Guest guest Posted December 31, 2005 Report Share Posted December 31, 2005 Thank you, ! : ) Shery Sunspring Ranch Utah Cow sharing as a sham I am getting pretty annoyed that so many people automatically look as cow (or goat) shares as a “sham” to avoid having trouble selling milk. Cow and Goat share operators have their own reasons and business plans, but as a share operator I believe we shortchange ourselves and create ill attitudes by saying the old “well of course it is to circumvent raw milk laws” Not necessarily. There are numerous reasons and benefits to operate a share program, both for the operator and the share owner. By falling for the govt’s “sham” theory, people are denying the validity of basic contract law. Are time shares just a “sham” to “pretend” you own a vacation home? Certainly not! They are legal, contractual ownerships of a certain percentage (measured in time used) of a home that people neither want to have complete ownership and responsibility for, nor can afford, both time-wise and dollar-wise. For the farmer, operating a share program means: Less capital investment (the shareowners pay for much of the cow/goat) Ability to plan based upon shareowner commitments Regular income from maintenance/boarding fees Relationship building between the farming culture and non farmers The farmer does not have to be concerned about whether or not his market will fluctuate weekly, daily or monthly. He can plan the inventory for freshness, and more adequately and efficiently have product delivered. For the Share owner: An assurance of regular availability of product, with No worries about none in the store, or getting almost outdated stock. A stake in the production methodology of the product produces by his animal. An opportunity to develop an understanding of the mechanisms of farming while being a responsible partner. Relationship building between the farming culture and non farmers. All in all, I see a good number of benefits to the share concept. I have 2 families that own a cow all themselves! They are large families, suburban, like the benefits of raw dairy, love the farm visits, but don’t want the responsibility of a cow of their own! Other share owners simply are in no position to have an animal, but love the opportunity to have ownership in part. I am pleased with how my share operation has allowed me to enjoy my farming, with a steady income, and the opportunity to educate my shareowners about raw dairy and farm life. I am totally uninterested in retail sales, this works much better for me, and my shareowners, for the most part are happy with it also. Please, guys DO NOT presume that share operations are simply a way to get by, when in actuality they are a legitimate and beneficial business model. So say otherwise is to play right into the hands of the nay sayers and do many share operations a great disservice. kathryn russell www.MajestyFarm.com "The one the tyrants fear is the man who knows his rights and is prepared to stand up for them." andr Solzhenitsyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 1, 2006 Report Share Posted January 1, 2006 , This was a brilliant piece. I'd like your permission to paste it into the food section of my family " blog " so that I've got it on hand. Full credit to you, of course. I have the same attitude toward cow " shares " as I do my CSA share. It is a partnership between the farmer and myself, our " riches " rising and falling with them in more of a natural, real-life arrangement. I'd think that would be another business " model " to go by including the question the came up regarding insurance. What DO CSAs do about insurance? They certainly face liability risks (e coli, etc.), the same as any dairy farmer. -Sharon, NH I am getting pretty annoyed that so many people automatically look as cow (or goat) shares as a "sham" to avoid having trouble selling milk. Cow and Goat share operators have their own reasons and business plans, but as a share operator I believe we shortchange ourselves and create ill attitudes by saying the old "well of course it is to circumvent raw milk laws" Not necessarily. There are numerous reasons and benefits to operate a share program, both for the operator and the share owner. By falling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 1, 2006 Report Share Posted January 1, 2006 Permission to share is granted. I too look at the share operations as a form of CSA, but that go a step further to true co-ownership. We in Virginia are having a rough time w/ liability insurance availability. It is another fight against the “big guys” that is in process. But, then again, insurance should be a choice, to protect oneself from risks. I do not believe it should be a mandated issue. kathryn russell www.MajestyFarm.com " The one the tyrants fear is the man who knows his rights and is prepared to stand up for them. " andr Solzhenitsyn From: RawDairy [mailto:RawDairy ] On Behalf Of Sharon son Sent: Sunday, January 01, 2006 10:52 AM To: RawDairy Subject: Re: Cow sharing as a sham , This was a brilliant piece. I'd like your permission to paste it into the food section of my family " blog " so that I've got it on hand. Full credit to you, of course. I have the same attitude toward cow " shares " as I do my CSA share. It is a partnership between the farmer and myself, our " riches " rising and falling with them in more of a natural, real-life arrangement. I'd think that would be another business " model " to go by including the question the came up regarding insurance. What DO CSAs do about insurance? They certainly face liability risks (e coli, etc.), the same as any dairy farmer. -Sharon, NH I am getting pretty annoyed that so many people automatically look as cow (or goat) shares as a " sham " to avoid having trouble selling milk. Cow and Goat share operators have their own reasons and business plans, but as a share operator I believe we shortchange ourselves and create ill attitudes by saying the old " well of course it is to circumvent raw milk laws " Not necessarily. There are numerous reasons and benefits to operate a share program, both for the operator and the share owner. By falling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 1, 2006 Report Share Posted January 1, 2006 i was thinking that a while ago the gov't up here was giving grant money to farmers that shared ownership of big ticket machinery. Had to be three or more I believe. Wouldn't this be the same as cow/goat share? Debbie ChikouskyManitoba, Canadagdchik@...http://www.winnipegbeach.com/chikouskyfarms/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 1, 2006 Report Share Posted January 1, 2006 Essentially, yes kathryn russell www.MajestyFarm.com " The one the tyrants fear is the man who knows his rights and is prepared to stand up for them. " andr Solzhenitsyn From: RawDairy [mailto:RawDairy ] On Behalf Of & Debbie Chikousky Sent: Sunday, January 01, 2006 3:43 PM To: RawDairy Subject: Re: Cow sharing as a sham i was thinking that a while ago the gov't up here was giving grant money to farmers that shared ownership of big ticket machinery. Had to be three or more I believe. Wouldn't this be the same as cow/goat share? Debbie Chikousky Manitoba, Canada gdchik@... http://www.winnipegbeach.com/chikouskyfarms/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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