Creamline Farm Fresh Milk Now Available!

How do I purchase?

In order to obtain our nutritiously rich raw milk from our well loved and cared for Jersey cows, you will need to join our herdshare. Pick-up location is Tracy, CA at our farm on a set day and time each week that works for both of us. You can send us an e-mail at administrator@naranjohillsfarm.com or fill out the contact form below for more information to become a herdshare member.

Monthly Cost

Double Full Share: $120 per month, entitles shareholder to two gallons of fresh milk each week.

Full and a Half Share: $100 per month, entitles shareholder to one and a half gallons of fresh milk each week.

Full Share: $72 per month, entitles shareholder to one gallon of fresh milk each week.

Half share: $44 per month, entitles shareholder to a half gallon of fresh milk each week.

Quarter share: $32 per month, entitles shareholder to a quarter gallon of fresh milk each week.

One Time Fee

Double Full Share: $50

Full and a Half Share: $40

Full Share: $25

Half Share: $15

Quarter Share: $10

Payment

We accept Zelle or cash. Payment is due the first week of each month either prior to or at your pick-up. You must return provided jars and lids in a clean, undamaged condition at each pick-up or a $5 surcharge per jar and $5 surcharge per lid will be added to the next month's bill. We will not fill jars you bring to pick-up. We need the jars in advance so we can carefully sanitize each one and check for leaks and cracks.

Herdshares Explained

What is a herdshare?

A herdshare is a contractual arrangement between a farmer and a member (called a shareholder). A herdshare enables shareholders to obtain raw (unpasterized) milk from small family farms that do not qualify for and/or cannot afford commercial licenses to sell milk. Under the terms of a herdshare agreement, the shareholder purchases a share of the herd and receives a portion of the product (raw milk) proportionate to the shareholder's interest. Unlike direct sale of milk, a shareholder pays a one-time fee in exchange for an undivided interest in the herd. This is called the purchase agreement or bill of sale. In addition to the bill of sale, the shareholder pays a monthly boarding fee (called an agistment fee) that covers the farmer's costs for labor and maintenance of the herd. As such, the shareholder signs two contracts with us when they become part of our herdshare.

Is a herdshare legal?

The State of California neither explicitly prohibits or permits herdshares in written legislation. As such, herdshares in our state are governed by personal contracts between the farmer and the shareholder. We consulted with an attorney familiar with herdshares in California to set-up a legit, well thought out herdshare. Our attorney subsequently created the written agreements we use in our herdshare to protect both our farm and the shareholder equally.

Safety & Sanitation

Milking Procedure

We are lucky we have pretty clean cows. Some cows love a good mud bath, but ours tend to be divas who prefer to walk around puddles. Still, we brush the cow to be milked to remove any debris stuck to their coat. We then use wipes specifically made for lactating cows to clean each teat. The next step is dipping each teat in a gentle sanitizing iodine mixture made for cows. We let the iodine sit on each teat for at least 30 seconds and then use fresh sanitizing wipes to remove the iodine. We use a milk machine to pump the milk directly from the cow into a sealed bucket. This keeps any dust and dirt from the environment from blowing into the milk during collection. After we remove the milk machine, we re-dip each teat with the iodine. We do this because it takes approximately 30 minutes for the teat orifices to close after milking. The iodine post-milking helps prevent any bacteria from entering the udder and causing an infection that could spoil the milk.

Bottling Procedure

We immediately bring the collected milk into our kitchen where the counters have been cleaned with sanitizing wipes. We pour the milk through a clean one-time use milk filter directly into sanitized glass jars. The glass jars filled with the fresh milk are then placed into the freezer to drop the temperature of the milk to 40F or lower within the first two hours, which prevents bacteria from multiplying leading to longer shelf-life and better flavor. The nice cold milk is then moved to a dedicated milk fridge that we keep at 34F. The milk stays in the dedicated fridge until the shareholder pick-up. We do not give customers any milk that is older than 3 days. Our raw milk if kept under 40F (our personal family fridge is kept at 39F) lasts for 10+ days before the taste starts to sour. This does not mean the milk is spoiled, rather that a certain amount of beneficial bacteria (probiotics) have grown in the milk. Most people do not like the taste of soured raw milk, thus it is generally discard at that time. However, if you left the milk long enough, it would clabber (become very thick and sour) and can be used as a culture to make things like cottage cheese and yogurt.

Raw Milk vs. Pasteurized Milk

Why not just buy pasteurized milk at the store?

Raw milk is natural, fresh, and unprocessed. It contains a wide variety of essential nutrients, fats, proteins, anti-inflammatory and digestive enzymes, bioavailable vitamins, and minerals, all in a natural form which is most easily utilized by the body. In addition, raw milk facilitates production of lactase enzyme in the intestinal tract, allowing many people who are lactose intolerant to digest raw milk with no problems. While pasteurized milk is still healthy, the above listed nutrients are destroyed, damaged, reduced, inhibited, or inactive in pasteurized milk. Some people are under the impression that the health benefits of raw milk is "junk science." Recent research has confirmed anecdotal evidence that raw milk consumption is correlated with lower rates of asthma, allergies, eczema, ear infections, fevers, and respiratory infection. You can view a list of the studies for yourself at this reputable website: https://www.rawmilkinstitute.org/about-raw-milk. The Raw Milk Institute (RAWMI) works to educate both consumers and farmers on the health benefits and safe handling of raw milk. The chart at the top of this section is from RAWMI.

Why not buy commercial raw milk?

In California, you can buy raw milk from commercial operations in grocery stores. Sprouts is one location that carries raw milk. While commercial raw milk is often a better option than pasteurized milk, you are still buying from a large operation. While commercial raw farms largely do the best they possibly can, they cannot feasibly provide one-on-one care and interaction with everyone of their cows. These operations have dozens of workers that come-and-go and miss things. Commercial operations put their milk into a bulk tank that is mixed together, making it difficult, if not impossible to determine which cow has a problem if milk testing comes back problematic. Then there is the whole bottling and transportation chain that means your milk is older when you buy it at the store and quality has declined. In contrast, small farms know each and every cow personally. They catch the smallest sign something is off such as a cow eating or drinking less, walking with their ears down, not wanting to cuddle or socialize as much, etc. A small farm is going to be able to notice something is going awry and pull an individual cow from milk collection much earlier than a commercial operation would be aware. Small farmers live and breathe for their cows and will do most anything to help them thrive and be happy. The raw milk you buy from your local farmer means the milk is straight from the cow. In our opinion, that leads to premium milk quality. Plus, buying from a small farm means supporting your community and neighbors, rather than an impersonal transaction.