I would like to do a Farm visit and learn more about the process, can I just show up?
Education of the process and sharing insight into what goes into the food you consume is a key part of this herdshare and a guiding principle of our operation. Unfortunately, both operators work full time, in addition to farming full time. All farm visits must be scheduled ahead of time. No drop-in visits will be accommodated and as with any working farm, we ask that you not open any closed gates as you may be greeted by livestock guardian dogs who take their job seriously. Once you register as a member, you will receive a confirmation email that will provide you with next steps and how to schedule a farm tour.
What is the member’s pick-up process?
We are so glad you asked! The Member’s Milk Shed is located off of Jackknife Rd in front of our blue shop by our lower pasture. If you have followed Google Maps it will take you to our driveway. The Member’s milk shed is located one driveway West of the Twisted Oak Farm sign. If you are parked in front of the Twisted Oak Farm Sign at our gated driveway, look to your left and you will see the Blue Shop and the Members Milk Shed.
Members can pull into the parking area and grab milk on their designated day or shop for available dairy products and cheese at their convenience without having to worry about opening gates and barking dogs. The Member’s Milk Shed is open daily from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM (earlier or later if communicated beforehand). Lights inside are on a motion sensor and the parking area is well lit. In addition to dairy products, local vendors are set up to showcase their available products as well. From freshly baked sourdough, cookies, and scones to floral arrangements, fresh eggs, and vegetables. Depending on the season, local products are available!
For the first-time visiting the Member’s Milk shed, we would like to meet with you to go over the process or talk to you on the phone. Once you register you will be sent instructions for accessing the Milk Shed as well as contact information if any questions come up.
For weekly milk shareholders, located in the fridge, each member has a color-coded lid assigned to them that week. Your color will be written down on the whiteboard with the amount of milk you are allocated to pick up. If you need more or less milk, or need to cancel/reschedule for the week, you must notify us 24 hours in advance. The exact quantity of Milk is bottled for weekly milkshare members picking up that day. The rest of the milk goes into making dairy products. No extra milk will be stored at the Milk Shed.
If the weekly milk share is at capacity, can I still visit the Member’s Milk Shed?
YES!! We limit the number of weekly milk shares in order to be able to supply all members with fresh weekly dairy products, fresh and aged cheese (which was the catalyst for starting this passion project), and other products such as packaged meat, eggs, and items supplied by local vendors. This is truly a Farm to Table experience, all items are sourced from products we raise or sourced on the Farm or from the local community. Our mission is to educate our members that you don’t have to depend on factory farms and mass manufacturing. Knowing where your food comes from, and understanding the effort that goes into the products you and your family are consuming holds more value over quantity and convenience. Education is vital to this vanishing craft, and for those who want to learn – we want to teach. If you want to know how something is made, or want to gain knowledge from hands-on learning, let us know.
How do I pay for my Herdshare Products?
Twisted Oak Farm only accepts cash or Venmo. Instructions are located within the Milk Shed. In addition, the Milk Shed hosts weekly vendors who will have color-coded or specially marked envelopes to use for their products. Each vendor needs to be paid independently.
Payments must be made at the time of pick up. We firmly believe in the honor system which is why we value meeting each and every one of our members. For monthly payments, payments are due on the first pickup day of the month.
Weekly Milk Share Members – Returning Milk Jars and Cleaning
In order to ensure I am able to supply each of my members with their weekly orders, milk jars (1/2 gallon mason jars or pour jars) must be properly cleaned and returned before picking up your next order. Each member either provides a jar deposit ($5/jar) or provides 1/2 gallon mason jars and plastic lids in lieu of a deposit. If you take a jar, you must leave a jar. Mason jars and lids must be washed before returning. Twisted Oak Farm uses vinyl labels to market our milk. These labels are dishwasher safe, but if they come off – no worries, we will replace them prior to refilling. We take sanitation practices seriously, before refilling, all jars, lids, and plastic rings are sanitized once again to ensure that we are providing the best product that is safe for you, your family, and ours.
What are your cleaning practices before and after milking?
Sanitation practices are critical to any production farm or any location that produces consumable goods. Here at Twisted Oak Farm, the everyday practices and routines that we follow help minimize microbial, chemical and physical contamination as well as ensuring the health of the animal and the quality of the milk is our highest priority.
Milking Preparation: The dairy cows come into the barn at night and at 6 am they are ready to be milked. The udders and teats are prepared and cleaned using soapy water on one side of fresh cotton cloth. The teats are then expressed to ensure the flow of milk is not clogged before a 1% iodine teat pre/post-dip solution is applied and wiped after 30 seconds. The inflations are then attached to clean dry teats.
Post Milking: Once milking has been completed, the teats get dipped again and Dynamint Utter cream or Bag Balm is applied. These girls are truly spoiled in their routine. Twisted Oak Farm follows the OSU Extension Service Guide when it comes to cleaning and sanitizing our milking equipment. We rinse our 10-gallon stainless milking container with cold water to rinse off the milk residue. We then use a two/three-step cleansing system to clean the bucket, equipment, and milk line.
- Liquipfan, a dairy-specific liquid cleanser, is run through the equipment and milking lines. The equipment and buckets are scrubbed in a pattern of three (thank you OCD) to ensure no section is missed. The warm soapy water is then emptied and sprayed down with water to wash off any soap residue.
- The equipment is then run through a Dairyland Power Team Acid Rinse solution using a tested dilution with 140-150 degree temp water and scrubbed.
- Every other day we add in a third step (Soap, Acid Rinse, then Sanitizer). Again, we test each solution with QAC QR5 test strips to ensure our cleaners are not too concentrated and at safe levels.
- Upon collection, the milk is filtered through an in-line milk filtration system and placed in the collection bucket with a Rapi-Kool Cold Paddle Chill Utensil to ensure cooling of the milk begins immediately. The pre-filtered milk is then brought down to the house and filtered once more using a dual-screen food grade funnel and non-gauze milk disc filters as they are bottled in pre-sanitized glass jars and finally placed in a 30-degree chiller for 60 minutes to ensure the temp is rapidly lowered.
In addition to onsite chemical and sanitation testing, Twisted Oak Farm is also working with Udder Health Systems, Inc. to test the quality of the milk. The dairy consultation testing services include individualized tests for:
– Standard Plate Count (SPC)
– Total Coliform (TC)
– Somatic Cell Count (SCC)
Is the milk sold at Twisted Oak Farm pasteurized?
No, the milk our herd share owners buy into is raw, or as we like to call it – Farm Fresh!
Pasteurization is the process of heating milk (or other foodstuffs) to a specified time and temperature in order to kill organisms in the milk that may cause spoilage or disease if consumed. Pasteurization is practiced widely to enhance food preservation and promote food safety. Conventional pasteurization requires heating milk to 145°F (63°C) for 30 minutes. Milk can also be pasteurized by heating it to 161°F (72°C) for at least 15 seconds. Pasteurization is critical for large commercial dairy farms to ensure that the milk they produce, when shipped all across the state and continent, is free from bacteria that may grow over time and to extend the shelf life. Here on the farm, the milk we provide to our herd share members is fresh. Depending on the designated pick-up day, our members receive milk from that day’s milking. In addition, because we are a micro-dairy with a limited number of cows, we are able to ensure that proper care and attention to sanitation and food safety practices are followed.
What type of feed do the cows receive?
Our cows are raised on pasture grass, local hay purchased in the fall and winter months, alfalfa, and brewers spent grain (a mixture of barley and malt) from a local brewery, in addition to block minerals and salt. A dairy cow eats around 110–120 pounds of food per day, which is a combination of hay, grain, and protein. The amount of food a dairy cow eats directly impacts their milk production.
Educational Resources – The More You KNOW!
What is a Herd Share
Raw Milk: Do Its Benefits Outweigh the Dangers?
Recipe for a Healthy Gut: Intake of Unpasteurised Milk Is Associated with Increased Lactobacillus Abundance in the Human Gut Microbiome
Health Benefits of A2/A2 Milk