Post by josvends on Feb 17, 2007 16:37:08 GMT -5
Hello to you all -
I have enjoyed reading KFC postings for over a year now, with dreams of someday owning my own dairy cow. This is my first posting, but when 'someday' happens, be certain you'll hear a lot more from me.
I recently found a farm nearby that produces organic milk for sale to Organic Valley. They have 30 cows and also do beef, chicken and eggs. They also sell raw milk off of their farm. I heard of them through a homeschool group who has been buying raw milk from them for about a year.
I visited their farm, excited to buy and try raw milk for the first time. I went into a clean room with a large tank half-filled with swirling milk, and a sink filled with machine milking pieces. I got my two gallons, and then asked if I could look at their cows. No problem, they said.
Now, I'm not a farm kid, and I don't know what to expect, but my first impression of overall cleanliness has left me a little uneasy. The thirty Holsteins were tied up in rows, with hay and automatic watering devices in front of them. The barn had a concrete floor with gutters and sparse straw spread around. The straw was pretty well soaked with urine and splotched with manure, and I saw manure spots on the udders, legs, tails and sides of the cows themselves.
Like I said, I have no idea what 'clean' means on a dairy farm, and I don't know how 'clean' a dairy has to be to have healthy cows that give healthy milk. The cows all looked healthy, they were just pretty dirty. Maybe I'm just used to all of the pictures of the cows from this forum, all clean and lovely and happy.
My husband and I have drank the milk. It tasted good and there's no ill effects. But I have three little boys, ages 6,3, and 1. What about them? Since the milk I just got seems good, will the milk I buy from them next week be good too?
Sorry this post is so long. Sorry also for my newbieness! Thanks for your time and help.
- Joanne
I have enjoyed reading KFC postings for over a year now, with dreams of someday owning my own dairy cow. This is my first posting, but when 'someday' happens, be certain you'll hear a lot more from me.
I recently found a farm nearby that produces organic milk for sale to Organic Valley. They have 30 cows and also do beef, chicken and eggs. They also sell raw milk off of their farm. I heard of them through a homeschool group who has been buying raw milk from them for about a year.
I visited their farm, excited to buy and try raw milk for the first time. I went into a clean room with a large tank half-filled with swirling milk, and a sink filled with machine milking pieces. I got my two gallons, and then asked if I could look at their cows. No problem, they said.
Now, I'm not a farm kid, and I don't know what to expect, but my first impression of overall cleanliness has left me a little uneasy. The thirty Holsteins were tied up in rows, with hay and automatic watering devices in front of them. The barn had a concrete floor with gutters and sparse straw spread around. The straw was pretty well soaked with urine and splotched with manure, and I saw manure spots on the udders, legs, tails and sides of the cows themselves.
Like I said, I have no idea what 'clean' means on a dairy farm, and I don't know how 'clean' a dairy has to be to have healthy cows that give healthy milk. The cows all looked healthy, they were just pretty dirty. Maybe I'm just used to all of the pictures of the cows from this forum, all clean and lovely and happy.
My husband and I have drank the milk. It tasted good and there's no ill effects. But I have three little boys, ages 6,3, and 1. What about them? Since the milk I just got seems good, will the milk I buy from them next week be good too?
Sorry this post is so long. Sorry also for my newbieness! Thanks for your time and help.
- Joanne