Ever wonder why the price of our sheep dairy products is higher than the average store-bought dairy? As the family of three behind Secret Lands Farm, we want to be open about this. The cost isn’t just a number on a jar – it reflects the true farming choices we make every day out of respect for your health and our land. We practice traditional farming methods that prioritize animal welfare, nutrition, and sustainability, even when they take more time and effort. In this article, we’ll break down the factors – from how we care for our sheep to how we ferment our products – that make our sheep dairy special (and yes, a bit pricier). By the end, we hope you’ll see that our pricing isn’t about profit. It’s about providing real food made the true way, with love, for our friends (that’s you).
Animal Care & Flock Maintenance
Healthy, happy sheep are the heart of our farm. We raise a specialty dairy breed (East Friesian sheep) known for its milk, and they’re not cheap – high-quality dairy ewes can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars each. We invest in them because better genetics mean better milk for you. Every day, our flock grazes outdoors on chemical-free pastures, instead of being confined in a barn. This free-range lifestyle keeps them healthy and stress-free (and science shows stress can hurt milk quality).
However, it also means we need a plentiful supply of nutritious feed to sustain them. Dairy sheep require nutrient-dense diets – rich hay, pasture, grain, and mineral supplements – especially during milking season. For example, a milking ewe might get 2–3 pounds of grain plus high-protein hay per day to maintain her milk production. Providing such quality feed and minerals year-round is costly, but it’s non-negotiable for us because it keeps our animals strong. Our flock’s health care and breeding are another big responsibility. Sheep are seasonal breeders, meaning lambing (and milk production) only happens once a year. Unlike a dairy cow, which can lactate for ~305 days (10 months) annually. A good dairy ewe gives milk for roughly 6–8 months per year. The rest of the time, she’s “dry” (not milking) but still needs feed and care. A year-round cost with only seasonal income.
We carefully plan breeding so that our ewes lamb in a staggered schedule, giving us milk for part of the year and time for the mothers to rest. Each lambing is a delicate process that we oversee personally. It’s beautiful but also risky – pregnancy and birth can stress a ewe’s body. And we sometimes have to assist or call a vet to ensure mother and lambs stay safe. Good veterinary care (vaccinations, check-ups, emergency calls) and proper breeding management aren’t cheap, but they’re essential. In high-producing dairy ewes, issues like milk fever, ketosis, or mastitis can arise if not appropriately managed. We invest in preventing and treating these conditions to keep our girls healthy and comfortable.
All these factors – specialty breeds, premium feed, seasonal production, and diligent health care – add to the cost per liter of milk. We won’t cut corners on animal care. Our sheep are part of our family, and we know that well-cared-for animals produce the best milk (research even shows stress-free ewes give richer milk). When you see a higher price on our sheep milk or yogurt, remember it starts with the extra care given to each one of our fluffy “ladies” out in the field.
Milk Yield & Traditional Processing
Sheep milk is a rare and precious resource – literally. A single dairy cow can give 30–40 liters of milk a day. But a dairy sheep produces only a tiny fraction of that. Over an entire lactation, one high-performing ewe might yield 400–1,100 lbs of milk (about 180–500 liters) in 220 days. By comparison, a typical dairy cow yields around 22,000+ lbs (~10,000 liters) in a 300-day cycle. In daily terms, our East Friesian sheep might give on average 1–3 liters per day, whereas a Holstein cow gives 30+ liters. That’s 10 to 30 times less volume!
This scarcity of milk is a big reason sheep dairy products cost more. There’s just not as much to go around. We need a larger flock (with all the feed and care costs above) to produce the same volume that a few cows would produce. When you buy a jar of our sheep yogurt, you’re essentially holding the result of many sheep’s one-day output. Fewer liters per animal means each liter is more valuable. It has to cover all the farming costs spread over a much smaller quantity.
We also handle our milk using old-school, artisanal processing. This is time-consuming in large cow dairies; automation and large batches are the norm. Here at our small sheep dairy farm, we do things on a human scale for quality’s sake. We milk our ewes by machine in a specialized parlor (sheep require their own milking equipment and setup). Often twice a day, every day during the season. The milk is immediately chilled in a cooling tank (to keep it fresh). Then we usually ferment or process it in small batches.
For example, our traditional kefir is not the quick supermarket kind made with powdered culture and rushed through. We ferment our kefir using live kefir grain cultures for a full 48 hours at room temperature, allowing the probiotics to develop fully (typical authentic milk kefir needs about 24–48 hours to ferment properly). This slow fermentation—about two full days—yields a tangy. Rich kefir that’s loaded with beneficial bacteria, but it also ties up our dairy kitchen space and time.
By contrast, industrial producers might incubate yogurt or kefir for just a few hours using commercial packets. We choose the long, natural fermentation because it’s healthier and tastes “like Grandma used to make,” even though it’s more work. The same goes for our cheeses. All our sheep milk cheese is made by hand in small pots. We gently heat the milk, add natural cultures (we even start some cheeses with our kefir as a culture), cut and stir the curds manually, and carefully mold each wheel. It’s an art and a labor of love.
That means after we make a batch of cheese, we might not earn a penny from it for a year or more. It just sits aging (under our watchful eye, being cleaned and turned regularly) in the cave—aging cheese ties up storage space and capital. Big factories accelerate aging with controlled environments or even add artificial “aging agents” and flavors. But we stick to traditional affinage (aging) methods.
We’re literally holding inventory for months so that you get a naturally matured product with no artificial preservatives. Every month that ticks by, the cheese gets better – and we’ve spent more on keeping it in ideal conditions (cooling, cleaning, etc.). It’s a cost we accept to deliver real cheese with character.
In short, making sheep dairy products the traditional way means more labor and time per unit of milk. We employ small-batch pasteurization (when required), slow fermentation, and meticulous cheesemaking techniques that are evident in the final product. But these artisanal methods – stirring curds by hand, waiting months for cheese to ripen – mean we produce far less volume per week than any industrial dairy. Instead of thousands of gallons, we might process tens of gallons at a time. The price of our sheep’s yogurt or cheese reflects the artisanal scale. You’re paying not just for milk, but for the craftsmanship and time that went into transforming that milk into a nourishing food.
Farm Operations & Sustainability
Farming the right way isn’t the easy way, but we believe it’s worth it. We chose to establish our farm in the Grey Highlands of Ontario not by accident. This region sits around 500 metres above sea level on the niagara escarpment, blessed with clean air and rich soil. In fact, nearby towns in Grey County often rank among those with the very lowest air pollution levels in all of Ontario. We like to say we have “the cleanest air in Ontario” up here – and that fresh atmosphere translates to healthy pastures and sheep.
We treat our land with respect: no pesticides or chemical fertilizers, just natural, regenerative practices. Our sheep rotationally graze over many acres, which means we move them between pastures to let the grass recover naturally. This approach keeps the soil alive and nutritious (good for the sheep and the planet) but requires a larger land area and careful management.
We can’t just crowd a bunch of animals on a small plot and force things. We stock at a sustainable density. More land, in turn, means more fencing, more pasture maintenance, and yes, higher land costs and taxes. We’d rather use more land per sheep and let them eat grass as nature intended than confine them and import cheap feed. It’s better for the environment and for the nutritional quality of the milk (grass-fed milk is known to have more omega-3 and CLA fatty acids).
However, maintaining our fields (seeding, mowing, making our own hay for winter, controlling weeds by hand, etc.) adds to our expenses. Our farm is small and family-run, which means we wear many hats. We don’t have a large hired crew; we just have a few brave people. Milking, feeding, cleaning the barn, repairing equipment, record-keeping, lambing assistance at 3 AM, farmers’ markets on weekends – you name it, we do it ourselves. Rearing dairy sheep is highly labor-intensive relative to the output.
To give one example: on a cow dairy, one person with a machine might milk 100 cows in an hour. On our farm, milking our sheep takes longer because we have more animals for the same milk volume, and the equipment is smaller scale. Each ewe produces only a small amount of milk, but requires the same setup and cleanup as a cow. Every day, we spend hours on milking and barn sanitation. Then there’s the cheesemaking and bottling, which we also handle in-house. We joke that our job is 5% glamour (petting cute lambs for Instagram) and 95% hard work (scrubbing tanks and lugging feed bags). But it’s honest work we deeply believe in.
Being small also means higher costs per unit in many cases. We simply don’t have the economic scale that large dairy companies do. For instance, we still need to invest in necessary facilities and equipment to meet food safety and quality standards. Including a milking parlor with gentle milking machines for sheep, stainless steel cooling tanks, and a cheese aging fridge with precise temperature/humidity control. These facilities are expensive to set up and maintain, even though our output is modest.
Whether you milk 20 ewes or 200, you still need certain basics like a pasteurizer, storage freezers, plumbing, and generators. On top of that, running a licensed dairy in Ontario involves a lot of regulatory compliance – inspections, certifications. Which we take very seriously. We also pay for things like liability insurance (in case anything goes wrong) and additional insurance for our farm property and livestock. Operating officially and safely in every sense carries significant overhead. (Fun fact: Ontario farmers as a whole have identified skyrocketing insurance premiums as one of their top concerns recently.)
We’re not cutting any corners on safety or legality, which means these costs have to be built into our product pricing. It’s part of providing you with dairy products you can trust unquestioningly. In summary, our sustainable farming operations – from nurturing large open pastures to maintaining specialized dairy facilities – cost more per unit of milk than industrial farms. But these choices are an investment in quality, environment, and animal well-being. When you buy from us, you’re supporting a small, ethical farm that puts principles above profit. We believe you can taste the difference in the milk and cheese that come from a farm where the grass is green, the air is clean, and the farmers pour their sweat and soul into every day.
Packaging & Distribution Challenges
Getting our handcrafted products from our farm to your fridge is another area that adds cost (but ensures quality). Unlike shelf-stable goods, sheep dairy is highly perishable and temperature-sensitive. We insist on using glass packaging for our milk and yogurt, even though it’s pricier than plastic. Why? Because glass is the healthiest way to store dairy. It doesn’t leach any flavors or chemicals into the product. It also preserves the probiotic benefits of our kefir and yogurt better. It’s also environmentally friendlier and reusable.
That said, each glass bottle and jar costs significantly more than a plastic jug (and we have to account for breakage and returns logistics). We consider it an investment in product integrity. If you’ve ever tasted milk from a glass bottle, you know it just tastes fresher! Once packaged, our cold products must stay refrigerated until they reach you. We maintain on-farm refrigeration and freezers. When we ship to customers, we pack orders in insulated boxes with ice packs or dry ice. Those shipping materials and express courier services are costly.
For example, shipping artisan cheese isn’t like shipping a book. We have to pay for insulated liners and gel ice packs, which add weight and expense. As one small creamery put it, shipping fees must include insulation and ice to keep items in the best condition. We heavily subsidize shipping costs, but it still factors into the price you pay. If you’ve ever received a box from us, you know we don’t cut corners. The dairy and meat arrive chilled, safe, and ready to enjoy. That cold chain from our farm to your door is critical (especially in summer), and maintaining it is, frankly, expensive. We use overnight or 1-2 day shipping for long distances to ensure freshness, which is pricier than ground shipping. We don’t pass on the full cost to you. But a portion of our product price goes toward making sure delivery is done right.
Being a small-batch producer also means we lose out on bulk shipping and packaging discounts. A large dairy might ship pallets to grocery distribution centers, splitting transport costs over thousands of units. We send individual packages to individual customers, which costs more per item. We also can’t buy packaging or ingredients in the gigantic volumes big companies do. So we pay a higher unit price for jars, caps, labels, and even ingredients like cultures. As one artisanal cheesemaker noted, “every single input costs more” for small producers. Big companies get wholesale deals by the truckload, whereas we buy by the case.
For instance, we might pay a certain price for custom glass bottles because we order a few hundred at a time; a mega-dairy could pay half that price by ordering 100,000 units. The same principle applies to shipping. Sending one box overnight is costly, but sending 10,000 via freight is cheap per unit. We simply don’t have that economy of scale. And we’re okay with that, because it’s part of being an accurate farm-to-table operation.
Please note that our limited scale contributes to the increased cost of each bottle and wheel. Despite these challenges, we have chosen to sell directly to you rather than through large retailers whenever possible. Many farms just hand off their milk to big companies or sell cheese wholesale to shops, avoiding the hassle of e-commerce, farmers’ markets, or home delivery. But if we did that, we’d have to produce in larger volumes and might have to compromise on our methods.
Plus, we would lose the personal connection with you. Yes, managing orders on our website, maintaining a refrigerated delivery van, and coordinating shipping is a whole job in itself. It certainly eats up a lot of time and money. Some might say it’d be easier and more profitable for us to skip it – to just focus on farming and let someone else handle sales. We understand that approach, but we choose not to do it.
We love meeting our customers face-to-face at markets and drop-offs. By delivering directly, we ensure that the kefir or cheese is handled carefully (by us) until it reaches you, and we get to hear your feedback and see your smiles. That kind of relationship is something you simply can’t put a price on. It does mean our costs per unit sold are a bit higher (since we’re effectively doing distribution ourselves), but it’s part of our service and our commitment to quality. In essence, when you pay for our product, a portion of that covers the robust packaging and safe delivery to get that product to you in peak condition.
We refuse to compromise on this final step. We’d rather spend a bit more to ship our sheep yogurt with an ice pack than have it arrive spoiled. We’d rather pack our sheep cheese in a thermal box than risk it getting too warm. Your health and satisfaction guide these decisions, and the price reflects that extra care in packaging and distribution.
The “Added Value” in Sheep Dairy
At first glance, you may wonder if the nutritional or culinary benefits of sheep dairy are worth the higher price. We firmly believe they are, and science backs us up. Sheep’s milk is a nutritional powerhouse. It’s naturally richer in the good stuff – compared to cow’s milk, sheep’s milk contains nearly double the protein and healthy fats and much higher mineral and vitamin levels. To put numbers on it: sheep milk averages about 8.0% fat and 6.0% protein by composition, whereas cow milk is around 3.3% fat and 3.3% protein. It also packs significantly more calcium (around 193 mg per 100g, vs 119 mg in cow milk) and more vitamins A, B, and E.
What does this mean for you? It means every spoon of our yogurt or every slice of our cheese delivers more nutrients – more building blocks for your body – than the same amount of conventional dairy. Our customers often tell us they feel full and satisfied with smaller portions of sheep milk products. Likely because of the high protein and butterfat content.
In addition, the fat in sheep milk has a higher proportion of short- and medium-chain fatty acids, which are easier to digest and are linked to health benefits (like potentially improving cholesterol levels). Sheep milk is also a naturally good source of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), an antioxidant fatty acid.
Another bonus: Sheep milk is an A2 milk. This refers to the type of casein protein in the milk. Most cow milks (especially from Holstein cows) contain a mix of A1 and A2 beta-casein. Some research has implicated the A1 type in causing inflammation or digestive discomfort in people with dairy sensitivities. Sheep and goat milks, on the other hand, contain only the A2 type of beta-casein, which many find much gentler on the stomach.
In plain terms, people who experience bloating or GI issues with regular milk often tolerate sheep’s milk much better, even though sheep milk still has lactose. The A2 protein doesn’t break down into the same inflammatory peptides that A1 does. We have many customers (and even members of our own family) who couldn’t enjoy dairy before, but thrive on our sheep dairy products.
So when you invest in a more expensive A2 sheep milk yogurt, you’re paying for real, tangible health benefits – easier digestion and peace of mind if you’re sensitive to dairy. It’s like going back in time to a type of milk that humans originally consumed (goats, sheep, etc.), before modern cattle breeds introduced A1 proteins. We like to say our yogurt’s taste can transport you back to how it used to be in Grandma’s day – naturally nourishing and tummy-friendly.
Then there’s the flavor and craftsmanship aspect. Sheep milk has a gorgeous creamy taste – it’s often described as mild, sweet, and rich, without the “goaty” tang some find in goat dairy. This gives our cheeses and yogurts a unique, decadent flavor profile that mass-produced cow dairy can’t match. Because sheep milk is so high in solids (fat and protein), it also yields more cheese per volume. It is nearly twice the cheese yield of cow milk by weight.
This is why sheep milk cheeses like Pecorino or Caciotta have such a dense, delightful texture and nuanced taste. They’re essentially concentrated goodness. When you buy an artisanal sheep cheese, you’re getting an intensity of flavor. It comes from both the milk’s composition and the traditional aging. It’s a totally different experience from factory cheese that might be made in a day and pumped with artificial flavors.
Finally, consider what you’re really paying for when you support a farm like ours. Yes, you’re getting a delicious, healthy product for your family – but you’re also investing in local and ethical farming. Each dollar supports our humane practices (our sheep thank you!). Helps maintain green pastures in Ontario. And supports a small business rather than a conglomerate. Customers tell us that knowing where their food comes from, and knowing the farmers personally, adds value to their purchase that goes beyond the nutritional content. And indeed, economists note that sheep milk commands a higher price partly because it’s tied to these artisanal, small-scale operations.
In commodity terms, sheep milk in the market can go for $35–$65 per 100 lbs, versus $14–$25 for cow milk. That premium exists because people recognize it’s a niche, high-quality product. When you pay for sheep dairy, you’re joining a select group of folks who appreciate unmatched nutrition and craftsmanship in their dairy. It’s not mass-market – it’s personal.
In Short, Price = Respect for Quality and You
When you add up everything – the limited milk supply, the hand-on processing, the sustainable farming, the careful distribution, and the superior nutrition – you can see why sheep dairy products naturally cost more than cow or even goat dairy. Our prices simply reflect reality, the actual cost of doing things the right way. We often say our pricing “comes from our respect towards you.” By that, we mean: we respect our customers enough only to offer real, top-quality products, made with integrity. We set our prices based on what it genuinely costs to deliver that level of quality. We will never disrespect you by cutting corners to lower the price by a dollar. Doing so would mean giving you an inferior product. And that’s not what we’re about.
As the owners of this small sheep dairy farm, we put our heart and soul into every jar and wheel. We could choose easier paths that might make more money or free up our time – many farms do. Some farms raise sheep just for lamb meat or sell their milk off to big factories. Some that make their own products but outsource the sales to grocery stores, avoiding farmers’ markets, websites, and home deliveries. And that’s fine for them – it does save a lot of personal time and often cuts costs. But for us, meeting you in person, hearing your feedback, and ensuring our products truly help your family’s health is the ultimate reward.
We run this farm as a family of three, working long days to maintain that direct connection from our land to your table. It is hard work – honestly, “do other people want to work this hard for this little?” as one sheep dairyer mused. But we absolutely love it. The smile on a customer’s face trying our sheep yogurt for the first time. Or the relief of a mom who tells us her dairy-intolerant child can drink our kefir, that is worth everything to us. What you cannot see on a price tag is the love and care we pour into our farming and production.
Every bottle of milk, every cup of sheep yogurt, every wheel of cheese has been handled by human hands – our hands – with meticulous care. Looking at our products, you can tell “humans do this for human.” Not churned out by some soulless factory machine. We put love into it so that you can get love out of it. Our hope is that when you taste it, you feel that difference.
So, when you choose our products, we encourage you to choose with both your heart and your brain. Intellectually, you now know the many factors that create the price – from animal care to distribution – and the superior qualities that come with it (nutrients, taste, digestibility). Emotionally, you hopefully feel the passion and sincerity we have in providing something genuinely beneficial for you. You need both heart and brain to truly appreciate what’s inside every bottle and jar truly.
Thank you for valuing what we do. The price you pay is, in the end, only money. In return, we give you everything else – nutrient-rich, artisanal foods made the old-fashioned way, and a commitment to your health and happiness. We’re incredibly grateful to have customers who become friends and support our mission of actual farming and healthier communities. Every time you enjoy our sheep milk, yogurt, or cheese, you’re tasting the result of countless mindful decisions. That is the Secret Lands Farm difference – and we hope you feel it’s worth every penny.
Sources:
- Melissa Elischer, Michigan State University Extension – “Dairy animals around the world: Sheep” (nutritional content of sheep vs. cow milk; milk pricing and yields).
- Sheep101.info – “Dairy Sheep” (composition of sheep milk, cheese yield, dairy sheep lactation and equipment).
- Rachel Hester – Whoopsy Daisy Farm Blog (cost of dairy sheep, lactation length up to 8 months for dairy breeds).
- Modern Farmer – “The Unique Struggle of Running a Sheep Dairy in America” (discussion on sheep vs cow milk volumes, labor and marketing challenges for small dairies).
- Penn State Extension – “Milking Sheep Production” (feeding requirements for lactating ewes; health issues like mastitis requiring management).
- Cultures for Health – “Kefir Grains vs. Powdered Kefir Culture” (traditional milk kefir fermentation takes 12–48 hours with live grains); Kefirko (typical 24–48 hour fermentation period for milk kefir).
- Pasta Evangelists – “Everything You Need to Know About Pecorino Cheese” .
- Velvet Cloud Farm (Ireland) – “A2 Milk FAQ” (sheep’s milk contains mostly A2 beta-casein, making it easier to digest).
- Heber Valley Artisan Cheese – FAQ (need for insulated packaging and ice packs in shipping artisan cheese).
- Farmtario News – “Insurance costs a rising concern for Ontario farmers” (insurance identified as a significant cost concern in 2024 survey).