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Permalink Reply by Five Hens Farm on February 3, 2012 at 11:39am

Was supposed to read as,"Conspiracy?"

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Permalink Reply by SELAH Farm on February 3, 2012 at 11:58am

Just putting in my two cents. But I would never buy from a producer that sold milk in more than their own local area (maybe 50 miles.) In my opinion, someone that can ship or deliver milk over that wide an area is too large for a sustainable RAW milk supplier. I would never drink milk from a producer that is too far away or too busy for me to come by and visit regularly. 

Anyone believing and trusting a label in a grocery store is deceiving their self. I do not know for sure how this milk was delivered or if it was sold in stores. 

But it is the consumer's responsibility to ensure that they are getting what they are paying for. 

Too often people believe that they can have both convenience and health. But we should realize that if we are to get the very best product for ourselves and our family, that it is worth the inconvenience and very much worth the cost. We need to always err on the side of caution when things appear too convenient. "Oh that is too easy." Probably means THAT IS TOO EASY! Avoid things that are easy, allow yourself to be inconvenienced and you will find the reward is much greater than the convenience.

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Permalink Reply by Justin Alexander Wade on February 5, 2012 at 8:38am

Here is my opinion as a raw milk consumer.   Never buy raw milk unless you are buying it from the farm directly.

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Permalink Reply by Catherine Hall on February 8, 2012 at 11:03am

It is clear in this case that you could buy milk at the farm store or miles away. Either way you could have gotten sick. I buy local cream on top milk. I don't care if that milk is a store 80 miles away or at the farm. It is the same milk. A successful operation may sell milk over a wide area.

I have immense respect for the way this family faced this incredible challenge and certainly wish them great success in the future.

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Permalink Reply by Cheryl Zacek on February 8, 2012 at 5:14pm

As was pointed out in the article - food can make you sick.  Any food.  Raw or processed.  They pointed out that 200 people were sick in a certain amount of time from raw milk.  What they didn't point out is how many people have become sick from pasteurized milk in a similar time frame.  How long did people eat raw spinach safely before the outbreak last year?  Then how many suddenly were sick?  Does that mean we should never ever eat raw spinach again?  No.  It means we should clean our food and be aware that sometimes we will get sick.  You can' t live life with no sickness.  It will never happen this side of heaven.  Be educated and wise, but sometimes something will slip through.  I didn't see that massive factory produced egg place shut down after 10 years of violations and hundreds of sicknesses.  I certainly hope this family doesn't lose their farm, either.  They need to do all they can to get the cows healthy and the place clean, and review their procedures to ensure cleanliness during the milking and bottling of the milk, but that doesn't mean they should be shut down.  I don't know what's involved with testing, but if there's a way, perhaps they should be testing the milk periodically for contaminants?

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Permalink Reply by Deborah @ Antiquity Oaks on February 8, 2012 at 8:01pm

I blogged about the raw milk situation in December:

http://www.homegrownandhandmadethebook.com/2011/12/whats-so-bad-abo...

In most cases like this, the dairy farm is shut down. And yes, there is testing available, which is how some farms are able to initiate a recall before anyone gets sick. That's what happened with the 30,000 cow dairy in Indiana a couple months ago.

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Permalink Reply by Catherine Kauffman on February 11, 2012 at 7:34pm

The dairy is now open again, I believe. Good point was made however. It is wise to purchase only local food (within 50 to 100 miles at most). I feel badly for folks in states where raw milk is illegal, but I also believe it is up to those people to rise up, organize and fight for their rights and have the ability to purchase raw milk locally restored.

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Permalink Reply by SELAH Farm on February 19, 2012 at 9:06pm

I wish that there was a "Like" button or a little "thumbs-up" or something to click on and show my agreement to everyone in this discussion.

I do feel badly for this milk supplier and I'm glad that they were able to recall their product. 

It is definitely up to each consumer to know what they are eating and understand the risks. 

If only the FDA was honest with the numbers of how many people have illnesses from pasteurized milk... But every time something happens with real milk or an organic vegetable or fruit, there it is all over the news every five minutes.

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