You say you want to own a cow? You could have your own source of dairy within walking distance of your back porch. You could just mosey out there every morning and point Bessie toward your coffee cup, and she’s going to fully cooperate. Right?
Think again. Owning your first dairy cow can be a complicated and even expensive process with steps and measures that many do not often consider, notes Terry Hauser, one of West Virginia University’s newest members to its Board of Governors.
Hauser was invited to speak to the Homesteading Club of WVU Potomac State College by his daughter, Isabelle Hauser, a sophomore majoring in agricultural education.
“We try to get guest speakers to come and speak at least once a month,” Isabelle Hauser said. “And Dad likes to talk, so I figured he would be a natural.”
Terry Hauser and his wife, Jill, own a 200-acre farm in Red House, Maryland – just south of Oakland. The property was originally owned by his great-grandfather. The family also maintains a 90-acre farm in West Virginia.
“I have been working on a dairy farm all of my life,” he said. “And you learn a lot when you get on a farm at a very early age. You realize that farming is something you will do 365 days a year. Morning, noon, and night.”
“I like talking to people about opportunities you can explore with your cow,” he said. “There’s a lot to it that people don’t know.”
Speaking to a gathering of the WVU Potomac State College Homesteading Club at the Agricultural Building recently, Hauser said most potential dairy farm owners see the end result without first becoming educated on the work involved in bringing a milk-producing creature into one’s life.
“When you’re selecting and purchasing a dairy cow, you really have to consider why you want it,” he said. “That is first and foremost. What is the reason you want a dairy-producing animal?”
A good dairy cow isn’t cheap.
“Right now, for people thinking about getting a dairy cow, this might be one of the most difficult times to purchase a cow,” Hauser said, noting that the average price for a healthy dairy cow is about $2,500.
“And then there are a whole bunch of variables that go along with that,” Hauser said. “That price can depend on the breed of the cow, what you want to do with the cow, and the kind of milk you want to produce from that cow. Do you want to make just milk, or do you want lots of cheese and butter products from that cow? Do you want to be able to feed your family or do you want an income stream?”
The dairy cow herself must be considered, Hauser said. Breed, color, and genetics all must be thoughtfully debated.
“And that again, is based on the intent of the cow,” he said. “Getting started starts with picking the kind of cow you want. Getting started is always the issue.”
Hauser said dairy cow breeds can vary depending on fluctuating market values and the pedigree of the animal.
Then there is the matter of impregnating the dairy cows. Hauser said it is important to remember that a cow cannot produce milk at all until she has given birth. Therefore, the owner of a dairy cow must consider how that animal will be bred and with what bull.
“A lot of milk cow breeders are now looking at beef cows for sires,” he said, as an example of a trend he has observed in the marketplace. “Did you know more beef semen was sold last year to dairy farms than to beef farms? You need to be able to breed that cow before she starts producing milk.”
Hauser said artificial insemination for a dairy cow can cost between $60 for an average bull to thousands of dollars, depending on the genetics and the breed.
“And remember, sometimes the insemination process isn’t successful, and you might have to pay for that all over again,” he said. “And sometimes it needs to be over and over again and again.”
Another item on the checklist for a potential first-time dairy cow owner is the amount of land she will call home.
“If you are going to own a cow, you need at least an acre of land,” Hauser said. Recent reports have indicated that means an acre of land per cow. If two dairy cows are to reside at the property, two acres are needed. For three cows, three acres, and so on.
“They need room to graze,” said Hauser.
And remember, someone has to milk the cow, feed the cow, clean up after the cow, and keep the cow happy and stress-free so she can produce milk.
“I can guarantee no one is going to go out and milk that cow every day,” Hauser said. “So, you might want to consider a milking machine. Or you will have carpal tunnel at age 30. The milking machine is also a lot cleaner. Who wants to find cow debris or small cow hairs in your milk?”
Hauser said the average price of a milking machine is $450 to $1,000.
Hauser said since the typical dairy cow needs 60 days of rest after having a calf, some folks might want to have more than one cow, especially if the cow is producing an income through the sale of dairy products.
“You aren’t going to want to take two months off from earning an income,” he said. “So, you’ll need a second cow who is still producing when the first cow is resting.”
The cow can’t live outside all year round. These Appalachian Mountains are just too harsh on the livestock. That means a potential cow owner is going to need a barn or a warm and dry shelter for the animal.
“She needs a place to be warm, to be safe, to be fed and to be milked,” Hauser said.
Then there's the question of financing. Can you borrow money from a bank or credit union to buy a cow and start a small farm at home? That depends too, Hauser said.
“You could put together a plan and take that plan to your local bank, but if you are telling them you just want a cow for your own use at home for your own milk and cheese and yogurt, the bank is probably going to say no,” he said. “If you go in there with a small business proposal because you plan to sell the milk for processing, that might be a different story.”
So it is important to consider the industry. While a new West Virginia law makes it easier and possible for farmers to now sell raw milk on the marketplace – as long as it is clearly labeled as such- dairy farms in the state are not as abundant as they once were, Hauser said.
“There are only 22 dairy farms left in West Virginia,” he said. “If you want to own a milk cow, just know what you are getting yourself into.”
That includes knowing if you can invest the time and energy to devote to a dairy cow. They are a “lot of work and require a lot of attention,” Hauser said.
“There is the element of your own time and your own investment,” he said. “How much time do you have to care for a dairy cow? You need a lot of time or a lot of help to do it.”
For the Hausers, their cows provide them with a lucrative second income. Milk produced on the Hauser farms is sold to United Dairy in Uniontown, Pa., for processing.
“There’s a movement right now to become healthier again – to watch for things like added sugars, preservatives, and dyes,” Hauser said. “And milk is one of nature’s most perfect foods.”
Terry Hauser is a 1986 graduate of Potomac State College with a degree in Agriculture Technology and a 1988 graduate of WVU with a degree in Agriculture Education, specializing in agriculture production and agriculture mechanics.
Following graduation, Terry was employed by Cargill Animal Nutrition as a livestock nutritionist. In 1990, he returned to his home high school of East Preston and taught Agriculture Education until the school was closed to consolidation in 1992.
Hauser was then hired as Farm manager for Ward Thomas and Sons, a dairy and beef cow operation in Bruceton Mills. In 2000, the Hausers built a new dairy facility on their Maryland family farm, which they still operate today. In 2011, Terry returned to teaching and spent six years teaching at Tucker County High School, three years at Southern Garrett, Maryland, and five years at Preston High.
Hauser has served as President of the Preston County Farm Bureau and the Southern States Oakland Cooperative board of directors, was recognized as the 1998 WV Young Farmer of the Year, and recently received the WV FFA State honorary degree. In May of 2025, West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey appointed Hauser to the West Virginia University Board of Governors