milk questions

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I have ordered the cookbook and Prices book. I haven't found a source for

raw milk yet. I have five youngsters and am wondering if homemade yogurt made

from whole pasturized homogenized milk is O.K.. I have been able to find

organic milk but it is pasturized and homogenized. If this is the best milk I

can find would my children be better off without milk or would using this milk

for yogurt be fine. Is the processed milk in yogurt form even healthy for us?

If I can't find raw butter what is the next best thing? What about cheese?

This list is great. I've learned a lot since I signed up a few days ago.

Thanks for the help, a

[Guest guest]

Curious what is considered more important:

> unpasteurized, or grass fed??

>

> Emilie

>

I would do the Cedar Summit (whole milk) b/c of the CLA and Omega-3

content. That is what I recommend to my patients.

[Guest guest]

Emilie,

I don't know where you live, but if you live in the Cities, you have a lot

more options than the two you listed. Remember that Cedar Summit milk may be

pasteurized but it is not homogenized. Horizon and Organic Valley are both

pasteurized and homogenized.

You may be very surprised when you go do some serious hunting- you will

very likely turn up at least one good raw milk source that's convenient for you!

Contact your friendly local WAPF chapter leader- he/she can get you started.

Those in the Cities having access to/owning reliable wheels- and wanting to

hook up with a relatively convenient way of getting good organic grassfed raw

milk from Sweetland Farm's jersey cows-let me know! I will be organizing a milk

run group to start in March or so when the cows start back in milking production

for the season. Those in the group will take turns driving out to Sweetland in

Menomonie and picking up milk for those in the group who ordered. Email me off

list if interested in joining. I am thinking that people can pick up their

orders from the driver's location unless someone volunteers to coordinate in

return for being a dropsite host.

Sara R. - Eagan MN

Emilie <emickey25@...> wrote:

.

[Guest guest]

I am in St Cloud, so my options are less, as the Cities would be too far to go

for milk. I

can get Cedar Summit at our Co-op, but I've been getting the raw stuff from a

local farm.

It's *not* Horizon milk yet, when I get it. I'm getting it raw, the day it's

milked, but their

milk eventually ends up at Horizon. So, when I get it it's not pasteurized or

homogenized.

BUT, I recently discovered that these cows are grain supplemented far more that

I had

formerly believed, which leads me to wonder if Cedar Summit's grass fed milk

might be a

better choice.

I am not aware of any raw milk in the St Cloud area that is 100% grassfed, and

unpasteurized. More's the pity.

Emilie

> .

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>

>

[Guest guest]

Oh - That is a pick you poison kinda question. I am going to answer that is a

form that works for our family.

Factory farming in anyway (organic or not) is hurtful to the environment, to

the sustainable way of life, and to the animals (corn feeding). I won't even get

into the filth that these animals are forced to live in, eat in and be milked

in. I know because I seen it everytime I go to town and I have two friends that

are in dairy farming right here in Stearns County.

Grass-fed pasteurized milk looses the " good stuff " but as I see it, if I

choose this route it is the lesser of the two evils of having to purchase milk

commercially.

BUT if I could find a biodynamic or organic (certified or not) and pastured

farm that I felt comfortable getting my raw milk from up here I would do it in a

heartbeat. Someday I WILL have my own cow named Bessy out back - until then we

just don't do much commercial diary.

Hope I didn't ruffle anyones feathers.

Heidi

---------------------------------

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[Guest guest]

Well said, Jan. There is potential for even

healthier milk, meat and eggs for this group and

beyond, but the margins are small now- and there is no

room for adding solar growing space for sprouting

barley, wheat and oats for winter feed. Anyone

interested in this potential should stand up and be

counted. Farming is easy! Making a living at it is

nearly impossible. Alvin www.mnorganiceggs.com

--- " bellasol.organics " <bellasol.organics@...>

wrote:

>

> If you want to have 100% grassfed, organic,

> sustainable, small farm milk

> and meat be willing to PAY MORE to keep those

> farmers in business. Our

> cows never receive grain. They receive high

> quality, certified organic,

> very green, alfalfa in the winter to boost their

> systems if the

> grass/alfalfa mix isn't enough. Feeding this is

> more expensive than

> grain because this hay is very expensive and they

> have to eat more (hay)

> volume than if they were given additional grain, BUT

> cows are ruminants

> and are not meant to eat grain. Period. When grain

> is fed for economic

> reasons, it is because we farmers do not get enough

> money for the food

> we raise to raise it naturally (not the label, the

> real thing). So, to

> stay in business farmers start cutting corners,

> first, it's a little

> grain, or maybe not organics, etc. I understand

> completely the economic

> reasons for feeding grain, but it is not good for

> the cows, the people,

> or the land. It is better for everyone to PAY MORE

> for their milk and

> meat than force farmers to compromise to stay in

> business. In other

> parts of the country raw milk is selling for

> $10-12/gal. We should all

> be paying more than we do here. That is what will

> keep the alternative

> food supplies from dying out or making compromises.

>

>

>

> Cedar Summit used to add grain to their cow's feed,

> they no longer

> do that. They are now 100% grassfed and I applaud

> them for that. I

> would love to see their milk raw, but that is a

> legal issue for them.

> If we have to buy milk in a store they are an

> excellent choice.

>

>

>

> If you are buying raw milk and your farmer is not

> 100% grassfed or

> organic, talk to them, ask them to go that route and

> raise their prices!

> I am sure you will get their attention if you tell

> them you are willing

> to Pay More. That will allow them to have lower

> quantity, but a higher

> quality product that will bring in more per gallon.

> Hopefully a lot

> more-We need to stop having the farmers subsidize

> our food. We need

> Domestic Fair Trade. Only farm financial

> sustainability will keep the

> type of milk (or meat) you want to drink (or eat)

> available.

>

>

>

> ~Jan

>

>

>

> [Non-text portions of this message have been

> removed]

>

>

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[Guest guest]

Jan and Alvin,

I agree completely! And when you eliminate many of the extras in your

life, it makes it easier to spend money on things that are really

important. Such as things that effect your health-like food. How many

of us have a closet full of clothes or toys out in the garage that

barely get used (or whatever your " weakness " may be), but balk at the

idea of raw butter for $10/pound?

Kathy

[Guest guest]

Would your farmer be willing to give NO grain to just 1 cow and

give you the milk from that cow only? Is that even feasible?

Therese

[Guest guest]

Theresa, we thought at first of custom raising beef for how the

customer wanted it, (some beef farmers advertise this) such as all

grass, finished with grain, etc. Thinking about how I could actually

keep the other cattle from eating each others' feed made me realize

it was a logistical nightmare. To keep some penned up separately

would destroy the rotational grazing system I was working on, and

they want to be together as a herd. The bottom line was I couldn't

feed the cow something I believed they shouldn't eat, even if I was

getting paid to do it.

While it may seem a compromise, I think this idea is difficult for

several reasons:

1. Cows (milk or beef) are not fed individually like from different

containers. Even in a dairy, the cows all come into the barn and are

fed at the stanchions, but they all go to different ones each time.

So while it is possible, it is very difficult to find that one each

time and feed her differently. Also, the cows lean over and eat each

others food, especially if they have grain (think candy). They want

that sugar fix, just like kids (or even adults) want it.

2. Feeding only grass is a mind set that requires looking at the

cow's digestive system and health differently and making different

decisions. This would be hard to do for just one out of your herd

when you are used to using grain for different reasons. How could

you feel you are doing that cow right, if you really believe the

cows 'need' grain?

3. That cow would have to be milked into a separate container than

the bulk tank and then that container poured into your bottles,

inevitable there would be a partial bottle left over, then washed

separately at every single milking. Wow, wouldn't all that extra

time have to be charged for? Why not just increase the cost of milk

and treat the whole herd the same?

Because, most dairies that sell raw milk support themselves by

selling to commercial (organic or not) milk buyers and they are all

based on production levels - which is the main driving force in

feeding grain.

I don't mean to shoot down ideas, as we all need to keep thinking of

ways to get the message out. Hopefully, we can educate more farmers

to change to all grass production, especially if we are willing to

make it viable for them.

~Jan

>

> Would your farmer be willing to give NO grain to just 1 cow and

> give you the milk from that cow only? Is that even feasible?

>

> Therese

>

>

[Guest guest]

Jan and everyone,

I didn't mean to sound so ignorant. I didn't know if it was feasible or not.

I get my raw milk from a very small farm with only 3 grass fed cows that

are hand milked. So I was thinking along those lines and not a larger farm

where the animals are milked by a machine and and fed together.

On a side note;

My dream is to live in a very small village/community where we have some

" community " cows, chickens, sheep, etc and a community kitchen with

a brick oven. And we all help out with the animals and baking etc....

A girl can dream.......

Therese