Raw Milk, more like Pure Milk!

Even as I begin thinking of all the people that will read this heading and think “yea, nope”, I continue to be encouraged to move outside the status quo and venture into the unknown territory of “conspiracy theory” land. I know I sound ridiculous, but you’ll understand what I mean in a moment haha! 😉

Now when I say conspiracy theory, its not that I’m searching high and low for every single outlandish assumption of some random current event out there. For me, that’s a waste of my time. I’m talking about the new definition of “conspiracy theory” being differing opinions from the main stream way of living.

I specifically use the phrase way of living because there needs to be a stark difference between simply a thought and a lifestyle. Many like to say “this is a problematic way of thinking“. Which this can be very true (we all have thoughts that are problematic), but people who do this it tends to self inflict a hypocritical double standard on themselves. If you aren’t practicing what you preach nor doing research to properly defend your position then our culture will continue to drift away from compromise and understanding and lean towards blind opposition! Consuming raw milk is a lifestyle, not a way of thinking. Oh, but I digress..

Before I get into this, I will preface with a disclosure. I am not a medical professional. What is written here is purely of my own opinion through observation and speculation. I am not saying that my conclusion to what has occurred in American dairy production is fact. I’m sharing my opinion with you all so you can get to know a little bit more about me and decide for yourself if raw milk is something that interests you.

How I think raw milk went from a delicacy to frowned upon

We as people live under a system of government – good or bad, it really shouldn’t matter to us because its out of our control – that doesn’t tend to make decisions based off of truth, or morality. They tend to do what will ultimately benefit their own internists in the end. This isn’t some conspiracy theory, its called human nature. Its also laid out for us in history, with hundreds of examples of self seeking leadership. This leadership is doing what benefits them the most financially, and is finding creative ways to communicate with people to accomplish their agenda. Again, nothing new about this, and not something to live in fear about either. But this can affect our day to day lives in a way we didn’t anticipate.

“Okayy Emma, how does this have anything to do with raw milk”?!? I know, I’m kinda all over the place with this one. Just hang tight, I’m going to be sharing some real interesting facts in a moments notice!

So, lets break this down. You and I, we love dairy. We eat it all the time. Its something we are willing to even spend on average as Americans almost $500 each year (source)…. Now we are going to pause for a second and talk about the old-time milking process.

Back in the olden days, people would go out with a pail or bucket and just milk the cow straight from the udders. Then they would take it inside to use it to make a plethora of dairy products right at home. Also, in that time many got sick because they didn’t understand much about microbiology and overall safe food handling. This caused many to fall ill and even die from a lack of knowledge.

As our nation progressed, because of our wealth, we exploded in terms of educational and economical achievement. We found new ways to multiply agricultural production. We also learned that germs are everywhere and that there are specific germs or bacteria that if ingested can kill a human being. But, this new form of farming created a new problem. In the 1970’s the chemical glyphosate was beginning to be sprayed over a majority of the corn in the united states (source). The cows began to consume this genetically modified and pesticide soaked corn, thus consuming little nutrients. They then began to get sick. So sick, that many were perplexed at the sheer multitude of the problem.

This then gave birth to the use of antibiotics. Because the cow wasn’t consuming enough that was nutritionally benefiting them on top of consuming pesticides, herbicides and fungicides, the farmers had to keep the cows from continuously getting sick. A lot of the sickness came from bacterial infections. These infections weren’t being warded off well because the cows natural immune responses were so damaged by their diet. So, farmers then began administering heavy amounts of antibiotics to their cows.

Oh wait, there’s more! 😉 On top of all that they decided to pasteurize the milk by heating it to 160°F for a minimum of 30 seconds. At this temp it is partially sterilizing the milk. But, unfortunately I’m still not even finished. Lastly, they put the milk through a process called irradiation, which exposes the milk to radiation or gamma waves to kill even MORE bacteria…

Hmmm Why would you need to apply that much bacteria killing power if you were following proper milking procedures..?!? That doesn’t seem to add up, does it?

So now that we’ve taken the time to get an overview of the metamorphosis of American dairy production, lets talk economics. If we were to take a look at any profession we would find that for there to be fair market value of a product or service there needs to be competition to keep prices low for the consumer. If there isn’t competition, then prices are typically either too high or the value of the product significantly decreases over time due to there being no accountability from another business. Remember this because I’m about to explain why I think it matters.

When the big American dairy producers found that through this highly efficient but clearly flawed system made such a low quality milk product, I believe that they felt that they needed to eliminate most, if not all the competition to ensure their product remained the most sought after. Not because they thought that the little raw milk farms were going to out compete; but rather that if the American people found out that they were being duped on the quality of the milk they were consuming, they wouldn’t continue to support the business over time.

Unfortunately now, most of the small dairy farms are far and few between. There have been thousands of farms that have been bought out because they just can’t keep up! In Wisconsin, there were about 71,000 dairy farms in 1968. Now, there is less than 7000 dairy farms all together in the state (source). That’s a 90% decrease in dairy farms in just one state. Just to emphasis the magnitude of this industry I’ll add this fun fact here. In 2023, the United states has made 49.3 billion dollars from dairy products so far this year (source). So its not that we are producing less milk, its that the dairy’s just keep getting bigger and bigger.

Is raw milk better?

Raw milk’s taste is far superior to store bought milk. Raw milks vitamin content is greater than even today’s best organic pasteurized milk. Raw milk is easier to digest than store bought milk. This makes for some pretty darn good competition to the stuff in the stores if you don’t say, right? So why not take all the evidence of raw milk dangers and use that to convince the American people that something that has been consumed for thousands of years is now completely unsafe and deplorable?

Is raw milk dangerous?

Is there a higher chance of getting sick with raw milk? Yes! I’m not going to lie to try and prove my point. Raw milk has a higher percentage or likelihood of getting you sick. Same if you eat raw fish, raw meat, and raw eggs. All of which are sold to you with no laws prohibiting you from consuming that food in that manner. And its not like we don’t eat these foods raw on occasion. We have sushi, or a medium rare steak. We’ll even take some licks from our cake batter beaters. Do you see my point? It really doesn’t make any sense. Here’s a good article that accurately discusses the dangers of raw milk.

How should raw milk be handled?

When you milk a cow there are proper milking procedures the farmer MUST follow to ensure the safely of the milk. They must begin the process with fully washed and sanitized hands. They also need a fully washed and sanitized seamless milking bucket or an automated milking machine that also must be washed and sanitized prior to use. Then the udders themselves must be cleaned with either warm soapy water or 1% iodine. Then the milking process begins! After the cows udders have been emptied, then the milk needs to be put through a filter (either a clean unused cheese cloth or on automated milker, a filter that is within the system must be changed every single milking session). Then after that, the milk must be cooled to the lowest possible temp above freezing to ensure there is the least amount of bacterial growth possible. Then the bucket or machine must be properly cleaned and sanitized afterwards to prevent bacteria form growing in the tools used. Lastly, the area where the cows were milked must be washed as well.

My goodness that was a lot!!! But seriously, its not like when you’re drinking raw milk that you’re licking the butt of the cow!! I’m not at all saying that there couldn’t still be bad bacteria in milk that is processed this way, I’m just saying that when you are truly educated on the process you find that its more trustworthy than what many raw milk haters say.

Disclaimer: Even though I did link to many sources through out this post, my thoughts shared here are purely of my own opinion and are not in any way facts or to be considered so. Do your own research, follow the laws in your state, and form your own opinion. I have very strong opinions on the topic of raw milk and that doesn’t mean that you need to either. Again, the purpose of this post is help you make an informed opinion and decision for yourself when it comes to the consumption of raw milk!

The thing is though, it shouldn’t be ridiculous to wonder why it’s illegal in some areas to consume a food that is being consumed by people safely. A food that is legal in many countries around the world. A food that is, on its own, easier for the body to digest and absorb nutrition from because of the natural enzymes that remain in milk when it isn’t pasteurized. Asking a simple question shouldn’t be wrong!

To get to what I’ve wanted to say this entire post. I’m DONE calling raw milk, raw milk. Its silly to call it that. Milk is just milk and if I’m going to add anything on before I say milk, I’ll throw a pure in there. Its pure, just the way God made it. Full of vitamins, nutrients and enzymes that are great for our gut. I wanna shout it on the rooftops “I DRINK PURE MILKKKKK”!!!

“But are you sure we should be drinking this stuff Emma…? You sound a bit nuts”. And maybe I am, but at least I know that my family’s health is not only growing, it’s thriving! I’m so glad I don’t have to worry about forming a dairy intolerance because the store bought milk doesn’t posses the essential enzyme needed to digest milk. I’m so glad that I’m consuming so many vitamins and minerals every time I chug a glass. I’m so glad my milk actually tastes like, well, milk! It’s creamy, it’s real and it’s delicious.

Now again, before you decide if raw milk is something that you may be interested in, check your state laws and see if its legal to purchase raw milk. Once you have figured out your states laws and confirmed it to be legal, find a local farmer that will walk through their milking process. Make sure that their milk handling is done impeccably. Ask questions and trust your gut. If something seems off, don’t purchase it! Because milk, if not handled right, can so easily contain harmful bacteria, its better to play it safe than to be sorry. The farmer I go to walked through the whole milking process for me and answered all of my questions. He even said that after every milking he tries the milk himself. This gave me a lot of confidence and helped me to initially feel more comfortable.

Here are some other resources that I found helpful in my raw milk journey

• Is raw milk legal in your state? Find out here!
• Here’s a great website to help you find local raw milk near you!
• Wanna know more about how raw milk is changing the world? Check out this article here!
• Wanna know the difference between A1 and A2 milk?
• Helpful article that talks about raw milk nutrition.
• Another great article about raw milk.

I hope this post helped you learn a little more about raw milk and that you had the chance of seeing where we are at on our real food journey!