Starting a dairy?

[babsbag]

I know there must be people out there as crazy as I am so will someone who isn't crazy please convince me that at the age of 54 I shouldn't want to open a Grade B dairy. Especially I shouldn't want to try and do this in California, the great state of over regulations. I have been thinking about this for 4 years and after a life changing event in my husbands life he is finally on board with my crazy idea and now I am getting cold feet.

Am I crazy?

 

[GLENMAR]

Go for it! You could always sell later or hire someone to take over.

 

[Catahoula]

If you have the time, energy and resources...go for it. I think it is wonderful to have dreams...whether you have cold feet or not. Keep dreaming and keep making your dreams happening. This is how we should all live. 54 is YOUNG!

 

[Mamaboid]

Go for it. I would much rather regret that something I tried didn't work, than regret never trying it.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

This is what I want to do too! We should help each other figure stuff out!!!

 

[Oakroot]

I heard from someone who was doing this that the shell of the diary building was going to cost them 100 grand not costing equipment or any of the legal stuff. Best of luck!

 

[ragdollcatlady]

Well...There is that portable dairy facility for sale (in Paso Robles I think??)....That would give you the facilities part.....

 

[babsbag]

Well...There is that portable dairy facility for sale (in Paso Robles I think??)....That would give you the facilities part.....

I called them about that facility. A very interesting idea, but after finding that they have no production equipment in it we decided it was way out of line price wise.

Fortunaltey we have the skill set to build it ourselves so not counting permits and fees we are thinking less than 50,000. We would probably hire someone to do the slab foundation, but the rest we could do. We have thought of doing cinder block and our neighbor will help with that. But the cheaper option may be wood frame on a cement curb.

I already own a milking machine that will do until I get something bigger, I have a welder and freinds that weld that could make the stanchions. I would start small, about 15 goats. I have seen combo coolers, pastuerizers, and vats for 12,000.00. I want to do a Grade B dairy for now and and make feta, chevre, and cheese truffles to start. Then build the cheese cave and make aged cheeses. If I make the cheese within 2 hours of milking I don't have to have the expensive coolers and bulk tanks. The main requirements for the cheese making part is stainless steel sinks, racks, pots, etc. And of course cement floors and good drains, etc. Logical stuff for the most part. I have been making cheese and yogurt for a few years so I have SOME idea of what I am doing.

These are my biggest concerns:
1. The cost of the waste water treatment
2. The cost of the use permit from the county for the cheese producing plant
3. The 250.00 a quarter dairy inspection fee.
4. marketing...I am a lousy salesman, but my DH is awesome and willing.
5. Packaging, I have no idea how to package cheese.

And now a state inspector tells me that they might not be issuing licenses for Grade B dairies, that would certainly end this idea for now. One of the requirements for a Grade A is to house the animals 100 feet from the milking parlor, I just don't have that much useable space.

Thank you all for the encouragement.

WMR. are you sure you don't want to move to northern CA and get out of that desert. I am thinking we could have lots of fun together; and our dogs already know each other

There is land near me that will be for sale soon and I could use a partner that has a "can do" attitude. I want to do the educational center too; and have a community garden and farm and also teach canning and soap making. We just fit together. Come on up.

 

[michickenwrangler]

Well...There is that portable dairy facility for sale (in Paso Robles I think??)....That would give you the facilities part.....

I called them about that facility. A very interesting idea, but after finding that they have no production equipment in it we decided it was way out of line price wise.

Fortunaltey we have the skill set to build it ourselves so not counting permits and fees we are thinking less than 50,000. We would probably hire someone to do the slab foundation, but the rest we could do. We have thought of doing cinder block and our neighbor will help with that. But the cheaper option may be wood frame on a cement curb.

I already own a milking machine that will do until I get something bigger, I have a welder and freinds that weld that could make the stanchions. I would start small, about 15 goats. I have seen combo coolers, pastuerizers, and vats for 12,000.00. I want to do a Grade B dairy for now and and make feta, chevre, and cheese truffles to start. Then build the cheese cave and make aged cheeses. If I make the cheese within 2 hours of milking I don't have to have the expensive coolers and bulk tanks. The main requirements for the cheese making part is stainless steel sinks, racks, pots, etc. And of course cement floors and good drains, etc. Logical stuff for the most part. I have been making cheese and yogurt for a few years so I have SOME idea of what I am doing.

These are my biggest concerns:
1. The cost of the waste water treatment
2. The cost of the use permit from the county for the cheese producing plant
3. The 250.00 a quarter dairy inspection fee.
4. marketing...I am a lousy salesman, but my DH is awesome and willing.
5. Packaging, I have no idea how to package cheese.

And now a state inspector tells me that they might not be issuing licenses for Grade B dairies, that would certainly end this idea for now. One of the requirements for a Grade A is to house the animals 100 feet from the milking parlor, I just don't have that much useable space.

Thank you all for the encouragement.

WMR. are you sure you don't want to move to northern CA and get out of that desert. I am thinking we could have lots of fun together; and our dogs already know each other

There is land near me that will be for sale soon and I could use a partner that has a "can do" attitude. I want to do the educational center too; and have a community garden and farm and also teach canning and soap making. We just fit together. Come on up.

Seeing your signature says that you are on 5 acres, that really is not enough land for what you plan on doing. I live in the "dairy belt" of Michigan and am familiar with our state's regulations. Granted, California may be different, but I'm sure some of the things are the same.

a) Separate driveway (if you are doing cheese on site, you may not have to have this)
b) Waste water for parlor
c) Waste water for animals (most dairies around here have open pits and spray them back on hayfields in spring)
d) Lighting. Light bulbs will have to be placed every so many feet
e) Working bathroom in milking parlor
f) Zoning (if you have to rezone as commerical or industrial, it will cost money)
g) Max amount of animals for 5 acres may not allow you to have enough to be profitable

There was a restaurant in the village that was a chicken place/hatchery since the 1930s. The excess chickens from the hatchery were raised up for meat for the restaurant, but in the 1970s, it was too hard to comply with health dept regulations so the hatchery shut down. Ie. hatchery was too close to the restaurant, slaughtering facilities had to be separate w/ separate inspection and licensing, etc...

What about feed for the animals? With dairy facilities taking up a lot of your space, could you grow enough food to support them? How much is hay and grain costing where you are? Nearly all the dairies here grow their own hay & corn.

What about kids? How will they be fed? What do you plan to do with the males & extra females? Breeding? Keep a buck on site or AI?

Sanitation. This will involve much more than sloshing some lines in soapy water.

I'm not trying to talk you out of it, but there is a lot to it and I think it will cost you far more to start and operate than you think. I could never do it on my 5 acres. Although I am zoned industrial--still haven't figured out why, I think there was a sawmill here in the 1930s (property actually used to be owned by the people who owned the hatchery) but I digress.

There are going to be a lot of little regulations and necessities that crop up. And they will cost money.

Things are cheaper here in Michigan than in California and a friend built a 100 x 60 pole barn for $60,000 for a riding arena, and that was with wiring and everything (no cement slab, just sand and dirt footing). You will easily spend over $100,000 to get this dream realized. If you have it, cool. Go for it, I envy you. But I think this venture will cost far more than you're planning on.

 

[babsbag]

Seeing your signature says that you are on 5 acres, that really is not enough land for what you plan on doing. I live in the "dairy belt" of Michigan and am familiar with our state's regulations. Granted, California may be different, but I'm sure some of the things are the same.

a) Separate driveway (if you are doing cheese on site, you may not have to have this)
b) Waste water for parlor
c) Waste water for animals (most dairies around here have open pits and spray them back on hayfields in spring)
d) Lighting. Light bulbs will have to be placed every so many feet
e) Working bathroom in milking parlor
f) Zoning (if you have to rezone as commerical or industrial, it will cost money)
g) Max amount of animals for 5 acres may not allow you to have enough to be profitable

There was a restaurant in the village that was a chicken place/hatchery since the 1930s. The excess chickens from the hatchery were raised up for meat for the restaurant, but in the 1970s, it was too hard to comply with health dept regulations so the hatchery shut down. Ie. hatchery was too close to the restaurant, slaughtering facilities had to be separate w/ separate inspection and licensing, etc...

What about feed for the animals? With dairy facilities taking up a lot of your space, could you grow enough food to support them? How much is hay and grain costing where you are? Nearly all the dairies here grow their own hay & corn.

What about kids? How will they be fed? What do you plan to do with the males & extra females? Breeding? Keep a buck on site or AI?

Sanitation. This will involve much more than sloshing some lines in soapy water.

I'm not trying to talk you out of it, but there is a lot to it and I think it will cost you far more to start and operate than you think. I could never do it on my 5 acres. Although I am zoned industrial--still haven't figured out why, I think there was a sawmill here in the 1930s (property actually used to be owned by the people who owned the hatchery) but I digress.

There are going to be a lot of little regulations and necessities that crop up. And they will cost money.

Things are cheaper here in Michigan than in California and a friend built a 100 x 60 pole barn for $60,000 for a riding arena, and that was with wiring and everything (no cement slab, just sand and dirt footing). You will easily spend over $100,000 to get this dream realized. If you have it, cool. Go for it, I envy you. But I think this venture will cost far more than you're planning on.

I appreciate all the insight. The waste water is probably my biggest worry and I haven't quite figured out who to call in our county. I am zoned for a dairy with a use permit, and also for the production plant if I own the goats myself. I can legally have 30 goats on my land and currently have 21, some of those are boers. I feed all my goats alfalfa as they are on dry lot pretty much all of the time. Kids will be sold at 2 weeks of age, and I have an outlet for the bucklings already. I do have 2 bucks, boer and alpine already and many friends with goats as well. All of our herds are tested for CL and CAE so we don't mind sharing stud service. I also have someone who will teach me to do AI and access to a tank. I already have the goat operation, I just need a way to do something with the milk. I can only make so much soap. I would have to test for TB and Brucellosis yearly which would be an added expense, but other than that the goat cost shouldn't change much.

The Grade B dairy requirements are much less than grade A. I am also trying to buy the adjacent land( waiting for it to get out of probate), in which case I would move my goat housing and maybe someday try for the grade A dairy.

I haven't seen anything on a separate driveway, but I may have to pave it.

As far as the acutal building goes, I think our biggest advantage is the ability to do all the work ourselves. I am not afraid of things like having to add a bathroom as we have built an entire house, and I know that I can get a toilet and a sink for cheap or free. If they require that, and they may, I would have to put in another septic tank, but the leach field is downhill and very accessible from where we would build. We have the backhoe to dig the hole for the tank and we would do the connections. My property is also zoned for a second residence so hopefully they won't balk too much at another toilet.

I am sure the costs will be higher, they always are. But I am looking to milk 2-4 goats at a time for now and we would plan the design to be expandable in the future if it warrants it.

The more I justify this to BYH the more I want to do it. Now I just need to write a business plan.