Raw Milk

Hello T., I'm part of a milk coop here in the plano area. Email me directly if you need information.

Blessings
Inspiring the Wellness in You!
www.pebblecrossing.com

I weaned both my children from breast to raw milk. The benefits of raw milk are amazing. For more information go to http://www.realmilk.org/. Here is a good article: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2004/0.... If you have any questions or need additional information, please email me.

I've heard great things about raw milk. I tried it for my baby who is a bit lactose intolerant, but we did goat's milk. I just can't afford it all the time, and it's hard to get. I had to "order" it and pick it up from someone and it was a big pain. It cost me $8 for a half gallon. I know it's worth it for the nutrition but I can't get it that often.
I couldn't find anyone in this area who has raw cow's milk, so I'd love to know where you will be getting it from. Right now we are drinking the closest thing I can get, whole organic milk.
I got my information on raw milk from a guy named Jordan Rubin. He's written some great books on nutrition and is a big advocate for raw milk. You can google him and get his web site, then search for "raw milk" from his site and get some info. There is another site www.realmilk.com that's good.

Hi T.,

I knew this posting would spark some opinions! I belong to a produce co-op and we are able to buy milk through that. It is delivered every other Tuesday and the milk is $8.00 per gallon.

If you are interested, please see:
http://yourhealthsource.org/

And just my opinion: I think it is interesting how people will trust some large corporation in California or New Jersey more than they will trust a farmer out in Cleburne.

Peace,
M.
www.yogapotential.com

I think it is excellent! Check out www.westonaprice.org ---they are much better at detailing all the benefits than I am. You'll love the taste and the health benefits are numerous.

We switched to raw milk and will never go back. My 3 year old no longer likes pasteurized milk. He says it is "yucky". We get our milk from Lucky Layla farms. They are located on Jupiter between Parker and Spring Creek. They are an all natural, grass fed, no pesticide farm that has been there since 1936. I trust them completely. They charge $6 /gallon, plus $5 for the reusable jar. BTW, if you are only drinking organic milk, you are probably drinking ULTRA pasteurized milk. Every good thing in that milk has been killed in the process. You may as well not bother. Ask yourself, "Why is it good on the shelf for 6 weeks???? " Please research raw milk. There is plenty of great information out there. There is a big difference as to how the body absorbs nutrients that occur naturally as opposed to those that are added in processing. Do not forget to use SNOPES.com to check the truthfulness of what you read.

T.,

My daughter drinks raw goat's milk products from R and C Dairy www.randcdairy.com. They are the only State Certified raw milk dairy in the area that I am aware of. There may be others, but that one is closest to us. When you visit and meet the farmers and see the operation, you would have confidence in the product they deliver.

Raw milk is vary nutritious, PROVIDED THAT you have investigated the source for quality and cleanliness. You can ask to see bacteria counts for the milk, which they should keep. The benefit of a state certified raw dairy is that you know they are keeping these counts and the state is looking at them. Some farms are afraid to go through this certification process, so they say their milk is meant for pets. People still buy it and drink it, but the degree of quality may vary considerably.

Pasteurized milk is DEFINITELY connected to asthma and other problems. Many people don't realize that this is happening because it is a hidden food intolerance causing a degenerative process in the body. In other words, when they drink milk and don't have an immediate asthma attack, they assume it is fine. Testing would be required to confirm a casein problem, which can be done through www.enterolab.com.

Pasteurized milk has all sorts of junk in it, since the farmers don't care what goes into the milk. They just boil it and leave all the refuse in the milk. YUK!

If you can't get quality raw milk, it is best not to consume ANY milk products at all, even if organic.

Good luck!

Someone might have already put this link on here, but check out www.realmilk.com for producers in your area.

I live in Hillsboro and we have a local farmer, the Nors'. I grew up with their kids. Their farm is certified and they are good people. Their website is www.norsrawmilk.com and their milk is $7 a gallon with no co-op buy in.

I'd look for a better deal than the co-op you have found.

We also drink raw milk. My friend runs the dairy and when she is out of town we milk for her, so I am VERY familiar with her dairy barn. She runs tests regularly for bacteria, etc. TB is not really a risk any longer these days (milk TB)because there are vaccines for it for the cow. Anyway, I've seen amazing things with raw milk. My lactose intolerant son can drink it because it still has the enzymes in it that help him digest. Our neighbor's daughter had extreme eczema and it has almost completely cleared up since starting raw milk because of the natural fats in it. The benefits are amazing. You do want it fresh (we pick it up the day after the cows are milked...she puts it down in ice water to cool it quickly and keeps it at 38 degrees in her fridge.)
We've been drinking it for more than two years and have never had a problem. I weaned my last baby from breast to raw milk. You just have to find a dairy you can trust. Most folks who go to all the work to sell raw milk take good care of their cows. I HIGHLY recommend it.

Our source is Halls Family Farm in Terrell. She also does cheese although maybe not right now...she has a baby due any day now.

V.

Years ago mom bought milk from a farmer. She had to bring it home and boil it. Pasturize it. Later those cows died from something. We feared we would get sick but did not. I think the process of making sure it is safe is better. That is a lot of money to spend on milk. But up to you. G. W

Raw milk is one of the healthiest foods you can consume. On the flip side--homogenized, pasteurized milk is extremely harmful. Two examples: if you gave pasteurized, homogenized milk to an asthmatic it would cause an attack, but if you gave him raw milk it would help to improve his overall health and decrease future reoccurances of an athsma attack. 2nd one: If you had a mama cow took her milk, pasteurized and homogenized it and gave it to HER baby calf, the calf would die. Period.

Store bought milk that we buy by the truck loads everyday has more antibiotics, hormones, us, and grow more harmful bacteria in the carton on a daily basis due to the pasteurization process. This is because that action kills all the good stuff that helps protect the gut when drinking it. Store bought milk has been shown to increase the risk of diabetes both in children and adults due to the denaturization of the protein casien during homogenization. Casein mimics the islet cells in the pancreas which secrets insulin that controls blood sugar. The body sees the casein in the blood stream (after the gut has been destroyed over a period of time by eating the Standard American Diet or S.A.D.) and the immune system then attacks this foreign protein. Because of the similarity in structure, the body then attacks the islet cells and therefore they cannot secrete insulin, leading to diabetes. Whew! Hope ya got that. I hope this convinces you to start feeding your family raw milk. If you would like to get more information go to www.mercola.com. Put in the search, raw milk and you'll get plenty of articles.

Please keep me informed if you get a good line on the raw milk. I haven't found a farm close to me (North Dallas) without having to drive 2+ hours. I would love to be a part of this co-op.

We drink raw milk, and get it from our co-op, too. It's wonderful! I agree with another poster who said that there are so many benefits to raw milk that are taken away by the pastuerization process. Store-bought milk is not good, contrary to popular belief.
You don't have to worry about getting sick from raw milk if you know where it's coming from and know the practices of the farmer.
The book, "Real Food" by Nina Planck discusses raw milk in depth and has great, great, great information about it!
J.

My husband is a Vet. and worked with Diary cows all through school. Because of all the antibotics and hormones they give to cows we will only drink Organic milk and try to buy everything that contains mild organic as well. We talked yesterday about raw milk. He said his only concern would be to make sure it is very fresh. You can get very sick so please check out the place you are getting it from and find out the shelf life of it. I think the post that said to get bacteria count is a great idea and maybe you should look at buying it from a state certified place. At least you know they are being inspected and have to follow all the rules. Other places do not have to follow any rules so more of a chance to get sick. Best of luck.

I heard a report on this on NPR. You might want to search the sight to hear a podcast of the report which I thought was very informative. It did not, however, make me want to take part in a co-op for milk.

I grew up on raw milk and was always very healthy. I never even took any antibiotics in my entire life until I was 21 years old. I also believe it contributed to my dental health; I'm 37 and only have one cavity (again, discovered when I was 21) and my teeth are very strong and straight, no braces. Good luck!

Hi T.,
I was raised ranching, so we had a milk cow until I was in 6th grade. Also, the poor girl needs some grain, a grass-fed cow needs extra. Not alfalfa, however, you can taste it in the milk, and it will have a greenish cast.

BE 100% SURE of their sanitation standards. You can get serious a illness from unpastuerized milk. (mainly listeria) Do they use clorox to sanitize everything?? Do they wash the udders before they milk? How about the buckets?? Do they get sanitzed?? How about the workers?? What are their cleanliness stanards??

And you have to buy part of the cow??? If you have to buy a cow, then just buy one and milk her yourself. Good grief -- that's like buying a car then having to pay a fee just to drive it. (not insurance or gas -- just a user fee.) Talk about a scam.

A.

I dont know about today's standards but my mother got "milk TB" (tuberculosis) from drinking raw milk when she was a girl. It scarred her lungs for life and today she has only 30% use of her lungs. Be careful.

T.,
Isn't nine dollars a gallon after you already paid $25 for a piece of the cow expensive? I say that because of the way I go through milk.
M.

I knew a lady that put her family on raw milk, for it's benefits, and the entire family ended up with some kind of yeast infection because the milk was not pasturized. You have to be careful, because it can make you sick.

Hi T.,

We have used raw milk for a good 5 years or so now & we LOVE it. The milk co-op I belong to is quite large & well networked (word gets around) and I have NEVER heard of anyone getting sick on this milk. We know the farmer personally---you can even go out & tour his farm, which my family has done. He milks at about 4:30 in the morning and we pick it up, bottled & refrigerated at 9 am the same day. He has a small herd (only about 25 head or so) & it is all family run. Grass-fed happy cows with a little supplementation (heirloom corn, hay in winter months, etc.--no GMOs)---all grown right there on the farm without any chemicals.

I encourage you to find a farmer that will let you come tour their operation & that has been in business for a while. We also buy farmstead artisian raw cheese, yogurt, buttermilk, ground beef & more from him. All very clean, all delicious.

Check out the facts on listeria outbreaks in the US in the last 25 years. Pasteurized milk can carry listeria as well because the milk can be exposed to the contaminant after pasteurization. There are also various reports in professional scientific journals that claim that listeria can and has been isolated from milk samples AFTER it's been pasteurized. For more info on the safety of raw milk, see this article: http://www.realmilk.com/safety-raw-milk.html

I have seen where my milk comes from with my own eyes. Happy, HEALTHY cows grazing on green grass & very sanitary conditions on a small farm run by consciensious people. They do this b/c they love it, not to make big bucks.

Ever tour a large, non-organic commercial dairy farm? My parents used to pick up our milk at one when I was a girl. We lived on another farm down the road. It wasn't pretty then and reportedly is much worse now. Those are some of the most chemically-laden animals you can imagine. Their teats are so swollen & sagging from hormones (used to unnaturally increase milk production for more $$) that they can step on them getting feces & dirt in the cuts, which causes infection. They are also more prone to mastitis. Check out the USDA's standards for how much pus (you read that right, pus) is legally acceptable in commercial milk. It will turn your stomach. If a cow in our farmer's herd gets an infection, they are separated, treated holistically & their milk is not given to consumers until that cow is well. I know our farmer would not sell anything that he wouldn't give to his own family.

Bottom line, read up on the subject, check out the source in person, ask lots of questions & make sure they will let you buy on a trial basis at first.

We pay $25 for LLC once and the milk is $8 per gallon, so the fees you were quoted are not unreasonable.

Hope that helps!
B.

You can get organic milk at the grocery store for $4.99 a gallon. We buy it, it's good.

i love it i wish i could find it around here. please let me know where it sounds loike you have a connection!! thanks, J.

If it is not pasturized, you can find yourself very sick (organic or not). That would be my only advice to check on that.

T., thats great if you can get your children to drink it. Thats what we were raised on. We were to poor to get store bought, and my dad worked part time at a dairy. I don't really understand the concept of buying half of a cow, but just to know it is not being fed a bunch of chemicals and growth hormone's, just couldn't be better for you.

T., yes raw milk is the best, we have done it for years, even my infants drink raw goat milk. The price is reasonable, I pay $8.00 a gallon, but have paid up to $12.50. some co-ops are cheaper than $25 to join, and some are more, so I think if it works for you and you are comfortable with the cleanliness than go for it.

apparently raw milk is the way to go! i watched something about it on a news program and they listed all of the benefits of drinking it raw because of the good things that are kept alive in the milk. my in-laws have been drinking raw goat's milk for many years. they milk their own goats! my 4 year old even loves it! non of them have ever been sick by it. if the animal is milked by sanitary hands and in a sanitary container and then the milk is refrigerated or frozen right away then you are fine from bacteria. i think you are wise to consider raw milk for your family.

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/04/raw-milk-website-la...
http://www.realrawmilkfacts.com/

I'm a veterinarian and I've been on more dairy farms than the average consumer, and I can tell you that there are MANY opportunities for bacteria to contaminate a milk product on a dairy farm. I'm also a microbiologist, and I can tell you that milk is a perfect multiplying medium for bacteria. I am on a food safety mailing list and I get email newsletters all the time regarding outbreaks of food-borne disease all over the country associated with raw milk and raw milk products. I'd be happy to share if you're interested. I can see NO good enough reason to drink raw milk to outweigh the risks- it's like playing russian roulette with your children's health.

People who grew up on dairy farms may have "self-vaccinated" over the years and are thus more resistant to the bacteria commonly in raw milk. That is not the case for you or your children. Please reconsider exposing them to this risky product.

From everything I've read there are more cons to raw milk than pros. The difference in vitamins and nutrients is not that great when you think of the risk viruses or how sick you could get from raw milk. I would do some internet research and talk to your doctor.

I work for a dairy company and firmly believe that it is unadvisable to drink unpasteurized milk because of the serious health risks that unpasteurized milk imposes. Simply put raw milk is an excellent medium for bacteria to quickly grow; so if you do drink unpasteurized milk, please be certain that you know exactly how the cow has been cared for, how the milk is handled and stored, and how much time has elapsed between milking and consumption.

I grew up on it--we lived near an Amish community in Kansas and got all our milk/eggs from an Amish family. I'm in my mid 40's. We just did it because it was cheaper at the time. I didn't know about the organic factor back then. My old timey pediatrician told my mom it was a great thing.

My stepdaughter buys unpasteurized milk - right from the cow. It is very high in fat but it is delicious. The cream sits on top of the milk - that gives you an idea of how fatty it is. Also, make sure the dairy is sanitary as we have seen what appears to be small pieces of dirt once or twice floating in the milk. My stepdaughter and her husband don't think anything about it but we don't drink it anymore for that reason. P.S. According to my daughter, the dairy is not supposed to sell the milk to individuals - but I'm not sure what the law is.

T.,

I would only use raw milk if we drank it butwe don't. My daughter has been on raw goat milk for almost 10 months and the doctor has not said a word. She has not gotten anything from the milk but good stuff. But you have to realize that they can. The difference is that you get the good and the bad(if any). You have to know the dairy that it is coming from and go look at it. Make sure that it is clean. I know that there is alot of negative feedback but I really think that those people did not check out the dairy. You really want someone that the state inspects so that you know that they are being checked for cleanness. Raw milk is the way to go no matter what the cost, there is TOO much junk in regular milk. There is alot out there if you google it that you can find and you can find farms that milk. I hope that this has helped and I would try just about anything so that your daughters do not get all the hormones in regular milk.

Either raw, unpasteurized cow or goat milk is best.

Our mass/governmental dairy farms are pumping cows full of hormones to make them produce milk at a faster rate than normal and these animals are coming down with infectious diseases such as mastitis and are dying from it. Then we are ingesting the cow hormones fed to them and this is causing numerous health problems within us and our children.

I believe the safety of raw milk is like raw apple juice. It all comes down to the sanitation in collection and bottling. If done correctly it is safe for human consumption. If not, it can be deadly especially for children, the elderly, and the immunocompromised. If you feel the co-op is safe then it's your call. Personally I would not risk it, especially with my kids.

Remember humans don't really need milk in this day and age. Babies need their mothers milk yes, but after that no. We can get calcium, vitamin A and D in your orange juice now. The fats in milk can come from almost everything else we eat now. I think the main reason we still drink so much milk is has been engrained in us to drink it. Back in the day it was the cheapest way to get those nutrients. Now, thats not so. I think it all comes down to personal choice really.

Raw milk is the best thing you can give yourself and your family in terms of nutrition. My son who is 3 1/2 has been on raw milk since age 1 after I weaned him off breast milk. I gave him raw goat milk until he was 2 1/2 and then switched to raw cows milk. I grew up on raw milk myself so unless the cows are diseased or unhealhtly, you have more to worry about drinking pastuerized and homogenized milk. The process of pastuerization is only to accomodate for shelf life, so killing the bacteria is a good thing only for companies that sell the milk not for consumers like us. Most local farms regularly test their cows for harmful bacteria so I suggest you pick up a farm that you can trust. Yes, raw milk is more expensive - primarily due to the fact that the milk does not come from mass produced cows that are given cheap industrial feed and hormones to mass produce milk.

If raw milk is not an affordable option, organic milk is the next best thing. At least you are not drinking milk from cows that are given hormones and antibiotics, plus the added Vit A and D is beneficial as compared to regular store bought milk. Horizon has come out with 2% milk that contains added DHA from sea algae. I substitute this milk on occasions when I dont have raw milk handy.

My 2 c. Hope this helps!

Hello T..
I have a milk goat and I LOVE the milk. It is a good feeling to have something real and raw and not killed with heat or full of stuff we don't want. I would recommend trying the milk. I would go and watch her do her milking and see if it is up to your clean/sanitary standards. Raw milk can be dangerous if not handled properly.
HTH.

I knew you would get some people against raw milk, but keep in mind that people can get sick from any food you eat...tomatoes, peppers, spinach, peanut butter...look at all the outbreaks we've had in the past few years from that. People also get sick from paseurized milk. Here's another site to check out:
http://www.realmilk.com/

Oh...and here's an excerpt of an article that I just read today and the link where it's found is http://www.naturalnews.com/024352.html

1. Raw Milk

This super food provides many of, if not all of the nutrients the body needs everyday. It not only contains a great preponderance of vitamins and minerals, it also contains active enzymes and beneficial bacteria that make digestion and nutrient assimilation a smooth process. As another added bonus, raw milk contains twenty of the twenty-two amino acids our bodies need daily, making getting all of the proteins needed daily an easy task. Raw milk does not create the problems that conventional, pasteurized-homogenized milk creates, such problems as heart-disease and diabetes. To the contrary, raw milk provides nutrition that is near-unbeatable, actually reducing the risk of developing the afore mentioned health issues.

There are those who would argue that drinking raw milk is unhealthy and unsafe; however, they fail to take into account the fact that many populations have thrived on raw milk for centuries. Furthermore, raw milk from healthy, pasture-feed raised livestock provides the most benefit, promoting the cultivation of healthy bacteria. Unfortunately, those who oppose raw milk fight tooth and nail to keep people from consuming this "liquid gold", imposing legal barriers for those who want nothing more than to drink the kind of milk they want to drink.

There is a force that counteracts the naysayers and those who courageously fight to forward health freedom. And indeed, they are making waves. Demand for raw, healthy milk has increased, and more dairies are opening across the country. The website (www.realmilk.com) , has done great work in spreading the news about raw milk, and it offers a list of where raw milk can be found in the United States and across the globe. Though many steps need to be taken to allow for raw milk to become more available, much progress is being made to make raw milk more accessible than ever.