Raw Milk: Short Supply Sorrow
It doesn’t happen often, but once in awhile our raw milk demand is bigger than our raw milk production. Nothing has changed on our end - we’re still milking the same number of cows, which are producing the same amount of milk. But we’re selling out day after day and right now is one of those times.
Unfortunately, there’s not a quick fix for this. We can’t order more milk or simply add more cows to our dairy as an overnight solution. We are extremely selective about what breed of cows we add to our herd, also looking closely at their genetics and diet.
Here are some things to keep in mind while milk is in short supply:
We have fresh milk stocked each day our farm store is open. We bottle our milk three times each week, right before our doors open. If you visit on a Tuesday or Thursday at 2:00pm, or Saturday at 10:00am, there will be milk on the shelves. How long it will be there is difficult to determine.
We have the most milk on Tuesdays. When we bottle that day it’s milk from Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, while the other days we bottle milk from two days (Wednesday & Thursday’s on Thursday, Friday & Saturday’s on Saturday). We have been selling out as quickly as 45 minutes on Saturdays.
We cannot pre-sell or hold milk. We understand there are health reasons you need milk. We know some have to drive hours to pick it up. But there are many who share the same needs and we just can’t accommodate them all. The logistics of accepting payments, coordinating pick ups, and managing it would be a large job in addition to the existing farm work we also need to get done each day. We feel our first-come, first-served policy is the most fair to all in this situation.
We post on social media when we are sold out. Check our Facebook and Instagram feeds before you head to the farm to see if milk is still in stock. You’re also welcome to call or text our farm number to find out (801-896-3276).
We will have more milk soon. Both warmer temperatures as we move into spring, and a few dairy cows who are due to calve soon, will increase milk supply.
The amount of milk we have does change throughout the year. Our cows give less in the colder months, usually when demand is higher, and more in the warmer months, usually when demand is lower. It would be nice if production and demand coincided a little better, but we understand it’s just part of the cycle of eating real food from a farm.
As we work through these times of short supply, know how much we appreciate your patience and continued support. As a small farm it’s a relief to know we are selling all we can produce - none of it goes to waste. We also value your smiles in our store during an occasional long wait in line, as well as your commitment to healing, local food. Thank you for being part of UNM!