Frequently Asked Questions

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In Virginia it is not legal to buy and sell raw milk (as in unpasteurized, fresh-from-the-cow milk), however it is not illegal to drink fresh milk from cows that you own! We offer shares in our herd of Jersey cattle and in exchange for a monthly boarding fee we feed, milk, and care for the Ladies and you enjoy the rewards!

How is the program set up? What if I don't live in Harrisonburg?

To become an owner in the herd you make a one-time payment of $65 to buy a share of our herd. Each week there is a $13 boarding fee for the feeding and care of the herd. A signle share entitles you to approximately two gallons of milk each week, you're welcome to buy part shares or multiple shares to fit your needs. Every morning we bottle milk into half gallon wide mouth mason jars, the jars are then either placed in our refrigerators (you pick the day of the week most convenient for us to bottle your milk) or placed into ice packed coolers and whisked away for delivery or as part of one of our driving cooperatives. We currently offer Saturday delivery to Charlottesville, Monday delivery to Downtown Harrisonburg, have a Saturday driving cooperative to Batesville, and soon look forward to starting Staunton delivery. We are always interested in starting new delivery routes and driving cooperatives so please reach out to us! 

What are the cows like? Are they organic?

We milk mostly Jersey cows with a few Holsteins and crossbreds thrown in. We value sweet, easy going, healthy cows more than selecting for any particular breed. Click on the 'Meet The Ladies' tab to get to know some of our girls. We used to carry out organic certification and are very familiar with the requirements for it, however the costs of carrying that certification are way too much for to a small farm. We'd rather be totally transparent about how The Ladies are treated and raised. The Ladies have free range on a rotating variety of pastures, receive home grown feed from non-GMO seed, and never receive supplementary hormones. We always welcome visitors so you can check it out yourself and as co-owners of the herd we encourage you to come see your Ladies! 

What  is the farm like? Can I visit?

We are located in Keezletown, VA minutes from Harrisonburg and I-81. We have been dairying at our current location since 2010, before that we dairyed for years at our original farm down the road until we sold out in 2007. We said 'we're done dairy farming!' but we kept a few favorite heifers and cows and before you knew it we were milking twenty cows one by one in our garage so in 2010 we hopped back in and built a milking parlor and facilities on a parcel of land we referred to as the Miller Barn that we kept when we sold the original dairy. The Miller Barn hosts all of the miking cows  and heifers, a few sheep & goats, and a few geese and ducks. Since starting there we have put in a waste pond to control the cows waste and water from washing the milking system, have fenced off all of the water front along the creek, and planted hundreds of trees and shrubs along the creek bed in a partnership with the Shenandoah Valley Soil & Water Conservation District. We are continually looking for ways to make the farm greener and more eco-friendly.  We love to have visitors, we frequently host school field trips and tours, as a co-owner  you are entitled to stop by at any time and visit with The Ladies. Before you visit we do ask that you give us a heads up, we are a working farm and we do have a (grumpy) bull, electric fencing, mean geese, and other potentially dangerous stuff. Can't make it out as often as you'd like? Like our Facebook page for a virtual visit everyday. 

I have a lot more questions or I want to sign up!

If you have a lot more questions go check out our 'Guide to Windy Hill' document (coming soon!) under the Forms tab, it painstakingly lists out pretty much everything you could ever want to know about The Ladies/Windy Hill/Raw Milk/The Stupid Mean Geese. Also check out http://www.realmilk.com/ for more information on raw milk. 

Ready to sign up? Yay! Check out the 'Herdshare Contract' form under the Forms tab and then give us a call! Our contact information is listed in the Contacts tab.

Check out the Meet the Ladies tab