Raw Milk Safety

Is all raw milk the same and is raw milk safe?
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Recently one of my customers asked if I pasteurized my raw milk for safety before I drank it. I told her I did not, because I have confidence in our milk production and handling procedures and feel that our milk is safe to drink raw.  
So, is raw milk from all producers the same and is all raw milk safe?
That is an excellent question and the answer is simple but not so simple
Raw milk directly from the clean teat of forage and grass fed, disease free cows is safe and free of pathogenic bacteria. That is where simple ends.
From the teat to the bottle there are hundreds of chances for contamination of your raw milk.
​Therefore, it is important to know your farmer and their milking procedures if you are drinking raw milk. We go to great lengths to make sure that our Raw milk is extremely clean and confirm the effectiveness of our procedures by testing our milk with an independent lab at least once a quarter. In 2019 we will be implementing on farm testing as well.
We meticulously clean our cows and their teats before milking, and all our equipment is double washed and sanitized before milking. Then your milk is filtered and flashed chilled after it is bottled then kept extremely cold to preserve its quality till you serve it to your family.  
So how do you tell your milk is clean if you aren’t part of Rocky Ridge Farm’s herd share. Honestly the only way to know for sure is to get milk from a herd share that tests their milk. If you can’t get milk from a farm that tests here are some signs that your milk is produced cleanly.

1.       Fresh sweet taste. Quality milk should never taste cowy, or salty. It should be sweet and creamy
2.       Long shelf life. Quality milk will last over two weeks without tasting off if it is produced well and kept cold.  If your milk goes bad in a week or less that is a sure sign it was contaminated.

So check out your farm, and enjoy quality Milk.

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