What does the farmer do to verify his milk is safe?

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May 31, 2019

The farmer is a raw milk farmer, and safety is a top priority.

According to the CDC and FDA, drinking raw milk puts you at risk of exposure to a wide range of bacteria including Brucella, Campylobacter, Tuberculosis, E. coli, Listeria, and Salmonella.

Where would these harmful bacteria come from?

If a cow is sick, those bacteria or viruses can make their way into the milk.

If the milking equipment is not clean, it may harbor harmful microorganisms.

Or, let’s say the farm staff are not careful, the milk can be exposed to dirt or other contaminants.

So, what does the farmer do to verify that his milk is safe?

First, he makes sure his cows are healthy. This means feeding them a natural diet of 100% grass and allowing them to live an active lifestyle at pasture. This also means knowing his cows and caring for them if they become ill.

Second, he makes sure his cows’ teats and udders and the milking equipment are spotlessly clean.

Third, he makes sure his staff are properly trained on safe handling of milk.

Fourth, he is certified by the PA Department of Agriculture for raw milk production and bottling. They are responsible for inspecting his facility and testing his cows and milk bi-annually for harmful bacteria.

But, if you know our farmer, you know he goes above and beyond. This is why he also tests every batch of milk on site.

The farmer invested in on site testing supplies last year. He test every batch of both the bulk tank milk and bottled milk.. This is not required and certainly not the norm for raw milk farmers.

The on site testing measures TCC (total coliform count) and SPC (standard plate count). These tests show the general bacteria count of the milk, not specific pathogens. However, it does give a good measure of how “clean” the milk is.

If a test comes back higher than normal, the farmer can immediately diagnose the issue and resolve it for the following week.

You can find the farmer’s average test results along with more details about PA Department of Agriculture tests on our Milk Safety page:

https://millersbiodiversityfarm.grazecart.com/milk-safety

Enjoy the milk!

Raw Dairy

Farming Practices

Ugh greenwashed labels. What does it take to get ___ on a label anyway?

Not a fan of the confusing, greenwashed labels in store? Yea, me too! And it's especially real for me, because I'm responsible for getting our labels approved with the "powers that be". Here's a little story with a big inside scoop... I made new labels for our bone broth a little while ago. It didn't go as smoothly as planned. Why? I put the little icons about our farming practices on them. They look like this: Yup, despite being 100% accurate and true, they were denied!! We're not allowed to put those statements on our food labels. So, I asked the USDA guy, "What would it take to get those claims on the labels, anyway?" The answer was kinda shocking. First off, there's some guidance on wording. Silly technicalities in my opinion. For example, you can't use the term "No Spray" but you can say "Produced without the use of synthetic pesticides." Or another example is that you can't say "No Routine Antibiotics or Vaccines" but you can say "Raised without routine use of antibiotics or vaccines." Second, the processor needs to update their documents to provide traceability. In other words, they need to document how they make sure the bones for our bone broth don't get mixed up with bones from other farms. I mean, this is pretty simple, especially with small batch foods like ours. But the documentation needs to be meticulous. Drafting it in government-approved language can be time consuming and/or costly. And lastly, once you get the wording and process right, you need proof. This was the real shocker for me: Want to know what proof would suffice for all the claims above? A 2-3 sentence affidavit (AKA a super short letter) signed by all farmers that supply us. That's it!? This lead me to a bunch of questions: What if a company submits a letter from one farmer but actually has other farmers that supply them, too? What if a company changes farmers? Will they submit new letters?What if a company's farmers change their practices in the future? Will they immediately update their labels?Are the "powers that be" checking on this? Is anyone checking on this?Is this why most farms and food facilities don't allow outside people coming in? It seems to me that, if a business isn't doing what the label says, the only way to find out is via a whistleblower. And the only way to make them stop is to take them to court. You know, like what's happening with Vital Farms and their pasture raised egg claim right now. It seems to me that, all that good natural stuff on labels - grass fed, pasture raised, antibiotic free, etc - doesn't mean it's true. Certifications are a little better, but the same kinda thing can be said about those, too. This is why, at Miller's, we choose to NOT sell in stores. No wholesale for us. In fact, we don't even have an on farm store. We only sell directly to our customers via our website. And, we choose to only get certified for what's required. This way, we can make our own natural standards. And, we can provide you will all the info and proof you need. Descriptions, photos, blog posts, test results, and more. So, what do you think? Should we do the affidavit thing to get claims on our bone broth labels? What proof do you need to feel confident in your food choices? I'd love to hear from you. Comment below (no account required - just start typing) or contact us 😊

Should I choose animal rennet or vegetable rennet in my natural cheese?

Let’s take a look at what rennet is and why it’s used in cheesemaking, compare the different types of animal and vegetable rennets, check out the labeling requirements for rennet, and consider the potential health consequences. Keeping all this in mind, Miller’s Bio Farm aims to produce the most nutrient-dense, natural, A2/A2 cheese we can and gives you all the info you need to make the choice that’s best for your body!

Is yolk color is no longer a great indicator of the egg's nutrition?

It used to be true that, if your egg yolks were darker in color, then the better the egg's nutrition. Conscious consumers of the past would look for that deep orange yolk and stray away from lighter yellow yolks. It's sad, but this simply isn't the case anymore. Here's why you can't trust cheap store-bought eggs with orange yolks and need to know your farmer instead.

What does the farmer do to verify his milk is safe?

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Ugh greenwashed labels. What does it take to get ___ on a label anyway?

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Miller's Bio Farm, 523 Valley Road, Quarryville, PA 17566