Cow sharing as a sham

[Guest guest]

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store, or getting almost outdated stock.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