and find out. This is definitely something to consider when we get our animals. We want to explore the possibilities now so we can adequately plan and save up for this down the line. Thanks for all the info!


----------



## NubianSoaps.com

Have you started networking in your state with anyone actually doing what you are wanting to do? It's so dependant upon how your state interprets and enforces there own regulations. Here in Texas unless you are going for your pasteurising license to sell milk into stores, going grade A is kind of a waste of time. Your still going to break the law delivering milk or selling it off the farm anyway. Our own inspectors will tell you to milk 50 goats, make sure you can sell all that milk, then go grade A. And I don't know anyone selling milk legal or illegal that doesn't also make milk products that they sell also. For Texas it is the selling away from the farm that gets you. So do find out from somebody doing it, join a local diary goat club, you district list an yahoogroups, an do expect most to be secretive. Vicki


----------



## nightskyfarm

Let's clarify this: 50% of our states follow the FDA guidelines on the sale of raw milk and the other 50% make up their own rules; some even as they go. I think FL follows the FDA as does most of the eastern southern states. So, you can be sure that the sate will want you licensed to produce and process raw milk. This means a Grade A or B dairy and the processing plant which is a souped up Commercial Kitchen except for the added expense of the pasteurizer. Where your cut off line is for the number of does in milk; is determined by how much you plan to produce and sell. I would say 20 does would be the minimum, but I know Grade A and B dairies who milk less (if, you have a market for the milk and sell high priced and high quality off-spring). To be viable depends on your needs. It is very subjective. Figure out how much you need to make dollar-wise and take it from there. This year we will gross between $50,000 and $60,000, enough to pay me a bit. Last year, we made a slight profit, this year I have plans....(the dots are enough of an indication as to my plans )Night Sky Farm just got a 45 lb per week order for chevre, year-round to service DC restaurants with chevre for salad bars etc! This is GREAT! this supports my farm in Jan, Feb, and March when markets are done and sales are down. This means name recognition! I will again be milking year round this year, breeding all my yearlings to freshen in Dec-Jan 2011. I try to stagger breedings to keep my production at a reliable level and I am working towards a 1 and 1/2 year lactation schedule; breeding one third of the herd at a time in intervals, some of which are extended. I want less kids and MORE milk for longer periods of time. All of this takes TIME and HARD work, lots of it, so do not expect to have a great deal of FREE time without a clone of some sort. Someone said that to me when I was starting out and thought he was insulting me! He was ABSOLUTELY correct! He and his wife do what I do; milk goats/cows and make cheese, but they have a really nice cave and I don't,.... YET. Do not be discouraged if this is what you really want.


----------



## NubianSoaps.com

Yes but...90% of the dairy gals living in those 50% of the states all got their feet wet milking does and selling milk cheese and soap illegaly, before going commercial (and still doing alot of stuff outside the letter of the law) and we know most only last 3 to 5 years no matter how many goats they buy or the money they put into their facilities to begin with. :rofl

The passion with livestock has to come before the business or there is simply no way of sustaining the amount of labor it takes to get big enough to then hire help. Vicki


----------



## buckrun

Congrats on your new contract Jennifer! I never did get my clone so let me know how you like yours.


----------



## MiaBella Farm

Vicki McGaugh Tx Nubians said:


> Here in Texas unless you are going for your pasteurising license to sell milk into stores, going grade A is kind of a waste of time. Our own inspectors will tell you to milk 50 goats, make sure you can sell all that milk, then go grade A. Vicki


Considering that I have a lot of milk customers that buy 10 - 20 gallons regularly, I do not find that being a Grade A dairy in Texas a waste of time, but rather a mode for me to make extra money now while I still have a day job, which I will be retiring from very soon. MY milk inspector never told me to milk 50 goats, in fact he suggested that I start out small and work my way up, which is exactly what I have done and will continue to do. I plan to be milking 20 goats come next Spring with most of it going into cheese making and very little into milk sales. There are several folks, even members of this forum, who do nothing but make cheese and make a fine living at it while milking 20 (ish) goats.

In addition, like Jennifer, my plan is to stagger breedings so that I will have year round milk. For some reason folks are dying to buy milk in the winter!

If you put your mind to it, and this is what you really want to do, you CAN do it...it takes some planning so since you are just starting out, you are at an advantage to find out what needs to be done and work your way in that direction.

Best of luck to you Ally!


----------



## NubianSoaps.com

Ally the difference is Michelle had a market here before she even purchased her first goat. She had all of us already very successfully doing for years what her goal is now. Excellent if when you do settle on where you are wanting to live that you to are this lucky. Why if there is not, you go slowly. Vicki


----------



## Anita Martin

All I know is, milking just my FOUR goats is A LOT of work for one person....and making soap and cheese and cleaning barns, milking equipment, medicating goats, trimming hooves, pasturizing, breeding, kidding, culling decisions, marketing, website develoment, etc. etc. is way too much work for one person. I researched going grade A and decided that the huge expense and never having one drop of free time just wasnt' worth it for me. Plus, I can never figure out what to do with all these extra (registered and well-bred) goat kids I end up with every year. I can't just take them to a sale, cannot bludgeon at birth, etc. They are not just an expendable product to me....I have not been able (due to financial restraints) to show, milk test, or appraise and so my kids, with dams producing extremely well, are not in demand. This was the deal breaker for me. I've also decided that the farmers market I have been doing on Saturday's is not bringing in enough money to make it worthwhile for me to get up at 4:30am to milk and get on the road. To me it's more about quality of life at this point. With a commercial dairy, you will be busy from sun up to sun down with never a break unless you can afford to hire help. It's exhausting even thinking about it! Not trying to discourage you of course. If you have a husband or family to help, that will make a world of difference.


----------



## MiaBella Farm

Anita, you can also look into an intern. There are several programs out there that have folks looking to learn something and all you have to do is provide room/board/meals in exchange for their hard work.

We found success with this organization: http://www.wwoofusa.org/index.aspx


----------

