Question about Amish goat dairies.

[Sherry in Iowa]

We are looking for a couple of milking does. Haven't had much luck though.

I had taken my Mom up to Kalona and driven her around to see the sights. It has been a while since I'd driven through the countryside up there. I noticed 3 different goat dairies had been built. They are huge, all the goats are in, but the barns have been built with a lot of air flow going through.

My question is this: Do the Amish dairies have to maintain a CAE and CL free milking herd? I mean, is it sort of required since they sell milk to these factories?

Thanks and HELP...time is short and I need SOMETHING to milk..lol.

[wintrrwolf]

my understanding...is the Amish have a different level of requirements/rules for allot of things, the English/our government actually has hmmm what is called a blind eye when it comes to them.

BUT if they sell milk to a factory the factory has rules that they have to follow so the milk is still ultra processed before hitting OUR shelves.

Now if you are looking to purchase a milk goat from the Amish, I have heard that they are decent caretakers of animals, do they use chemical wormers, vaccinations? Probable not.

I have seen puppies being sold by Mennonites(sp) not to be confused with Amish and the puppies were infected with parvo...but you wont see Amish selling designer breed puppies either.

[CaliannG]

According to the USDA, and most states, *no-one* has to maintain a CAE and CL free herd to sell to the milk factories.

They DO have to maintain a TB, Brucella, and Johne's Disease free herd to sell to the factories.

Milk being sold to the factories for bottling and distribution, or for being made into cheese industrially, has to meet standards for somatic cell count, and has to come from herds that are tested and certified free of TB, Brucella, and Johne's. CAE and CL are not yet considered zoonotic (although there are cases of CL being passed to humans, there are not enough cases for the CDC to consider it a threat), and therefore animals do not have to be tested for these things in order for their milk to be sold commercially.

Commercial dairies will often test for these things, though. Not because they are required to do so, but because both diseases tend to raise somatic cell count above acceptable levels, and both diseases are detrimental to milk production, which is a bottom line item.

There are states where milk is allowed to be sold raw, from the farm. Those states also have laws like, you can't advertise that you have raw milk for sale from your farm, and you can only sell X many gallons per month, etc., etc. In those cases, I have not seen that testing for anything, or inspection for health, are required. It's kind of like if you buy a firearm from a store, you have to have a background check, the store has to be a licensed firearm dealer, etc., but if you buy a firearm from your neighbor, you don't need any of that. But in buying from a store, you can have a good idea that the firearm you are buying is legal, not stolen, wasn't used in a bank robbery last week, etc., and you have no such guarantee from your neighbor.

The same with milk. In states that heavily regulate the sale of milk, when you buy it, you have a certain guarantee that that the animals are tested and free of diseases known to be passed to humans, and that it is processed in a fashion that meets the minimum health requirements.

That being said, I have seen those minimum health requirements, which is why I don't buy store-bought milk. :ick: Whether or not an unlicensed, un-inspected farm or dairy, Amish or not, meets what YOU consider to be minimum health requirements, is dependent upon the farm.

Visit the farm, especially during and after milking, several times to see how they treat their milk, their animals, etc. Ask questions on what tests they do, and how often, BEFORE you buy. Research the farm and find one that suits you.

[Sherry in Iowa]

Thanks for the input and great advice!

[mygoat]

Originally Posted by CaliannG

According to the USDA, and most states, *no-one* has to maintain a CAE and CL free herd to sell to the milk factories.

They DO have to maintain a TB, Brucella, and Johne's Disease free herd to sell to the factories.

I've never heard that it was required to test for Johnes, in any species. As far as I know, there is a VOLUNTARY Johnes eradication program out there, and animals with Johnes are not REQUIRED to be destroyed or out of a milk string.

Not that I wouldn't be TICKLED TO DEATH if that was the case! Documentation, please!

[Alice In TX/MO]

I would not make the assumption that Amish farms keep their animals in any better health than "English." There are good Amish and English farmers - and bad ones, too.