Where/ How do you sell your dairy products?

[Jennifer Brewer]

My husband and i are getting closer and closer to the day we get a dairy cow or two, and he is real interested in selling fresh milk. Where do you sell your milk? Who do you sell it to and for how much? Do you hvae to register somewhere?

Eventually we'd like to make butter and cheese and sell that too.

[milkinpigs]

here in Texas,if we get caught selling milkto individuals, the state health dept. will pull our grade A permit.We have a lot of people thawant to buy milk but it's not worth it. If your'e just gonna have a few cows, you should be ok; just don't put an add in the paper or make a big deal about it. Be aware; if somebody gets sick, they will blame you first.

[Jennifer Brewer]

so maybe just sell to neighbors and friends?

We would just have a few cows.

Is it the same for beef?

[milkinpigs]

Yes, just don't make a big deal out of it.Every state is different, some places the local gov. might cause a stink but for a small scale ,I wouldn't worry.

[JeffNY]

Don't flaunt it, don't brag about it, and sell it for animal consumption. Even with a permit, the states that do allow the sale of fresh milk do not want you to sell it. In Canada they fine you 250,000 and you get 3 years in prison, harsh but they really dont want you selling it there, but thats canada. Here in NY it is legal to sell it with a permit, if you sell it without a permit, don't flaunt it. Can they do anything? Sure, but they also have to proove your selling milk, heck we had an inspector here and someone had some milk in their car, while they were here, they did nothing, and really cant. They will scare you not to sell. It isn't hard to get a permit, we could get one easily, but our bulk tank isn't ready yet, neither is the milk house.

So yes selling is possible, if you do it, do it under the table and do it discreetly, do not flaunt it.

Jeff

[Jennifer Brewer]

do you homoginize your milk?

[Up North]

http://realmilk.com/

Jennifer, check out this website. I don't know where you are from but this shows the rules that each state has for raw milk sales. Like others have said, even if it is legal to sell raw milk in a state, it is discouraged by the powers that be. I wouldn't let that discourage you if you live in a state that is legal. In WI it's not legal. I have no problem selling milk to family and close friends but that's it. We have been approached by people we don't know very well and we won't sell to them. Too risky in my opinion.

Heather

[Christina R.]

All the previous posts were good advice. Did you mean pasteurize milk or homogenize? Homogenize is mixing it all up so the cream doesn't separate. It involves a pricey machine. Pateurize is heating it to a point to please people who feel there are things in milk that need killing.

Many people will swear by one way or the other (you could really start a debate on this). I don't pasteurize, was paranoid at first, but am glad I didn't. I never will pasteurize. Everyone has been fine.

[JeffNY]

Keep in mind, pastuerization was developed to kill things, however if you look at what has been found in milk, is it because of raw milk or is it because of carelessness? From what i have seen, the way milk was handled years ago was not as good as it is now. There are refrigrators, there are bulk tanks, there are also tests you can do on the cow your milking. Think about this. Do you eat lettuce out of your garden? Do you cook it? Who's to say something could be on that lettuce, same goes for corn, and other things, heck even water. Sure you can test your water, who's to say something can't make it into your well between tests. Another thing to consider, how many things have been in the worlds water supply that killed people? Hundreds of thousands have died due to tainted water, how many with milk? I would guarentee you it isn't many, but the government, and any anti-raw milk place will put a negative spin on it. There is e-coli, and other things that you can get through milk, but you can also get e-coli if you were to touch a cow then rub your face (not thinking prior to washing). There has been recalls of meat in stores, yet that is legally sold unpastuerized. You can't really do that to meat prior to selling, unless it is jerky (dry it out). I think a lot of the raw milk stuff is hogwash, government control, without sufficent data. Like I said, how many people have been sick with unpastuerized milk? Compare that to how many people die in cars, water pollution, and other things, heck you can go to a restaurant and get food poisioning from COOKED food..

Jeff

[JulieLou42]

Home pasteurization is a nuisance, and kills all the good bacteria along with the bad, and the enzymes, and some vitamins that are sensitive to heat, which you want to keep alive. Most healthy adults can handle e-coli.

If you're really antsy about drinking it, then use 16 drops of grapefruit SEED extract per gallon -- that's one drop per 8 oz. -- and stir it in. Or chase your milk with a glass of water with a drop of GSE in it. It's a triple antibiotic, but should be ingested only at the rate of 2 drops per 8 oz. max.

You don't want to use homogenized milk; it's something nutrition researchers are looking at as a cause of blocked arteries. Buy skim milk and put some whipping cream in it if you cannot handle the skim milk...shake it up before pouring to mix in the cream...that's what you'll do with your cow's milk anyway.

If you want to sell your milk, set yourself up in cowsharing; the gov't cannot really interfere with your Right to make contractual agreements as a private Citizen, as it cannot impair CONTRACTS. Section 10, clause 6 -- (No State shall) pass any Bill of Attainder, pass any ex post facto Law, or Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts, or grant any Title of Nobility. [That last refers to lawyers, and we used to have a 13th Article in Amendment that specifically forbade such titles.] You can use the ideas at Real Milk website to help set your cowhare up.

[JulieLou42]

Home pasteurization is a nuisance, and kills all the good bacteria along with the bad, and the enzymes, and some vitamins that are sensitive to heat, which you want to keep alive. Most healthy adults can handle e-coli.

If you're really antsy about drinking it, then use 16 drops of grapefruit SEED extract per gallon -- that's one drop per 8 oz. -- and stir it in. Or chase your milk with a glass of water with a drop of GSE in it. It's a triple antibiotic, but should be ingested only at the rate of 2 drops per 8 oz. max.

You don't want to use homogenized milk; it's something nutrition researchers are looking at as a cause of blocked arteries. Buy skim milk and put some whipping cream in it if you cannot handle the skim milk...shake it up before pouring to mix in the cream...that's what you'll do with your cow's milk anyway.

If you want to sell your milk, set yourself up in cowsharing; the gov't cannot really interfere with your Right to make contractual agreements as a private Citizen, as it cannot impair CONTRACTS. Section 10, clause 6: (No State shall) pass any Bill of Attainder, pass any ex post facto Law, or Law impairing the Obligation of Contracts, or grant any Title of Nobility. [That last refers to lawyers, and we used to have a 13th Article in Amendment that specifically forbade such titles.] You can use the ideas at Real Milk website to help set your cowhare up.

[Jennifer Brewer]

Thank you! this has all been great information. I was thinking that I wanted to do raw milk, and after reading the info here and on the RealMilk site, I definately will. Here in Missourri it is legal to sell raw milk, but you have to get a permit and pass inspection. On the realmilk sight it also had links to farms close by that sell raw milk and other dairy products, so I'm going to see if maybe we can get a tour of one of the farms, and buy a gallon of milk so that DH can try it. Then he'll be hooked!