So, the whole raw milk conversation is happening again with dairy farmers dumping milk.

A couple of notes.

Yes, there are quite a few states in which regulated, licensed farms can sell raw milk. Pennsylvania is one of them.

There are also several states in which you can purchase a cow share for raw milk.

Also, you can sell unregulated raw milk as a non food item, for beauty, pet or livestock purposes. And, oops, if you happen to drink it, that's on you.

While I'm not FULLY CERTAIN, I don't think anyone has been charged with giving raw milk away for free.

All that said, I worked in raw milk for 9 years and I stopped drinking it.

I pasteurize my own milk for household use.

(145° for 30 minutes or 161° for 15 seconds or 185° for a few seconds)

Why?

I saw enough that when I got pregnant, I decided it wasn't worth the risk to the kid.

And now, sharing milk with my toddler and elderly parents, it's still not worth the risk.

I had been a true believer and I lost it.

Even on a good farm, a lot can go wrong.

And, you can't determine what a good farm is by meeting the owner or reading a few articles with pictures of happy cows in the background.

If I drew that conclusion, I was kind of a shithead for telling other consumers it was safe.

Among our raw milk customers were pregnant people, people with kids, cancer patients, the elderly.

If I made that choice with all my information, why would I promote it to others?

I don't really think raw milk is as harmful as some make it out to be, but it's less safe than pasteurized milk.

And, particularly right now when our healthcare system is stressed, we don't need people taking more risks with their health.