MEADOWWOOD Organics - Part I

Local Milk: Raw or Pasteurized

FARMER FOCUS SERIES
By Darlene Silliman

I didn't set out to be an advocate of drinking raw milk. Like many things in life, things happen that mold us as people. I am not the person I was 20 years ago and definitely not the naive person I was 10 years before that.There are certain loves and passions I have had most of my life and one of those may have led to what I do now, run a Raw Milk Dairy with my husband, Tom.

Through our journey of becoming a Certified Grade A Dairy we became aware of the raw milk community. We read a lot of research done by a group called the Weston A. Price Foundation.Dr. Price was a dentist who did pro-bono dental work around the globe during the late 19th and early part of the 20th century. He kept meticulous records of the people he cared for and started seeing distinct patterns in dental health. Cultures that ate traditional foods (non-processed, whole foods and drank raw whole milk) had better teeth and health.

I was thrilled when given a book, titled "The Untold Story of Milk". It chronicles the shift, in the United States, of drinking raw milk from grass-fed cows to cows being moved to confinement facilities inn cities and pasteurized milk becoming the norm. In the days prior to refrigeration, it was hard to keep milk cold and fresh. It became a matter of economics. There was the farmer, up before daylight, milking his herd of cows, chilling his milk in milk cans and then hauling it to town or to sell at a market first thing in the morning or leaving bottles of milk on front doorsteps. It was a lot of work.

When the towns grew into cities, the problems became greater. How do you supply all those people with milk? The answer, move the cows to the city. City cows, however, were not grass fed. They were fed hay that had to be hauled in. When brewery owners realized the cows would eat the spent grain from making beer, it seemed like a win-win situation: a decrease in feed costs for the farmer and no more hauling brewery swill and paying for disposal.

A small problem is that a cow is a ruminant animal and is designed to eat and digest grass. Another problem is that confinement dairies are not very clean and Mothers noticed their babies getting sick. When consulting the doctors, it became apparent milk was the problem. They found that when milk was cooked (pasteurized) the babies did not get sick. It became common practice to pasteurize the city milk. Another economic benefit from pasteurizing the milk is that it increased the shelf life. Pasteurized milk will last several days without refrigeration and several weeks if kept cold. Raw milk turns to natural yogurt if warm for more then a day. It lasts up to two weeks if kept at 35 degrees Fahrenheit.

Eventually, pasteurization became the norm even with the invention of refrigeration. The dairies were moved back to the country but some of the practices from the city continued. Some people found that pasteurized milk made them sick. It wasn't until much later that research showed that pasteurization not only kills the nasty stuff that gets in the milk, but vitamins, enzymes and the good bacteria as well. As with many good intentions, healthy raw milk has been replaced in our culture by pasteurized milk, partly out of necessity which has then been followed by law.

People can be very passionate on both sides of the issue and for me it comes down to freedom of informed choice. Some would have us believe that ALL raw milk will make you sick or even worse kill you. However, cows have been domesticated for over 6,000 years with pasteurization occurring (in the 'civilized" nations) for only the last 100 or more dispelling the belief that raw milk is dangerous. Unsanitary practices at the dairy or processing plant, is what's dangerous, whether the milk is pasteurized or not.

Raw milk can be difficult to find, particularly in states where it is illegal to sell, barter or trade. Washington State allows the sale of Raw Milk, with the correct licenses. In order to sell raw milk a dairy must have a Grade "A" dairy license, as well as a Milk Processing Plant License. For some of you that may be considering Raw Milk, the standard for purity that has to be met with Raw Milk in Washington is the same as that for pasteurized milk, from the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance or PMO. The milk is tested monthly for bacteria and coli form, by the WSDA. Cows are tested annually for TB and Brucellosis. Facilities are inspected every 3 months and farms annually to make sure everything is as it should be. At our farm we test for coli form and mastitis at least once a week.

Raw milk is now available for purchase in many Western WA food coops, Whole Foods markets and a small number of farms. Having dairy animals takes a lot of dedication. There are no sick days, vacation days, holidays or weekends. Twice a day, everyday the cows must be milked. If you know a local dairy farmer, tell them thanks for their dedication next time you see them. No matter how you chose to drink it, pasteurized or raw, enjoy!

Darlene Silliman and her family drink raw milk from their Dairy MEADOWWOOD Organics. Their milk is chemical free and certified Grade A and RAW, the cows graze all day on grass and are part of the family. If you are interested in obtaining raw milk and cream contact Darlene @: tomdarsavy@gmail.com, 360-802-3845 or visit www.meadowwoodorganics.com.

Orignally published in Mindful Intent magazine, Fall 2008.