We love our milk products and feel that we have adopted a very strong milking and cleaning process to make sure that no contamination makes it into any of our milk. We feel that there a number of good benefits from raw milk and that if you can do your part to ensure there is no contamination then the milk is completely safe. However, we encourage everybody to do the research on their own and make a decision based on knowledge, then find a farm that they trust to support and buy from.

Clean and Better Flavor

Raw milk proponents believe raw milk is better tasting than pasteurized milk because it comes from healthy, pasture-fed animals, according to the Campaign for Real Milk, as reported by “Scientific American.” They explain that raw milk contains important enzymes, fats and nutrients that enhance the immune system in people. Whether these important components of raw milk are destroyed during pasteurization is still being researched, according to the Mayo Clinic, as reported in “Scientific American.”

Pros for the Digestive System

Raw milk contains beneficial bacteria for the human body, explains Dr. Joseph Mercola in “Time” magazine. This good bacteria is destroyed during pasteurization, resulting in the inability to strengthen the immune system in the colon, and digestive problems, including Crohn’s disease, can occur. This is a condition in which inflammation and scar tissue form throughout the intestines. Symptoms include cramping, diarrhea, weight loss and long-term cancer risks of the colon.

You can read about other benefits here: https://www.realmilk.com/

Milk Testing Results

At Jones Homestead and Operations we use an independent milk testing laboratory, Udder Health Systems in Bellingham, Washington, to test our milk for bacteria and pathogens in order to ensure that it is as high quality, clean, and safe as possible. We send milk samples of our milk, after our normal milking process, to their laboratory monthly for two tests. A Standard Plate Count and a Total Coliform test. The Standard Plate Count (SPC) provides an idea of quantity of microorganisms in the milk that could have come from anywhere along the path from the udder to the milk jar. The Total Coliform test indicates milk quality and safety from contamination, especially fecal contamination. Presence of coliforms also indicates conditions favorable for pathogenic bacteria to grow.

Both of these tests are measured in cfu/mL (colony forming units) and recommended levels based on ORMPA standards for high quality raw milk are SPC: <15,000 cfu/mL, and for the Total Coliform: <10 cfu/mL. Udder Health Systems recommends SPC: <5,000 cfu/mL and for the Total Coliform: <10 cfu/mL to be considered high quality milk.

*Ferrandino, Susan. “The Pros & Cons of Raw Milk.” Healthfully, https://healthfully.com/361438-the-pros-cons-of-raw-milk.html. Accessed 21 September 2018.