# Milk Prices



## ASTONs Dairy (Aug 14, 2012)

Hi everyone,

Need your help. I have someone interested in purchasing all the frozen milk that I have. I need your help in deciding a price. In GA, my stepdaughter gets $5.00 a qt. That's fresh not frozen. I am in SC and there is a grade A goat dairy upstate, about 3 hrs north of me. :thinking:
Thank you in advance for the help


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## ksalvagno (Oct 6, 2009)

Around here they charge $6 per gallon for pet use milk. We can't sell milk without a Grade A Dairy License otherwise.


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## clearwtrbeach (May 10, 2012)

Here we have a licensed dairy (goat of course), she charges $8 gallon fresh. I would say see how much the diary in your area charges and go below that since it's frozen. Just a thought.


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## Engebretsen (May 16, 2012)

Out here, the dairy sells milk for $16/gallon. Most people that do herd shares have shareholders paying about $10/gallon, and frozen goes from $5-8/gallon. I'm in Colorado.


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## JaLyn (Oct 10, 2012)

I'm not trying to be rude here but that just seems awfully steep at $16. a gallon. I would charge $6. at the most.


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## Engebretsen (May 16, 2012)

JaLyn said:


> I'm not trying to be rude here but that just seems awfully steep at $16. a gallon. I would charge $6. at the most.


*shrug* the equipment necessary to have a grade a dairy is super expensive. Plus, hay prices here with the drought are pretty killer. I don't blame them and I don't think they make a lot of money. The name of the dairy is mini moos and kids too. They have a website. It's interesting to read through...how they got started etc.


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## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

Cost of production determines price. It's going to cost less for those of us in the east...hay prices are generally less here...except in those places where they are shipping hay out west.


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## ASTONs Dairy (Aug 14, 2012)

Thanks everyone all milk sold to someone for soap making


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## ASTONs Dairy (Aug 14, 2012)

Engebretsen said:


> *shrug* the equipment necessary to have a grade a dairy is super expensive. Plus, hay prices here with the drought are pretty killer. I don't blame them and I don't think they make a lot of money. The name of the dairy is mini moos and kids too. They have a website. It's interesting to read through...how they got started etc.


I have seen their site. Its fun and interesting


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## goateeman (Dec 22, 2012)

For what it's worth , your goats' milk is worth whatever YOUR marke will bring you. I sell farm goods at the farmer's mkt and there is always someone who will tell you that you are too high or too low. Let the too high milk your goat when it's cold and dark a few times and He too will ask a little more for the milk. Get what you can for the Milk, you earned it.


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## pixie (Dec 30, 2012)

I think what you charge is a combination of many of the answers. You have to figure in your costs to produce it, so you don't go broke or "give it away", but you also have to see what your local market will support. I agree there are lots of people at farmer's markets that say too high or too low. When I was selling goods at the local farmers market, there were lots of people that you can bank on that complain to nearly every vendor that they are TOO HIGH. But they are not producers and have no idea all the labor, the investment in your animals, feed, barns, fencing, vet bills, keeping the animals happy and healthy, transportation, the costs of vendor licenses, booths, advertising, and a whole lot of other business related costs that go into getting the milk from the goat into the customer's hands. There are lots of people that believe it is as simple as you going out to milk as a labor of love(okay, so we know it really is a labor of loving our critters, but there is far more to it) and it magically appears in a bottle that we are just supposed to share out of the goodness of our hearts. Come on, get real here. Those are not going to be the long-term customers that want to come back for more on down the road. Lots of people won't appreciate all that goes into getting the milk from goat to their drinking glass unless they visit a farm or have tried it themself or have friends or family raising goats. It really helps to keep track of your expenses and then figure out what it costs you to produce and then check with others locally, if you can to see what the competition is doing and then make a judgement call for what you can live with. Best of luck to you!


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## xymenah (Jul 1, 2011)

Fresh here goes from 6-10$ a gallon frozen is normally 4-6$ a gallon.


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## liz (Oct 5, 2007)

Because it's not legal to sell here, I don't advertise BUT I have sold 1/2 gallon jugs for $2.50 (with fresh white stuff in them :wink: ) to feed an orphaned deer..... this was to a "friend", I normally sell for $8 a gallon but most often trade with a neighbor for fresh produce


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## aceofspades (Dec 26, 2012)

liz said:


> Because it's not legal to sell here, I don't advertise BUT I have sold 1/2 gallon jugs for $2.50 (with fresh white stuff in them :wink: ) to feed an orphaned deer..... this was to a "friend", I normally sell for $8 a gallon but most often trade with a neighbor for fresh produce


Here in my part of texas you can only advertise milk for sale if you specify for animal use. 
Or have special (expensive) licensing. 
"Advertise animal use"
(what they do with it after they but it is there business) 
Last season I sold frozen milk in zip lock freezer-bags for 2.50 a Quart. 
or fresh in glass quart jars for 3.50 
3 if they brought back the jar. 
But this year with the continued drought and the rising cost of feed/hay I expect that pricing to easily double just to break even.


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