Dairy Goat Herd Shares
Learn about our Southwest Michigan dairy goat herd shares, view our herd share program process, and learn why our herd share program is a better choice for your family.
What’s a Dairy Goat Herd Share?
Michigan state law expressly prohibits the sale of raw milk. As law-abiding citizens, we do not sell milk (raw, pasteurized, or in any other form), cheese, or dairy products as it is illegal for us to do so. Instead, we offer herd shares to a small, select number of families in our community.
Dairy goat herd shares allow community members to invest in a share of our goat herd. As a shareholder, you enter into a contractual relationship with Dancing Feathers Farm and pay us a monthly fee to board, feed, milk, and care for your share of the dairy goat herd. In return, you receive (amount dependent on shareholder level and production) goat milk once per week.
Why Become A Dancing Feathers Farm Herd Shareholder?
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if you could walk into a grocery store and immediately know everything about the food you’re about to buy? As first-generation farmers, we can’t even count how many hours we spent tracking down the healthiest options for our family prior to growing our own food here on the farm. From playing detective and trying to figure out whether or not the food at our local farmers markets was actually local, to decoding an endless stream of “health-conscious” buzzwords and certifications plastered on nearly every package we found, the process of securing healthy, wholesome food from ethically-raised, earth-friendly animal husbandry practices was excruciatingly difficult.
Dancing Feathers Farm removes the difficulty for you. No more standing in the grocery store trying to decipher labels and locations. At Dancing Feathers Farm, we eliminate the guesswork with:
- Full Transparency – We spare no details about our herd management practices, from our vaccination and herbal supplement schedule to feed, housing, and pasture rotation priorities. We will happily chat you up about the best pasture mix to plant for a goat herd while sharing our favorite farmers cheese recipe and goat milk ice cream machine. We are proudly transparent about everything we do and when you invest in our dairy goat herd shares, you can feel confident you’re purchasing farm-fresh products made, grown, and collected right here on the farm.
- Published Herd Test Results – We test our herd twice a year for CAE, CL, and Johne’s and our milking does are tested bi-yearly for Q-fever and Brucellosis. We publish our herd’s test results for everyone to see on our webpage, Facebook, and Instagram pages. Herd testing is extremely important to us and forms the baseline of our herd management practices.
- Professional Affiliations – We’re farmer members of the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund, members of the Farmer Veteran Coalition, and certified Homegrown by Heroes producers. We continually invest in continued education so we stay on top of the latest and greatest knowledge pertaining to dairy goat health, wellness, and safety.
Save yourself dairy-aisle stress by joining our dairy goat herd share program – it’s like owning your own goat herd, minus the work, cleaning, barnyard, and time spent caring for them!
We’re Here for the Long Haul
On occasion, we hear stories about a few well-intended goat herd owners circumventing Michigan state law to provide raw milk to neighbors and friends. As opposed to operating in the shadows, failing to (or not understanding how to) test the herd or milk, and consequently risking the health and welfare of every goat and person involved, Dancing Feathers Farm adheres to transparency, health, and safety standards to ensure our herd share program follows the law and protects both our shareholders and family.
Our strict standards result in a reliable, long-term working relationship between our families, less risk to your health and family, and less risk for us, our farm, and our family. Instead of depending on a backyard hobbyist who doesn’t test and is highly likely to be shut down or run out of business due to health code violations or unsustainable bargain-basement prices, you’re forming a long-term relationship with farming family you can trust and depend on for years to come.
The Dancing Feathers Farm Difference
Dancing Feathers Farm began because we wanted access to a simpler, healthier way of life based on science, ancestral wisdom, and the preservation of our natural resources. We believe the balance between our nation’s food system and our basic human need for sustenance has been irrevocably damaged by political and pharmaceutical greed, widespread misinformation intended to create dependence on corporate food systems, and an education system that’s resulted in generations of Americans having little to no understanding of where food comes from.
Our farm believes there is a place for both advanced technologies and holistic, sustainable methods of agriculture; we seek to employ all methods that advance our priorities of following clean, healthy animal husbandry practices that don’t destroy our environment or the plants and animals we share it with.
Why We’re the Best Choice for Your Herd Share Needs
- Milk Testing – Goat milk is tested regularly for coliform and aerobic plate count. Stay tuned to see these results on our website as we build our herd share program; we are proud to show shareholders and the general public the cleanliness and safety of the goat herd’s milk.
- Herd Testing – The goat herd is tested regularly for CAE, CL, and Johne’s and in-milk does are tested for Q-fever and Brucellosis. Our farm resides in a TB-eradicated geographical location.
- Biosecurity – The goat herd is closed, meaning we do not attend shows or fairs and we do not conduct driveway breedings. Visitors are not permitted without an appointment and annual events are planned and organized to protect the herd from contamination. Dancing Feathers Farm also does not lease goats for any reason. Our caprine veterinarian travels to our farm when needed; we do not travel with goats unless there is a life-threatening emergency.
- Nutritional Wellness – The goat herd is given 24/7 access to locally-grown, unsprayed, nutritionally-tested grass hay and custom-designed rotational grazing pastures for spring, summer, and fall foraging. We supplement hay and forage with homegrown herbs (red raspberry leaf, comfrey, garlic) and custom grain mixed by a local feed mill and developed by a caprine nutritionist. The herd is regularly treated to our kitchen garden surplus and enjoys free-choice minerals and salt licks specifically developed for dairy goats.
- Herd Mental Wellness – Our large outdoor goat pastures each include 3-walled, roofed shelters with access to fresh food, water, dry bedding with anti-insect lime, and cooling areas for hot summer days. Each pasture also features a custom-built play structure for climbing and recreation. During the winter months, the herd moves inside and stays in large, spacious stalls with plenty of room to relax and keep warm while the snow flies. We never leave a goat alone unless sick, injured, or about to give birth. Does in milk are brushed twice daily, given rumen massages post-milking, and provided with organic, natural bug spray to help keep away insect pests.
- Overall Wellness – The goat herd is vaccinated for CD&T and hooves are trimmed bi-monthly. We only use deworming medication when fecal tests indicate unhealthy levels of parasites and we do not use antibiotics unless needed for life-threatening illnesses and injuries.
Dancing Feathers Farm Shareholder Bonuses
- A long-term, trusting relationship with our farming family
- Confidence and security of a tested, clean, closed, healthy, and happy goat herd
- Health and safety of tested, unprocessed goat milk
- First pick to purchase available goat kids born on Dancing Feathers Farm
- Invitations to yearly farm events, goat meet and greets, photo opportunities, and tours
2023 Herd Share Program
Registration for our 2023 herd share program opened January 5th, 2023.
Our 2023 program is now full.
As shareholding dairy goat owners in a legitimate, legal herd share program, you pay our farm for year-round care for your goats and receive milk based on excess production only.
We typically get 4-6 months of milk each year, but due to natural processes outside of human control, we intentionally make no guarantees about production. We do guarantee to work extremely hard year-round to ensure the herd stays healthy, safe, and happy for the greatest possible production and cleanest, healthiest, most delicious milk!
2023 Program Fees
One-Time Program Buy-In
This is a one-time share purchase due at the time of registration that is refunded if you choose to leave the program and sell your share back to us.
Whole Share: $50
Half Share: $25
Quarter Share: $15
Monthly Boarding Fees
Year-round (12 consecutive months) boarding payments are due by the 5th of each month.
Whole Share: $50 per month
Half Share: $25 per month
Quarter Share: $15 per month
Pickup and Transport of Goods
Pickup: We work with shareholders during registration to choose a recurring day and 8-hour pickup window.
Delivery: We offer doorstep delivery to shareholders in Bloomingdale, Grand Junction, Gobles, and Kalamazoo for an additional $15 per week.
Transport: Shareholders choose between providing their own clean, wide-mouth, quart-sized mason jar with plastic lids or renting jars and lids from the farm for a refundable $10 deposit per jar.
Raw Milk Facts
Dancing Feathers Farm supports a consumer’s right to choose what they can and cannot put into their own bodies. We do not pasteurize milk for shareholders but provide instructions for pasteurization upon request.
All shareholders legally acknowledge an awareness of the inherent risks of raw milk (and the reported benefits) and assume those risks when purchasing a share.
How to Join Our Herd Share Program
Step 1: Connect
Connect with us here, DM on social media, or send us a message to check for open shares and receive a copy of our herd share info booklet and contract.
Step 2: Sign Contract
Print, read, re-read, sign, and return our herd share contract to the farm. We require a signed paper copy of our contract.
Step 3: Pay Fees
Pay your herd share fees and drop off your jars (unless renting). Check our herd share contract for payment options and due dates.
Step 4: Choose Pickup
Select your first, second, and third-choice pickup date and time. Pickup date and time stay the same for the entire season.
Step 5: Pickup Goods
Stop by the farm’s curbside pickup box at your designated pickup time to get your goat milk. Leave behind your clean jars for next week’s pickup. *NEW for 2023 – local delivery available! Contact us for more details!
Our 2023 herd share season is now full. Contact us here to join our waitlist!
Have Additional Questions?
Get in Touch.
Address
43666 County Road 388
Bloomingdale, MI 49026
Contact
info@dancingfeathersfarm.com