[Jan]

I did not hear that but I think it’s great for citizens to have a choice! I used to live in MN and no one had raw milk – no surprise. But now we live in Fl and I’ve seen it at our local grocery store. However, it’s really expensive and it only comes in large containers. I haven’t tried it yet and am a tad nervous, lol, that it’ll taste weird and then it’ll be a waste. Maybe now that there’s less regulation, more farmers will sell it again and lower the cost!

[IMA-HelenT]

Yes, it is expensive, but it takes just like any other milk to me. Hope you get a chance to try it from a local farmer.

[David Wegener]

Farm kid here, grew up on a dairy farm in the 80s.. Drank raw milk my entire childhood, sometimes still warm. dunno if the ridiculous amounts of raw milk i drank (>1gallon/day as a teen) had much to do with it, but i had incredibly strong bones.. stepped on, kicked, run over by cows, zero broken bones. driven over by a tractor. no broken bones. so yeah, there’s some value in there, IMO.

That said, I question the wholesale jump to “everybody needs to drink raw” idea, for several reasons.. would LOVE to hear a real nutritionist/naturopath take on this.

why?

I grew up in the petri dish of a dairy farm. and by petri dish – if a cow had exposure to it, i was gonna get exposed. without making you toss your lunch, dairy farms are probably more like hospitals than human hospitals… you are up to your orifices in all forms of bovine bio… sometimes your orifices get filled with bovine…err…. by products.. it’s.. a very raw reality. I did surgery on a cow before I graduated jr high. so yeah, you’re exposed to EVERY. SINGLE. possible bovine bacteria/virus/pathogen. so my immune system had to have been AMAZING.

So for me, sure, raw milk was an absolutely great delivery of healthy gut biome material. it showed-i never once had a single sickday–in 12yrs of k12.

BUT.

what if the average person doesn’t ‘enjoy’ the same petri-dish biosphere?

If you spend more time on the xbox than at the feedbox, what’s your bio-exposure index gonna look like? ARE you going to be ready for, digest, absorb, and utilize the grass fed goodness? How much of that is going to help?

Furthermore, if you’re not already exposed (locally) to the pathogens and biosphere of your neighborhood farm, is there going to be any real benefit? [I’m extrapolating from positives gained from local raw honey vs honey from another continent etc].

Then, there is the actual very real risk of contaminants. believe me, every single dairy farmer does their damn best to ensure you’re getting clean milk (distinct memories of pouring 1500 gallons of milk down the drain because a simple mistake allowed milk from ONE single cow on penicillin into the tank)..

But it ain’t 100% perfect.. cows get mastitis (and a thousand other diseases), and while you do your best to catch it, things happen.

IS it worth the risk to go full ‘crunchy’, if you’re the average suburbanite? A side of e coli with breakfast is no walk in the park, in case you’re curious. just sayin…

I’m not convinced it’s a BAD idea.. in another career, i lived in Europe, in a tiny little farm hamlet in Bavaria, where the local farmer was literally in my back yard.. local raw milk, local eggs, etc… very healthy.. but if i’m living in Atlanta or Denver, and the closest dairy is 30 minutes drive, what does the risk/reward start to look like? is it worth the hassle, the potential downside? Pastuerization is significantly good at neutralization of a lot of those seriously nasty side effects..

I’m mixed on the benefits..

Sure, IF i lived near a dairy (<10 miles, IMO), AND I were convinced they ran a clean shop, AND their cows looked generally healthy (as a farm kid, you know what to look for), AND if it were feasible, yeah, I’d probably do it. the side benefit of having my kids touch grass on occasion – yeah.. very good.

I’m wondering if this is really the hill we should all be willing to die on. I’d be a HECK of a lot more ready to suit up and march for getting IVM over the counter, get gov’t reg agencies out of the revolving door relationship with big pharma, create an actually SCIENCE-DRIVEN drug trial system, and lift vaccine injury immunity for pharmaco..

Am I wrong?

[IMA-GregT]

@thatechguy great questions. Is a farm kid exposed to more or fewer bugs than those in an urban environment? I had more urban and a bit of farm, but I remember that farm milk, thick with cream at the top. I think it’s about choice.

[David Wegener]

I don’t disagree with you about choice. i’d tend towards the libertarian side, so yeah – hand out sharp knives and let everybody have a turn at the high dive.. [I also drove a tractor off a cliff once as well, so, take that with a grain of salt!]

Yes, I’d suggest kids who grow up eating dirt (and a few other biomass items), the immune system is rather….well exercised.

This is where my knowledge stops and my curiosity begins… do we benefit from raw milk if the cow’s biosphere is far separated from ours? As I understand with honey, it’s better ot have local raw honey, as there are likely many immuno-enhancements in it for that particular area…

DOES the same hold true for cows/goats & milk?

I’m all for getting the government out of every inch of our lives if possible.

[vegandan]

I love raw milk. In fact I make my own. I have a dedicated milk maker for that purpose. Fresh soy, rice, oat, and almond are easy to make and very economical. The quality is excellent and the taste is superb. 20+ years now and no permit required.

[IMA-GregT]

@vegandan 😄 Sounds delicious

imahealth.org

Just a moment...

Just a moment...

[lavitavegas]

(Thanks so much David for your firsthand insight!)

[marthajean]

When the local food co-op has raw milk in stock, there are times when I buy it.

I prefer to buy it on the day of delivery or maybe a day later. Beyond that timeframe, I leave it in the dairy case and keep on shopping.

Here’s the thing about raw milk: If you buy it, start drinking it the very same day. It doesn’t keep well, and, yes, my digestive system can tell stories about that.

[IMA-GregT]

@marthajean Fresh makes sense.

[marthajean]

Indeed it does! So does consuming it promptly. Because raw milk doesn’t age well.

[IMA-GregT]

@marthajean you got me thinking, so I had to ask perplexity: Getting it chilled quickly is, as you say, very important:

Raw milk kept continuously in the fridge (around 3–4 ºC / 37–39 ºF) is typically good for about 3–5 days from milking as a food‑safety guideline, though many small dairies and farmers report it often tastes fine for 5–7 days or even longer under excellent hygiene and very cold storage. At room temperature (“on the shelf”), it should not be left out for more than about 2 hours from a food‑safety standpoint, because bacterial growth accelerates quickly above 4 ºC / 40 ºF.

In the fridge

• Safety‑oriented guidance: 3–5 days at 3–4 ºC is the commonly cited safe shelf life for raw milk, even with good hygiene.​

• Practical experience: many raw‑milk producers and homesteads say flavor stays pleasant for about 5–7 days if the milk is cooled quickly after milking and stored very cold (around 1–4 ºC) in clean containers.

• After that: it may sour rather than “rot,” but safety is not guaranteed; use smell, taste, and texture cautiously and consider using older raw milk only for fermentation (yogurt, kefir, clabbered milk) if you are experienced and comfortable with the risks.

On the shelf / at room temperature

• General rule: do not leave raw (or pasteurized) milk at room temperature for more than about 2 hours; above 4 ºC / 40 ºF, bacteria can multiply rapidly and increase the risk of foodborne illness.

• Warmer environments: in a hot kitchen or summer conditions, the safe time can drop below 2 hours, so it is best to return milk to the fridge as soon as you pour what you need.

Practical tips

• Keep milk in the coldest part of the fridge, not the door, and keep containers tightly closed to prolong freshness.

• If you regularly cannot finish raw milk before it sours, freezing portions is an option, though the texture may change after thawing.

[marthajean]

Okay, that did it. No more raw milk jugs in the refrigerator door.

They’re going to be IN the fridge from now on.