NOFA Massachusetts Campaign for Raw MilkWelcome to the NOFA/Mass Organic Dairy Raw Milk Program! We're working to make safe, healthy raw milk and raw milk cheeses easily available in Massachusetts. Note - The information which follows pertains to milk from dairy cows. Milk from other animals, specifically goats and sheep, is significantly different from that of cows. We hope at some point to be able to provide information on these milks and their products as well, but cannot yet do so. 
On this web page, you'll find:
General information sectionRaw milk is unpasteurized, unprocessed milk. Many consumers prefer it and raw milk cheeses for the taste and for the health benefits, and a widespread, strong demand for these products has developed among New England consumers. Why is raw milk hard to get? Over a century ago, the U.S. milk supply became large and centralized (there are actual "milk sheds" like watersheds). Many states began requiring pasteurization due to public health concerns. Raw milk is inherently a healthful food, but - like other animal (and vegetable) products - its beauties can be undone by contamination. Both raw and pasteurized milk have caused food-borne illness, although raw milk is statistically more likely to carry pathogens such as E. coli, salmonella, campylobacter, and listeria than pasteurized milk. These can cause serious illness, especially in the young, elderly, and individuals with compromised immune systems. Such individuals should research and consider carefully the risks and benefits associated with drinking raw milk before deciding on whether or not to drink it. Milk is a wonderful food, and, like all foods, is best-tasting and most nutritious if eaten fresh and unprocessed. Pasteurization reduces the vitamin, enzyme, and protein levels in milk. It may reduce the digestibility of calcium, and consumption of pasteurized milk may be associated with an increased risk of asthma and allergies. 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 the questions we have posted below in the Information for consumers section. Raw Milk creates opportunity for farmers At a time when prices for pasteurized milk are often below the cost of production, well-produced raw milk and raw milk cheeses could help small Massachusetts dairy farmers and diversified family farms stay in business or even thrive. Many small farms keep dairy animals as a sideline and produce too little milk to economically pasteurize. They can have difficulty finding legal markets for it. This is a significant economic loss: in contrast to pasteurized milk, for which producers receive approximately $1 a gallon, raw milk can command prices between $5 and $9 a gallon. Here in Massachusetts, it is legal to sell raw milk from the farm gate if the producer meets higher sanitary standards and is inspected by the Department of Agricultural Resources (DAR) Milk Inspector, though approximately half of the townships in the state report that they ban raw milk sales altogether. The NOFA/Mass Raw Milk Program strongly recommends that only producers whose cows are pastured and grass-fed consider raw milk production. Feeding grain changes the acidity of ruminant stomachs, rendering them more hospitable to E. coli and other pathogens. Moreover, most raw milk consumers prefer grass-fed milk, according to our market research. For the NOFA/Mass Raw Milk Program, the raw milk issue is a small-farm and a consumer-choice issue. Prevailing health and sanitary regulations are biased towards large farmers and industrial products. This prevents the products of small farms - raw milk, raw cider, or home-made canned and bottled goods, etc. - from reaching markets. If we want family farms to survive, we need to develop methods of dealing with food safety issues that don't marginalize small-scale producers. At the NOFA/Mass Raw Milk Campaign, we are working to:
Information for consumersDownload the NOFA/Mass Raw Milk Brochure (Download Here) for information about the health, economic and environmental benefits of raw milk, including a history of pasteurization. Download the Raw Milk Use and Safety Fact Sheet, a comprehensive informational fact sheet. Consumers should ask raw milk dairy farmers the following questions to get a sense of the quality of their animal care and sanitary practices:
Grass-fed or Pasture-based: Both terms refer to livestock whose diet consists primarily of grass from pasture. Though this is the diet recommended for highest qaulity milk, due to New England’s cold, snowy winters, it is impossible for dairy herds in Massachusetts to eat grass all year; they are fed hay, haylage, or baleage during the winter months when fresh grass is not available. Because the nutritional value of dried grasses or legumes is less than that of fresh grass, for the winter months the herd’s diet is supplemented with grain which has nutrients the cow needs to stay healthy. Seasonal: Seasonal dairies match the reproductive cycle of the cows to availability of forage. The highest nutrient requirements of the cow—during calving and lactation—are timed to occur in the season of highest quality and quantity, usually spring. In seasonal dairying, since all the cows dry off at once, it is not necessary to milk for a couple of months during the year, in New England usually December to February. Forages: Grass and legumes that have been harvested and stored as sileage or hay. BST: Bovine somatotrophin, a growth hormone List of Local Raw Milk DairiesEach farm listed here has been approved by the Department of Agricutlural 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 choosen from the descriptions below Within the definition of "grass-fed" is a range of practices
Herd Health
No BST: Cows are not given the BST growth hormone Eastern Massachusetts Oake Knoll Ayershires at Lawton's Family Farm Mermaid Farm and Dairy Paskamansett Farms
Just Dairy Central Massachusetts Chase Hill Dairy - Certified Organic Misty Brook Farm - Certified Organic Robinson Farm - Transitioning to Organic Rocky Acres Western Massachusetts Bostrom Farm Breese Hollow Dairy Cook Farm Cricket Creek Farm Hager Bros Sidehill Farm Twin Oaks Farm Upinngil Land of Milk and Honey 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. Information for Producers
Related Articles and WebsitesAll consumers and producers should educate themselves about the health risks and benefits of raw milk. Raw milk consumers should know how to identify dairy farms that follow safe production guidelines and should seek out raw milk from pasture-fed cows; in states where legal production is not allowed, consumers should ask producers to get their milk tested regularly for bacteria, coliform, and somatic-cell count levels. Links to further information on raw milk and raw milk cheeses from both proponents and opponents are listed below. Milk
Cheese
THE NOFA/MASS RAW MILK CAMPAIGNIf you are a consumer or dairy producer wanting to be part of The Raw Milk Campaign to help make safely-produced raw milk available throughout Massachusetts, contact Kate Rossiter, Organic Dairy Coordinator, at krossiter@nofamass.org, or at (413) 625-0118. Take Action Raw Milk Dairies Are At Risk! The Natonal Uniformity for Food Act, soon to go before the Senate, would require states to adopt federal food regulations and standards, which means the sale of raw milk would be considered illegal in states where it is currently legal. The House of Representatives has already passed the bill. Ask your Senator to vote "No"! For more information about the bill and for letters you can write to your senator, go to: Organic Conumsers Assocation
The Center for Food Safety This page was last modified on May 02, 2008 at 1:33:00 PM. |