Generations of our family have safely enjoyed farm fresh, raw milk from our herds here for decades. While we are advocates for raw milk and the ability to offer this experience to our shareholders, we are still fully able to understand and appreciate the science behind pasteurization. But let’s break down a few things…

Pasteurized grade A milk that can be purchased in stores has been, in the most basic of terms, heated to kill any harmful bacteria and pathogens. Pasteurized milk is then held to a standard of <10 cfu/mL of coliform bacteria, and <20,000 SPC (standard plate count) bacterial count.

We have invested in on-farm lab testing capabilities to test for coliform bacteria, including e-coli and other gram-negative bacteria, as well as standard plate count bacteria loads. Essentially the usual disease-causing suspects. We strive to hold our raw milk as close as possible to the Raw Milk Institute’s standards of a rolling 3-month average of less than 10 cfu/mL coliform count and less than 5,000 cfu/mL standard plate count. You may notice in the summer months our averages may be slightly higher than in cooler seasons, this is simply because hot temperatures (around 90 degrees) are ideal conditions for bacteria to grow. We maintain our high cleanliness standards year-round taking particular care during these months. However, these are risks you are assuming when choosing to drink raw milk and that are clearly stated within our contract. If we ever feel that bacterial load results are higher than we are comfortable with, we will not bottle that week and will keep you informed of that decision, as we would never knowingly provide you with a product we felt unfit for consumption.

For transparency and accountability, we update our lab test results weekly, here on our website, for our shareholders’ assurance. We value these results as a reflection of our herd’s health, grazing environment, and our milking procedure cleanliness standards. Not only that, but we want to ensure that our shareholders are receiving milk that is more than safe to drink, if not safer and more nutrient dense than what you would buy from the grocery store shelf.