Did you know in Michigan it is illegal for me to sell raw milk? Sure is; I could lose my Grade A license which allows me to sell my product to a cooperative. Over the last few years I have received more and more questions about selling or trading milk from my farm, but the answer is always no. There is a lot of chatter whether or not raw milk is better for you or taste different but to tell you the truth my kids and I have NEVER tried the milk from our cows. It's a personal choice but my husband drinks milk from the cows and so far he seems fine.
The sale of raw milk from me is illegal here in Michigan but you do have the option for cowshares. Cowshares would include entering into a contract with a farmer and paying them to harvest the milk for you. An annual payment would give you ownership in a cow and pay for her spot on their farm. A monthly payment would help the farmer feed your cow and cover the labor for them to give you 'X' amount of milk a month. This is legal because you assume ownership of the cow, and removes the farmer from selling a product you could become sick from.
Another option you have for raw milk is to have your own cow that you milk yourself. This would come with financial responsibility and the expense of your own labor to feed and care for the animal, but if you have the acreage and shelter it may be something you'll consider. Some things to keep in mind are that cattle do not produce milk until they have delivered their first calf. You will want to purchase a cow that is in milk and possibly even confirmed pregnant, that way you get milk immediately and can continue getting milk after the calf is born. There will be a period before the calf is born that you need to stop milking the cow... So maybe your homestead will have two cows 😉
There are a lot of pro's and con's to the argument of raw milk and the great thing is that it's your choice to make. I choose to buy my milk from the grocery store because it is what I'm comfortable with. Milk on the store shelves comes from Michigan dairy farms and it travels from farm to fridge in 48 hours. That's pretty darn fresh. At processing plants milk is pasteurized (required by law) and homogenized, bottled and labeled. Thank goodness for our milk haulers and truck drivers who mooo-ve the goods!!
I hope everyone continues to keep dairy in their diet, regardless of where you get it from. Who knows, maybe the law will change in the next several years or maybe I'll start branding my own milk like these Michigan families (check them out).