A1 vs A2 has to do with the protein in milk.

A2 is an older protein, while the A1 is a relatively newer mutation generally associated with higher milk production.

Human milk is A2, so is sheep, goat, mare, camel … and most other mammals.

Some people who think they are lactose intolerant are actually intolerant of this newer, more difficult to digest protein. It can be advantageous to a lot of people to drink milk with only the A2 protein in it.

Multiple studies have shown that milk from cattle raised on pasture has much higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which are the fats that are heart healthy.

Feeding excessive grain to cattle, which are not made to naturally digest large amounts, upsets the natural balance of Omega-3 to Omega-6 fatty acids. This is problematic, as Omega-6 fatty acids are inflammatory, and Omega-3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory.

Also, raising cattle on pasture is good for the environment - but only if they are rotationally grazed.

Cattle left to their own devices can quickly ruin a pasture by overgrazing plants that they like, and under grazing ones they don’t.

By rotating their pastures, we can actually use cattle to improve the land, rather than harm it. Their urine and manure recycle nutrients back into the soil, acting like a natural fertilizer, and moving their paddocks every day distributes it more evenly than if they had access to the entire pasture all the time.

Lastly, cattle were made to eat grass, not grain. Our cattle grow slower and produce less milk than typical grain fed cows, thus take more labor to produce the same amount of milk.

When our cows are lactating they receive a small amount of organic SOY AND CORN FREE alfalfa grain mix with their sunflower seeds and raw organic apple cider vinegar along with organic kelp, minerals, & herbs.

This is because of the large amounts of enengy dairy cattle need to produce milk.

Since cattle typically consume between 20-30lbs of hay/grass per day, this amount of grain is barely a little more than a treat, and solely used to ensure they don’t lose too much weight while milking.

To put this grain into perspective … commercial dairy cows receive approximately 30 lbs of grain per day, including corn, soy, and questionable feedstuffs.

All our cows eat grass year-around, with supplemental hay in the wintertime or heat of summer as needed. Since hay is dried grass, we typically just refer to these cattle as simply “grass fed”.

Dry or pregnant cows do not receive grain.

Our cattle receive zero medications on a daily basis.

Growth hormones? No way!!! These animals grow as God intended cattle to grow.

They will be dewormed if necessary, however our rotational program largely makes that unnecessary. Currently we only deworm our cattle at their arrival at our farm during their 30 day quarantine. As our herd grows and we no longer need to purchase cattle to bring in, deworming will become almost obsolete due to our management practices.

We will treat a single animal with antibiotics only if needed to save their life of if there are no other options to clear the infection. If that occurs, then mandatory withdrawal periods for food animals are met and exceeded on our farm.

Food animal withdrawal periods are formulated separately for beef and dairy cattle, and are based on pharmacology and the length of time a healthy animal takes to clear that particular drug from their system. This is a very rare occasion on our farm, and if it happens we don’t take any chances of introducing antibiotics or other drugs into our customers’ diets.

Most all issues are able to be managed or avoided entirely in the first place by raising animals in the way God and nature intended.

The current law in Tennessee specifies that raw milk (also known as fresh unprocessed milk) may not be sold. However, if you own a cow, or a share of one, you may drink that milk.

A Herdshare means that you “own” a share of the herd, which entitles you to a share in the milk from that herd.

This is a Herdshare, as opposed to a Cowshare - meaning you won’t always be getting milk from one particular cow, but the herd as a whole. This is because to continue to make high quality milk, cows need to cycle between being pregnant, lactating, & dry (not making milk) during different times of the year.

In a Herdshare, your monthly fee goes toward the upkeep of the cows and labor to milk them, not directly as a payment for the milk itself.

Unlike buying milk by the gallon, a Herdshare also means that if you fail to pick your milk up on your designated day (we have pickups 4 days a week currently) without prior arrangement, then you forfeit your milk for that week.

What a Herdshare is not is that it does not give you unlimited visiting rights to our farm or the herd, or any decision making power over the health or management of them.

Our herd will always be managed in the best interests of the cows and people drinking their milk.

We welcome tours to new herdshare members on a scheduled basis.

Our farm is also our home, so we aren’t open to the public on a regular basis.

Not at this time.

Farm Pick-up only.

We are beginning to form customer groups, however.

We already have customers in Milan & Jackson who are looking for additional members to share pickup responsibilities, and developing groups for Memphis, Nashville, and possibly Olive Branch, MS as well. Just ask if you would like to join or form one of these groups or a different one.

Buy-in fee (cost per share) is a one-time $65. This is returned to you if you leave the herd share, as the farm buys your share back.

Monthly (boarding) fee is $70/mo per share.

One share is approximately 1 gallon of milk per week, this equates to $16.15/gal over a year’s time - though it is not sold per gallon.

And, yes, you may buy as many shares as are available at the time.

Definitely!

This milk comes from the cow, through a filter, and into your jar!

That’s it!

So, yes, the cream will rise to the top.

Not currently, but we do plan to develop this in the future.

If available, you can purchase an extra share any month you want to make your own if you wish.

We can’t speak as your doctor, but all milk contains lactose…

… Pasteurization destroys the enzyme, called lactase, that is present in raw milk to digest lactose. For this reason, drinking raw milk alone often eliminates people’s lactose intolerance.

However, oftentimes people think that they are lactose intolerant but it’s actually a protein allergy or very commonly a reaction to pasteurization or homogenization, or a feed additive, etc.

Many people have found that they can drink raw milk when they couldn’t drink other types … and we are currently working on building an all-A2/A2 herd.

With that said, many people’s presumed “milk problems” disappear by just drinking fresh, unprocessed (aka “raw” milk) alone. The only way to know is to try.

The share buy-in ($65) will be bought back by Glory 7, and we request that you kindly give us 2-4 weeks notice so that we can fill in your spot (contract states 10 days).

Monthly fees are not refundable once the month has started.