Twisted Oak Farm is not open to the public. You must be a Member to shop at the Member’s Milk Shed.
Twisted Oak Farm (“Seller”) and Herdshare/Milkshare Member (“Member”) agree as follows:
- MEMBERSHIP COMMITMENT
Twisted Oak Farm is a non-profit organization focused on promoting sustainable, holistic farming and animal husbandry practices that foster health, education, and awareness about the origins of our food and nutrition. We aim to educate future generations about historical homesteading practices and provide local alternatives to mass consumerism models. The annual membership cost is covered by the non-profit. Members can purchase as many share(s) needed each week, depending on the type of membership below:
A. Herd Share Member: Month-to-Month commitment.
If you have not accessed the milkshed within a two-month timeframe, your access code will be removed, and your membership will be inactivated. Product shares are sold to herdshare members at an ad hoc basis, depending on the type of products you are looking to acquire that week. Products are first-come, first-served, and all products available for herd share members will be located in the first-come, first-served fridges and freezers. Herdshare members also have access to all of the vendor items, which are paid directly to the vendor. A portion of the cost of each product from Twisted Oak Farm includes the boarding and animal care fees.
B. Milk Share Member – Annual commitment required.
“1 share” = ½ gallon of reserved milk on an assigned day each week.
“2 shares” = 1 gallon of reserved milk on an assigned day each week.
Milkshare members are required to provide a one-time $5.00 non-refundable glass jar fee for each ½ gallon glass mason jar and lid. A glass jar and lid can be provided in lieu of fee, but both jar and lid will become the property of Twisted Oak Farm. If a milkshare is discontinued, the glass jar and lid must be returned. In addition to reserved milk every week, Milkshare members have access to all other first-come, first-served items and vendor products.
C. Temporary Traveler Membership – Limited/One-Time Access.
Temporary Traveler Memberships are only provided to individuals who live outside of a 50-mile radius from the farm. Address verification will be reviewed prior to access being provisioned. Temporary Traveler Membership is only for individuals traveling or on vacation who would like access to farm-fresh dairy and local items. Twisted Oak Farm will provide you with limited access to the milkshed while you are in the area. For more information on where to find farm-fresh milk while you are traveling, please go to https://www.realmilk.com or https://getrawmilk.com - TRIAL PERIOD
Member and Seller agree to a 30-day trial period, during or after which either party may terminate this contract for any reason by providing written notice to the other party. Member agrees to thoroughly read, understand, and strictly comply with all written instructions, protocols, and operational processes. Member acknowledges that agricultural operations and the production of handmade goods require rigorous, year-round maintenance, and agrees to align their expectations with the realities of live animal care and farm workflows.
Seller reserves the right to terminate this contract immediately and request the Member’s departure from the premises if the Member:- Causes disruptions or operational issues on the farm.
- Maintains unattainable or unreasonable expectations regarding farm operations and product availability. We cannot accommodate requests for special treatment, custom services, or modifications to standard member responsibilities. Product availability depends strictly on milk lactation cycles, maternity leave, and seasonal harvest. In addition, please understand that operators balance full-time outside employment alongside managing the farm. To keep our operations sustainable, we must strictly adhere to our established program guidelines.
- Exhibits rude, disrespectful, or unprofessional behavior toward the Seller, farm staff, or community members at any time.
- BOARDING OF ANIMALS
Seller agrees to provide care and boarding for Member’s cows on Seller’s farm. Care and boarding will include providing shelter, feed, water, and milking of cows daily and is included in the cost per share. For safety purposes, only registered members will be allow on premises and visitation of animals and farm is allowed only when the facility operator is present and at a prearranged time. - COW MANAGEMENT
Animal ownership comes with some risk. The Member is purchasing a share in the dairy herd for the productive lifetime of the animals. The average productive life of an animal is 4- 8 years within a dairy facility. On the farm, it can be quite a bit longer. When each animal is no longer productive, the animal will be sold or butchered. Proceeds from the sale of the cow will be used to replace them with another meat or dairy cow of like value. - COLLECTION AND STORAGE OF MILK AND OTHER PRODUCTS
A. Seller agrees to milk Member’s cows twice a day and collect and store the raw milk in a 60-gallon stainless steel milk cooling tank which will then be bottled in Member’s 1/2 gallon mason jars or plastic milk jugs. The parties agree that Seller will combine milk from all shareholders’ cows in one storage unit each day. Only fresh milk within 48 hrs of milking will be provided to the Member on their scheduled pick-up day or on a first-come, first-served basis.
B. Members who sign up for the reserved weekly milk share will be able to receive no less than 1/2 gallon of farm fresh milk per milk share per week from Seller, to be retrieved and transported by Member at Member’s expense. Member will have 2 days (assigned day and a courtesy day) to retrieve milk at least one time per week. Seller must approve any changes made to this initially agreed-upon pickup day 48 hours (2 days) in advance of the scheduled pickup day. If not retrieved by Member by the 3rd day, it will be removed from the Member’s milk shed. The parties agree that because milk is a perishable product, should Member fail to retrieve their stored milk from Seller on the agreed days, Seller may, without notice to Member, dispose of the stored milk in any way Seller sees fit.
C. Milkshare Members agree to purchase a glass half-gallon mason jar with plastic lids for the uniform storage of milk. Each jar will be labeled with dishwasher-safe vinyl labels. If the label is removed or damaged over time, please know that it will be replaced. .
D. Each Member assumes responsibility for returning clean jars to the milkshed. This means that each jar should be hand scrubbed or sanitized in a dishwasher prior to returning the jars and lids to Seller. The seller agrees to sanitize jars and lids again prior to refilling. If the jar breaks or is cracked, each member is responsible for replacing the jar. Milkshare members will be required to replace any broken 1/2 gallon mason jars or provide an additional $5.00 deposit for glass 1/2 gallon mason jars.
F. For sustainability purposes, all Members agree to return all glass jars used for milk and other products, plastic yogurt containers, egg cartons, and vendor jars. - USE AND LIABILITY
A. Member warrants that all raw milk obtained by Member is for their own personal use only, and for no other purposes. Members agree not to resell, distribute, or transfer the products to any third party. Seller reserves the right to cancel any order or terminate membership if we suspect a violation of this resale ban.
B. Assumption of Risk and Liability Waiver- Risk Acceptance: Members understand and accept all health and safety risks related to transporting and consuming raw milk.
- Liability Release: Members release the Seller from any liability or damages caused by their use of raw milk.
- Duty to Educate Others: All members agree to inform their family and anyone else consuming this milk of its potential risks. The Seller is not responsible for educating or warning anyone beyond the registered member. Member is aware of any risks that may be associated with the use of raw milk and holds Seller harmless for any damages Member may incur by the use of raw milk. Member further agrees that Member will educate Member’s family members and any other persons drinking their milk of the risks associated with the use of raw milk, and releases Seller from any responsibility for the education of Member’s family members or other persons.
- Seller will not be responsible for any incidental, consequential or special damages incurred as a result of the use of raw milk or which arise from the boarding of Member’s cows.
- SECURITY INTEREST
Member and Seller agree that Seller will have a security interest in the form of a possessory lien on all cows boarded on Seller’s premises as security for any unpaid boarding fees or expenses which Member may incur. - DEFAULT
If a Member defaults on their obligation to pay for their herd shares before leaving the milkshed, Seller may, after giving Buyer notice of default, may revoke all membership rights and remove access to the milkshed. - RISK OF LOSS
Risk of loss concerning the cow sold under this Agreement will pass from Seller to Member upon the signing of this agreement. - FORCE MAJEURE
Seller will not be responsible for delays or failure to perform resulting from acts of God; acts of war or civil disturbance; epidemics; governmental action or inaction; fire; hurricane; earthquake; loss of electrical power, or communication; or other causes beyond Seller’s reasonable control. - WAIVER
A failure of Seller to enforce any of his rights under this herd share agreement will not constitute a waiver of those rights. - CHOICE OF LAW
This contract will be interpreted and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of Oregon. - ENTIRE AGREEMENT
This agreement represents the entire agreement between the parties and may be modified only by a writing signed by both the parties - EDUCATION RESOURCES
More information can be found online in our Frequently Asked Questions page.