It’s April, the cows are enjoying spring grass, and we have cow shares available at the moment. It’s a great time to source your food locally and rely less on long-distance supply chains. If you'd like to buy shares, email sarah@sunnyknollecofarm.com. Please put "Cow Share Wanted" in your subject line, tell us how many quarts of milk you need per week, and we'll get back to you as soon as we can. If you’ve already emailed me but haven’t heard back yet about a cow share opening and are still interested, please email me again.

****NOTE—Due to government regulations, cow shares are only available to Virginia residents. If you live in Maryland, West Virginia, DC, or Pennsylvania, we are unable to provide you with a cow share.****

Raw Milk

The only way to legally obtain raw milk in Virginia is to own a cow. If you join our cow share program, you will purchase a share of a herd of dairy cows. Then, you can have a dependable source of raw milk from your own cows. Our cow share program is set up so that it is legal for everyone involved so that your milk supply is unlikely to be disrupted by the government. To read about why some people are choosing raw milk, we suggest reading about real milk.

Grass Fed

Our herd has access to pasture year round. We use horse blankets for our cows in winter, as needed, so that they can enjoy fresh air and freedom to walk around even in the winter. For most of the year, the cows enjoy grazing in our lush pastures of perennial grasses and clover. The cows also eat grass, alfalfa, and clover hay as needed. We feed no grain.

NO Growth Hormones

We never use growth hormones.

Golden Guernsey

Guernseys are a rare heritage breed of cows renowned for their rich, creamy milk that contains more beta-carotene than milk from other kinds of cows, giving the milk a golden color and extra vitamins. By owning a share of a herd of Guernsey cows, you are doing your part to help preserve this rare breed. We breed for correct conformation so that our cows can live long, productive lives. Our cows compete on the national stage and we have two cows that placed first in their classes at national-level shows and went on to be nominated Junior All Americans.

A2 Protein in Milk

Milk contains a variety of proteins, including casein. There are different types of casein proteins. Humans, sheep, goats, and the ancestors of cows all make milk containing the orginal A2 protein with none of the mutated A1 protein. In contrast, the vast majority of modern dairy cows produce milk containing the mutated A1 protein instead of the original A2 protein.

While we make no claims of health benefits regarding our milk, we are committed to producing milk that is free of the mutated A1 protein. The cows in our cow share program were tested by the laboratory at University of California-Davis and found to carry two copies of the A2 protein gene, meaning that their milk contains the original A2 protein and none of the mutated A1 protein. To learn more about the possible health benefits of consuming milk with the A2 protein instead of the A1 protein, we recommend The Devil in the Milk http://www.amazon.com/Devil-Milk-Illness-Health-Politics/dp/1603581022.

Milk Stored in Glass Jars

We chill and store the milk in glass jars.

Rigorous Standards

Virginia is a Brucellosis and Tuberculosis free state. Additionally, we vaccinate for Brucellosis and have also had the cows repeatedly tested negative for Brucellosis and Tuberculosis. We have never seen any signs of Johnes in our herd. We keep our cows up to date on all their vaccines, supplement them with appropriate minerals, and work closely with our vet.

Happy Cows

The cows live a pampered, happy life here at Sunny Knoll EcoFarm. We have decades of experience caring for, managing, and milking dairy cattle. Our cows live the way cows are designed to live, walking around on pasture, eating grass, and enjoying lots of fresh air and sunshine.

How it Works

To join the program, you buy a share of the herd of dairy cows and then pay a monthly fee for boarding, feeding, managing, and milking the cows.

One share costs $20. We have guaranteed buy-back, so you can sell this back to us (i.e. get your $20 back). After you buy a share, you truly own a part of the herd until you sell it back to us; we do NOT require you to keep buying the share every 6 months or year, the way some other cow share programs do. The share price is a one-time investment; after you buy a share, you only have to pay for boarding fees.

The boarding fee is $15 per share per month. If you own one share, you will get about one quart of milk per week.

Milk can be picked up at the farm in Lovettsville VA.

We do not currently deliver, but some of our cow share owners coordinate among themselves to share milk pick-up responsibilities. If you are interested in getting in contact with other cow share owners who may be able to help you out with milk pick-up, ask us about the list of people who have expressed interest in this.

Frequently Asked Questions

If I go on vacation, can I suspend my cow share?

Cows require daily care, feeding, milking, and maintenance. If you are away and not needing milk, your cow still needs to be cared for and so you will need to pay the monthly boarding fee for as long as you are a cow owner, whether you are on vacation or not.

Can I buy an extra gallon of milk when I need it?

No. According to Virginia laws, we are not allowed to sell raw milk. If you need additional milk on a regular basis, we invite you to purchase an additional cow share.

When do I pick up my milk?

There will be one day each week when you come to pick up your milk. When you get here, look for the Milk Cottage Farm Store. Your milk will be in a refrigerator inside the store. .

How should milk be stored and handled?

We rapidly chill the milk and store it cold until you pick it up. After you pick it up, you are responsible for safe storage and handling. We recommend that you bring a cooler with ice to keep the milk cool on the way home to your house, and we recommend that you store the milk very cold until you drink it.

What can I do to make my milk stay fresh as long as possible?

Bring it home in a cooler full of ice. Keep it in the coldest spot in the refrigerator.

How should I clean my jars?

Clean the jars promptly after emptying
Rinse with warm water (not hot and not cold) to prevent the buildup of milk stone
Wash with hot soapy water and a bottle brush, or run through the dish washer
Thoroughly dry before putting the lid back on

When do cows make milk?

A cow's first calf is typically born when the cow is about two or three years of age, following a 9-month gestation period. For the first three days after calving, the cow produces colostrum, a rich golden liquid full of antibodies and nutrient-dense food to support the newborn calf's growth and developing immune system. After three days, the milk switches over from colostrum to regular milk. The cow's production gradually increases for the next four to eight weeks, after which it gradually decreases as the calf gets older.

A cow usually becomes pregnant again about 60 days after the birth of a calf, with calves born about 12 months apart. Two months before the next calf is born, the cow is dried off, meaning that the farmer stops milking her and she stops producing milk. For two months she produces no milk, giving her body a chance to recover and to put energy into the growth of the new calf. After this two month rest period, the cow has stored up some body fat and nutrients and is in good shape to produce milk for another 10 months.

In the typical confinement operation, a dairy cow only lives for about four years on average before she is sold for hamburger. In contrast, we emphasize quality of milk over quantity of milk, and ongoing excellent care to maintain healthy productive cows with long lifespans. We expect our cows to be healthy and productive for ten years or more.