Thank you for visiting our frequently asked questions before submitting your own questions. If you have a question you don’t see listed here, please feel free to submit it to Megan at konetafarms@hotmail.com
How do I become a member?
If interested in joining the herdshare program, please contact Megan at konetafarms@hotmail.com to check for any open spots. From there, she will walk you through our pricing and available days. If it works out that there is a spot for you, she will send you a copy of the contract to review and ask questions. You will then schedule a time to meet in the farm store and go over paperwork, do payment, and take your first week’s milk home.
How does your program work?
Everyone does things a little differently, so let me explain our program and what seems to work best for us.
We do milk pick up straight from the farm. We have a farm store where everything is located. It is open from 8am-8pm every day, and we do our best to accommodate each member.
Once you become a member, you are welcome to stop anytime after 8am on your day to pick up your milk for the week. Each member has a specific day when their milk is ready. We have assigned days so we know how much milk we need each day and we know who’s bottles to fill.
You will stop to pick up your full bottles out of the milk cooler and also return your bottles from the previous week cleaned and ready to be filled for the next week. Be sure your bottles are labeled with your name/initials before placing them on the shelf. We have labeled shelves for each day of the week, and you will place your bottles on your day. Please note some days have multiple shelves to accommodate all the bottles. Do NOT place your bottles on a different shelf, as this could result in your bottles not getting filled on the proper day.
Are you organic?
No. To be considered organic, we would need to do a government program and get certified. We do not do any government programs and try our best to avoid the regulations and oversight of the government.
Is your milk A2?
Yes. All our milk cows are genetically tested or determined by parentage for the A2 casein. Cows can either be A2/A2, A2/A1, or A1/A1. This casein is a type of protein in the milk, and the A2 is said to be easier to digest.
We do have cows that are not A2, and they get excluded from the herdshare program. We only use the A2 milk for human consumption, and the A1 milk is used to feed animals on the farm. We have several calves to feed, so they all get raised on raw milk. Along with the calves, we feed our steers raw milk. They love it, and it makes such tender meat. Depending on the amount of A1 milk we have, we also feed it to the chickens. It’s a great source of protein, and they love it. We would also like to add pork to the farm soon, and we will raise them on milk as well. We hear milk-fed pork is delicious, and we can imagine since we know how well it makes beef taste.
Is your milk altered in any way?
No. Our raw milk is straight from the cow. We do not remove any cream or do any type of pasteurization and/or homogenization. The milk goes from the cow into the milk bucket, then through 2 filters into another bucket, where it is then bottled into your jars.
What breeds of cows do you have?
We have three breeds of milk cows on the farm – Jerseys, Brown Swiss, and Holsteins. We only use specific cows for the herdshare program, as specified in the question above about A2 milk.
Can we pick what cow our milk comes from?
No. Most times, the milk is mixed from multiple cows. We do not collect one cow at a time. Because of this process, your cream line could be different from week to week.