How and Where Can I Find a Reputable Farm Where I Can Buy Raw Milk?

Once you have made the decision to switch to raw milk, your next problem is going to be finding a reputable source for good, safe, quality milk. How can you do that?

Well, first you want to do a search online for dairy farms in your area. There are various sites where you can get this information. Sometimes you will also find ads on health food or agriculture sites where people will advertise if they have raw milk available. Just search for locations near you and make note of the ones you find.

Once you locate one or more farms, and these will usually be small family-owned farms, go ahead and contact them by email or phone and request more information.

What type of information do you need to ask about? Well, you will first of all want to know what type of cows they have. There are a number of breeds of dairy cows and they may have Jersey, Holstein, Ayrshire, Guernsey, or some other breed of cow. Some people even milk Angus cows and they are said to have milk similar to a Jersey.

Is one type of cow better than another? Not really, but their milk will be slightly different. Jersey milk is rich and creamy and has a high butterfat content. Guernsey is very similar. Ayrshire follows close behind with very white creamy milk. The fat in the Ayrshire's milk is extremely small and so it is not only excellent for drinking but also for making cheese, butter, or ice cream. Holsteins have less cream in their milk.

Next, you will want to ask the farm about their milking process, how the cows are milked and how soon after milking does the milk go into the refrigerator to be cooled. The sooner the better. If you are offered a tour of the farm that would be great. You can see where the cows are milked and all the equipment used. They may even offer to let you come by when they are milking so you can watch.

You also should ask what the cows are fed, and the optimum feed will be either all of mostly all grass and hay with minimal grain perhaps at milking time. No antibiotics or hormones should be used, and no pesticides should be used on their pasture.

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