How to know if you can trust your raw milk farm

I know how hard it is to find clean raw milk from a farm you can actually trust.

You may have spent hours researching farms, reading reviews, asking questions in Facebook groups. Maybe you’ve even driven out to visit farms, met the farmers, looked at their operations. Or maybe you've been burned before by a farm that talked a good game but cut corners. Or maybe you're still searching for that one farm where you can feel completely confident giving their milk to your kids.

So let me tell you what happened here in the last few weeks, because this story will show you exactly who we are, and more importantly, it might help you figure out what to look for in any farm you're considering trusting with your family's health.

The first email

It started the day after Christmas. A customer emailed in saying she wasn't feeling well after drinking our raw milk. Then, a day or two later, another email. Another customer, same story. The team got the details from them, the label color and the dates on the milk. My stomach dropped, it was my brother John's milk.

Now here's what most farms would've done, and I'm being completely honest with you. They would've thought "it's only two people out of hundreds, it's January, it's flu season, the flu is spreading like wildfire right now, it's probably just that" and moved on with their day. Maybe they would've made a mental note to keep an ear out for more complaints, but that would've been it.

I tried to tell myself the same thing that night. "It's probably nothing. It's flu season. These things happen." But I couldn't sleep. Because what if it wasn't nothing? What if there was even a small chance that something was wrong with our milk, and we did nothing about it?

A tough decision

I then contacted a DHIA to come out to test the milk. See, we'd already done our regular testing, the testing we do on every single batch that isn't even required by law. But those two emails kept replaying in my head. We needed to know for sure.

We sent the milk samples to the state lab that day. Then came the hardest part, the waiting. If you've ever waited for medical test results, you know that feeling. Every hour feels like a day. You check your email or phone constantly. You play out every possible scenario in your head. And since we were now working with the state the test result didn't come back instantly, it took 2 weeks.

The result that changed everything

When the State inspector stopped in Thursday the 8th they confirmed the testing results.
"Positive for Campylobacter." 

We’ve been doing this a long time. Through every season, every challenge, and every batch of milk, we’ve never had a positive Campylobacter test. That’s not luck, it’s the result of how seriously we take producing clean, safe raw milk. I sat there just processing it. The inspector then let John know that we couldn't use his milk until it was clean again.

What happened next

Immediately we'd pulled all of John's milk from going out the door. Then I started drafting an email, one that had to be sent to over 800 trusting customers. Every single family who had purchased milk from us and possibly John's farm in the affected timeframe. Some people thanked us for being proactive and honest. Some were understandably upset, and they had every right to be. A few were scared. I told a few to call or email back if they had concerns or if anyone in their family started feeling sick. Those were some of the hardest phone calls and emails I've ever answered. But every single one of those families deserved to hear it directly from us, not from a recall notice in the mail, a news station, or a post on social media.

The State gets involved

The State inspector put John's farm under official quarantine on 1/8. That means no milk leaves his farm until we get two consecutive clean tests, taken at least a week apart. The farm is certified for raw milk production in PA. That's why the State got involved.
*Side note: If a farm was NOT certified and is operating with a PMA (private membership) or just on the black market, none of the above would have happened.

What's going on with the state of our raw milk right now?

If you're a current customer reading this, here's what you need to know: Your milk is safe.

Look at the bottles in your fridge right now. See those colored "best by" stickers? Blue, orange, and green? That's our farm identification system. We implemented this color-coding years ago as an extra safety measure, a way to quickly trace every bottle back to its source farm. At the time, it seemed like overkill. Now I'm incredibly grateful we did it, because that system is exactly what allowed us to identify which specific farm the issue came from within hours and protect everyone else.

Right now, you're only receiving milk from our three other farms: Ben’s farm, David’s farm, and Daniel’s farm. All three have tested completely clean. All three are operating under the exact same safety standards they always have. All three continue to be inspected regularly by the state and tested by us with every single batch.

If you see blue, green, or orange stickers on your milk, you're good. If you happen to have bottles with different colored stickers and you're concerned, please give us a call or send us an email. But based on our testing timeline and distribution records, the affected milk has already been consumed or disposed of.

Our testing standards and why they matter to us

Let me pull back the curtain and show you exactly what goes into keeping your milk safe, both what the law requires and what we do beyond that.

What Pennsylvania Law Requires:
The State of Pennsylvania doesn't mess around with raw milk safety. And honestly, we're glad they don't. Here's what they require to have a raw milk permit:

• Our milk is tested for general bacteria counts twice per month at state-certified laboratories.
  Our farms are physically inspected every three months specifically for raw milk production safety standards.
  
• Our cows are tested twice per year for pathogens at state-certified labs.
  We undergo standard dairy inspections twice per year (these are separate from the raw milk inspections).
  **These aren't suggestions. These are legal requirements, and farms that don't meet them lose their raw milk licenses.

What we do beyond these requirements:

Here's where we go further than the law requires, and this is important: We test every single batch of our milk, on-site, before it goes out to customers.

YES. Every. Single. Batch.

We test for:
TCC (Total Coliform Count) - this tells us about general sanitary conditions
SPC (Standard Plate Count) - this tells us the overall bacteria levels

The state doesn't require this batch-by-batch testing. Most raw milk farms don't do it because the testing equipment is expensive and it takes time and expertise. We do it anyway because when you're trusting us with your family's health, "meeting the minimum requirements" isn't good enough for us.

We also have super meticulous cleaning standards. After we started testing every batch, we were able to see how much cleaning affects milk quality. For this reason, our barns and milking parlors are much cleaner than the average barn. We have the data to know it matters... a lot. Plus we have extra hot water for cleaning. We know that matters, too.

Check out our milk safety here.

The real question is who can you trust in the raw milk game?

Here's what I've learned about trust in the raw milk world: Any farm can talk about their safety standards when everything's going smoothly. Any farm can show you their clean barns and happy cows and tell you all the right things when you visit. But… you truly know who a farm really is by what they do when something goes wrong.

Think about it. We could've ignored those two phone calls and convinced ourselves it was just the flu. We could've done the bare minimum, waited for the state's regular testing to maybe catch it, or maybe not. We could've quietly stopped using John's milk without telling anyone why. We could've sent out a vague email about "an abundance of caution" without admitting what actually happened.

Instead, we:

1. Took those two complaints seriously immediately, even when it would've been easier to dismiss them.
2. Ordered extra testing on our own dime without being required to.
3. Shut down production with John’s milk the moment we got a positive result.
4. Emailed every potentially affected customer.
5. Voluntarily reported to the state before they found it themselves.

Are being completely transparent with you right now, even though it's embarrassing and painful and might make customers lose trust and go somewhere else.

I'm not telling you this to pat ourselves on the back. I'm telling you this because this is what you should demand from any farm you're considering. Not perfection, no farm can guarantee perfection, and any farm that claims they can is lying. But you deserve a farm that will tell you the truth and do the right thing when problems happen.

Questions you should ask ANY raw dairy farm:
If you're shopping around for a raw milk source, here are the questions you should be asking:

"Do you do any testing beyond what the state requires?"
If they say no, that's not necessarily a dealbreaker. Plenty of farms only do state-required testing and produce perfectly safe milk. But if they say yes, ask them to explain exactly what they test for and how often. Farms that go the extra mile will be proud to tell you about it in detail.

"Can I see your most recent state inspection report?"
By law, these are public records. A good farm will show you without hesitation. If they dodge this question or get defensive, walk away.

"How do you track which farm or batch milk comes from?"
If they have multiple farms or multiple days of production, they need a tracking system. Our colored stickers might seem simple, but that simple system saved us in this situation. If they can't tell you how they'd trace a problem back to its source, that's a problem.

"Have you ever had to recall or stop production? What happened?"
I wish I could tell you we've never had issues, but that would be dishonest. We had an issue a few years ago with RB51, a child was hospitalized from it. It was caused by the VACCINE strain of brucellosis. This is why we no longer allow cows in our herds who have been vaccinated for brucellosis. What matters is how farms handle those situations. When it comes to food, it's not a matter of IF but WHEN with food safety. According to the CDC 1.5 million people are become ill from Campylobacter on a yearly basis. Most of these cases come from raw or undercooked poultry or raw poultry juices.

So where do we go from here?

Well, John's farm is under quarantine until we get two consecutive clean tests. The first round of retesting was Thursday the 8th and the results came back negative on 1/14. And then there's another test that was taken Monday 1/12 and the results should be back Monday 1/19. He's checking the milking equipment, the cleaning protocols, the cow health, the water sources, everything. We're not cutting corners. We're not rushing this. We're doing it right, even if it takes months.

In the meantime, your orders will keep coming from our three other farms. Same quality, same safety standards, same farmers who care deeply about what they're producing. Check those blue, green and orange stickers, that's your assurance of exactly where your milk is coming from.

We're also reviewing our protocols across all four farms. Could we test more frequently? Should we upgrade equipment? Are there additional safety measures we should implement? We're asking ourselves hard questions and we're willing to invest whatever it takes to prevent this from happening again.

Why are we telling you all of this?

I debated whether to write this post. Part of me wanted to handle this quietly, just contact the affected customers and move on. It would be easier. Less risky. Less embarrassing. But that's not who we are, and more importantly, that's not what you deserve.

You deserve to know. You deserve to know everything about your food, in good times and in bad. We're heartbroken this happened. Truly. But we're also rolling up our sleeves and doing everything right. We hope that we can earn back your trust. Because at the end of the day, trust isn't built by being perfect, it's built by being honest, being thorough, and doing the right thing even when it's hard.

I know you probably have questions. Here are the most common ones we have been getting:

Q: Should I be worried about the milk I already drank?
A: If you drank milk from John's farm in the affected timeframe and you're feeling fine, you're almost certainly fine. The milk, whether in glass or plastic, would have had a white label on it with a date between 1/16-1/22. Plus, we directly emailed anyone who could have gotten that milk… so you would know.

Q: How do I know if I’m sick because of Campylobacter?
A. Campylobacter symptoms typically appear within 2-5 days. And symptoms can last up to 7 days. If you do develop symptoms (diarrhea, cramping, fever), hydrate, rest and nourish your body with bone broth, sourdough toast, bland foods (like a BRAT diet - bananas, rice, apples, and toast). Most cases resolve on their own.

Q: How did this happen if you test every batch?
A: That's exactly why we're investigating John’s cleaning protocols and farming standards. We're reviewing the timing of tests, storage protocols, everything. Once we know, we'll implement changes to help prevent something like this from happening again.

Q: Will you use John’s farm’s milk in the future?
A: If the milk is clean and the problem is resolved, yes we will. We will require two consecutive clean tests at least a week apart. And, we’ll need to identify and address the root cause. We won't rush this. Safety first, always.

Q: Are you changing your safety protocols?
A: We're reviewing everything right now. If we identify improvements we can make, we'll make them immediately across all farms. You can view our milk safety and protocols here: https://millersbiofarm.com/mil...

The bottom line
We believe raw milk should come from a place where questions are welcomed, testing is routine, and honesty isn’t conditional. 

We believe in the benefits of raw milk and all its wonderful properties. Raw milk is honestly incredible for your body when you think about what's actually in it. It's a complete, living food packed with natural enzymes, vitamins, healthy fatty acids, and powerful immune-boosting compounds like immunoglobulins that work with your body exactly as nature intended. Raw milk keeps all those beneficial bacteria that are amazing for your digestion and gut health. You're getting natural antimicrobials and probiotics that actively support your immune system and help your body thrive. It's basically the difference between drinking something truly alive and nourishing versus something that's been processed into a pale imitation of real milk. When you drink raw milk, you're getting all the goodness that's meant to be there, nothing destroyed, nothing missing, just pure nutrition the way it was designed to fuel and protect your body.


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References:

https://www.cdc.gov/campylobac...