Information about raw milk for consumers
Look for the label. Farmers complying with DAR regulations must have a label
on all of their bottles reading ""Raw milk is not pasteurized.
Pasteurization destroys organisms that may be harmful to human health." To
learn more about raw milk, including why it is important to buy only from
certified farms in Massachusetts, please see this Wikipedia article.
The FDA's position is that "Raw milk, no matter how carefully produced, may
be unsafe." Their warnings are available here.
As with all whole, living foods, NOFA suggests you know the animal care standards and sanitary practices of your milk producer. To get a sense of their practices, ask them some questions:
- Are you approved by the DAR to sell raw milk directly to consumers?
- Are your cows grass-fed (pasture in the summer and primarily hay or baleage in the winter)?
- Do you use pesticides, herbicides, hormone supplements or antibiotics?
- If you live in a township in Massachusetts where raw milk sales are banned, call a member of your township's Board of Health and request a copy of the bylaw that bans raw milk. You can find your Board of Health's contact information through the Massachusetts Health Officers Association.
List of Massachusetts Raw Milk Dairies
Each farm listed here has been approved by the Department of Agricultural Resources to sell raw milk, and they chose from the following descriptions to describe their raw milk dairy:
Milk Available: Seasonal or Year-round
Grazing and Feeding Management
The dairy farms listed on the NOFA/Mass website have chosen from the descriptions below Within the definition of "grass-fed" is a range of practices
- 100% grass-fed: Cows eat only grass all year long.
- Grass-fed with supplemental grain in winter: Cows eat only grass during the months it is available, typically March thru November, and during the winter eat hay and forage with small amounts of grain.
- Mostly grass with occasional grain: Cows eat grass and grain from March thru November, and during the winter eat hay or forage with grain.
- Not pasture-based: Cows primarily without access to pasture.
Herd Health
- No BST: Cows are not given the BST growth hormone
- No Antibiotics: Cows are not treated with antibiotics
Notes on management methods have been provided by the farms and have not been independently verified by NOFA/Mass.
Map of the raw milk dairies in Massachusetts
View Raw Milk Dairies in Massachusetts in a larger map
Western Massachusetts
Milk House Jersey & Swiss
Paul Paisley
181 West Rd
Alford, MA, 01266
413-528-5333
Grazing and Feeding Management: Mostly grass with occasional grain
Sidehill Farm
Amy Klippenstein and Paul Lacinski
PO Box 107, 137 Beldingville Rd
Ashfield, MA, 01330
413-625-0011
www.sidehillfarm.net
info@sidehillfarm.net
Milk available: Seasonal
Grazing and Feeding Management: Grass-fed
Herd Health: No BST, No Antibiotics
Twin Rivers Farm
Robert and Martha Kilmer
PO Box 408, 1272 Rannapo Rd
Ashley Falls, MA, 01222
413-229-7932
mk0257@yahoo.com
Herd Health: No BST
Farmstead at Mine Brook
John Miller
8 Mountain Rd.
Charlemont, MA, 01339
413-339-8500
www.goatrising.com
john@goatrising.com
Grazing and Feeding Management: Mostly grass with occasional grain.
Hager Brothers
Chip Hager
11 Merrifield Lane
Colrain, MA, 01340
413-624-3993
hagersmp@mtdata.com
Milk available: Year-Round
Grazing and Feeding Management: Not pasture-based
Herd Health: No BST
Upinngil Land of Milk and Honey
Clifford Hatch
411 Main Rd
Gill, MA, 01354
413-863-2297
www.upinngil.com
pickens@crocker.com
Milk available: Year-round
Grazing and Feeding Management: Grass-fed with supplemental grain in winter
Herd Health: No BST, No Antibiotics
Blue Hill Farm
Sean Stanton
PO Box 61
Great Barrington, MA, 01230
413-429-6598
www.northplainfarm.com
seanstanton@hotmail.com
Milk available: Seasonal
Grazing and Feeding Management: 100% grass-fed
Herd Health: No BST, No Antibiotics
Bree-Z-Knoll Farm
Angie and Randy Facey
180 North County Rd
Leyden, MA, 01337
413-774-3038
angiefacey@verizon.net
Milk available: Year-round
Grazing and Feeding Management: Grass and grain fed.
Herd Health: No BST, limited Antibiotics
Northfield Mount Herman School Farm
Richard Odman and Rachel Onuf
1 Lamplighter Way
Mount Hermon, MA, 01354
413-498-3467
www.nmhschool.org/farm/
rodman@nmhschool.org
Grazing and Feeding Management: Mostly grass with occasional grain.
Davenport Maple Farm
Norm and Lisa Davenport
111 Tower Rd
Shelburne, MA, 01370
413-625-2866
davenportmaplefarm@crocker.com
Milk available: Year-round
Grazing and Feeding Management: 100% grass-fed
Cricket Creek Farm
Lesley Graham and Topher Sabot
1255 Oblong Rd
Williamstown, MA, 01267
413-458-5888
www.cricketcreekfarm.com
info@cricketcreekfarm.com
Milk Available: Year Round
Grazing and Feeding Management: Mostly grass with occasional grain Herd Health: No BST, Very limited antibiotics
Central Massachusetts
Robinson Farm
Ray and Pam Robinson
42 Jackson Rd. PO Box 94
Hardwick, MA, 01037
413-477-6988
www.robinsonfarm.org
info@robinsonfarm.org
Milk available: Year-round
Grazing and Feeding Management: Mostly grass with occasional grain
Herd Health: No BST, No Antibiotics, Certified Organic
Misty Brook Farm
Katia Clemmer and Brendan Holmes
830 Spring Hill Rd. PO Box 62
Hardwick, MA, 01037
413-477-8234
www.mistybrook.com
mistybrookorganicfarm@yahoo.com
Milk available: Year Round
Grazing and Feeding Management: 100% grass-fed
Herd Health: No BST, No Antibiotics, Certified Organic
Rocky Acres Farms
Bob and Martha Richardson
690 Coy Hill Rd.
Warren, MA, 01083
413-436-5806
Milk Available: Seasonal (late March to December)
Grazing and Feeding Management: Mostly grass with occasional grain
Herd Health: No BST
Chase Hill Farm
Mark and Jeanettte Fellows
74 Chase Hill Rd
Warwick, MA, 01378
978-544-6327
www.chasehillfarm.com/
chasehillfarm@yahoo.com
Milk available: Seasonal
Grazing and Feeding Management: 100% grass-fed
Herd Health: No BST, No Antibiotics, Certified Organic
Crystal Brook Farm
Eric and Ann Starbard
192 Tuttle Rd.
Sterling, MA. 01564
978-422-6646
crystalbrookfarm@yahoo.com
Goat milk only
Milk available: Seasonal
Grazing and Feeding Management: Mostly grass with occasional grain
Eastern Massachusetts
The Herb Hill Micro-Dairy
Lucy McKain
320 High Plain Road
Andover, MA 01810
978-475-7931
LucyMcKain@verizon.net
Milk available: Seasonal
Grazing and Feeding Management: Grass-fed with supplemental grain
Herd Health: No hormones or antibiotics
Goat milk only
Mermaid Farm & Dairy
Allen Healy
9 Middle Rd.
Chilmark, MA, 02535
508-645-3492
mermaidfarm@comcast.net
Grazing and Feeding Management: Mostly grass with occasional grain.
Paskamansett Farms
Tom Coutu
742 Tucker Rd.
Dartmouth, MA, 02747
508-990-7859
www.paskamansettfarms.com
bill@paskamansettfarms.com
Milk available: Year round
Grazing and feeding management: Mostly grass with occasional grain Herd health: No BST, No Antibiotics
Oake Knoll Ayrshires
Theresa Lawton
70 North St
Foxboro, MA, 02035
774-219-6257
oake_knoll_ayrshires@lawtonsfamilyfarm.com
Milk available: Year-round
Grazing and Feeding Management: Grass-fed with supplemental grain in winter Herd Health: No BST, No Antibiotics
Natick Community Organic Farm
Jean-Claude Bourrut
117 Eliot St
Natick, MA, 01760
508-655-2204
www.natickfarm.org
jcbourrut.ncorganic@verizon.net
Goat milk only.
Paul Bettencourt Dairy Farm
Paul Bettencourt
100 Simmons St.
Rehoboth, MA, 02769
508-252-5464
Anderson Bros
Richard Anderson
201 Howard St.
W.Bridgewater, MA, 02379
508-586-0354
Herd health: No BST
Note: If there is no dairy listed above that is near you please contact us for information about what you can do in your region to help make safely-produced raw milk available.
THE NOFA/MASS RAW MILK NETWORK
If you are a consumer or dairy producer wanting to be part of The Raw Milk Network to help make safely-produced raw milk available throughout Massachusetts, contact Winton Pitcoff, Organic Dairy Coordinator, at winton@nofamass.org, or at
(413) 634-5728.
This page was last modified on February 26, 2010 at 12:19:58 PM.
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