Raw Power

Dairy farms recast as modern speakeasies

By Aisha Salazar

In Virginia it is legal to consume raw milk from a cow you own. But it is illegal to buy or sell it.

For the most part.

Cow- and goat-share programs are a way to obtain raw, unpasteurized milk from participating farms. Individuals pay a farm to board, feed and care for animals in exchange for access to any milk produced.

There are close to three dozen goat- and cow-share programs currently operating in Virginia, roughly a third of which service Northern Virginia. (The exact number remains fuzzy because regulators and raw-milk advocates do not want to advertise them.) Raw-milk enthusiasts believe the unadulterated beverage has beneficial health properties and that pasteurization kills good bacteria while removing important nutrients. Regulators view it as a public health concern, asserting that untreated milk can cause serious food-borne illness or death.

But, at least in Virginia, regulators rarely shut down offending farms. They do, however, work to ensure farmers are following regulations (confirming that customers actually have a vested interest in any animal shares purchased).

A food safety professor, representatives from the Weston A. Price Foundation and the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (dairy division) all point to different websites they consider to provide the most factual information about raw milk. But who’s really right?

Hungry for more? The battle rages on at: www.northernvirginiamag.com/rawmilk

(Jully 2010)