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Issue: March 10, 2006

Couple takes advantage of consumer desire for raw, organic dairy milk

By Candace Krebs, Regional Correspondent

DENVER, Colo. — Arden and Meg Cattell are two dairy

veterinarians who bonded over their desire to prevent disease in

dairy cows.

Today, the couple own an organically-certified dairy that sells

shares in cows that give milk that remains raw, or unpasteurized,

while providing consulting veterinary services to conventional

dairies both large and small. Disease prevention is especially

critical in organic dairies like hers that can't rely on antibiotics

for treatment, Cattell points out.

" I don't really want to talk about comparing our milk to grocery

store milk because I think what the dairy industry does is a

wonderful thing. Milk is a wholesome food, " Cattell said recently

during a food show in Denver. " We just want to take it to the

extreme by going back to tradition. "

Raw milk is neither homogenized nor pasteurized. In recent years,

consumer interest in raw milk products has climbed, mostly due to

perceived health benefits.

Advocates of raw milk maintain that some important nutritional

components are killed during pasteurization along with beneficial

bacteria which aid digestion and boost immunity.

First tested in 1862, pasteurization — unlike sterilization — is not

intended to kill all microorganisms in the food, but rather to

reduce the number of viable organisms, so they are much less likely

to cause disease.

" Organic raw milk is not something invented in Boulder, " Cattell

says with a laugh. " It's how our grandparents farmed, and we're

trying to bring back traditional foods that are healthy for people

and do it in a safe and nutritious way. "

Many of the ag students she knew in vet school grew up on raw milk,

she says. Raw milk appeals not just to hippies and eccentrics but to

life-long farmers.

" We are from a very mainstream dairy background, " she says. " What's

been the most fun part for me is having older people who grew up on

farms who are looking for real milk again and seeing their faces

when they taste it. I guess the other part that really excites me is

having kids that have stopped drinking milk drink our milk. So many

pre-teenage girls won't drink milk, and it's so important for their

health. "

Last year the Colorado General Assembly passed a law that allows

consumers to buy a share in a cow or a goat in order to obtain raw

milk. Unpasteurized milk is sold commercially in less than a handful

of states, the most significant being California. Each state has its

own laws. In Kansas and Nebraska, sale is permitted directly off of

the farm as long as the product is not advertised. Raw milk sales

are illegal in Oklahoma.

Tight regulations nationwide have resulted in a virtual " black

market " for the stuff in some places.

Following the passage of favorable legislation, the Raw Milk

Association of Colorado was formed last July to provide resources

for interested dairies and consumers.

Sharon owns Natural Choice Dairy LLC, a goat dairy in

stown, Colo., and is a member of the Raw Milk Association of

Colorado.

" I believe we are up to about 15 dairies that are part of the

group, " she says. " Raw milk is illegal in Colorado, so customers are

not actually buying the milk, they buy a share in the herd and then

they pay usually a one-time fee and then pay a boarding fee every

month for the care and feed for their animal. Essentially they

receive the milk for free. "

Colorado law puts the responsibility on the buyer to be an informed

consumer, she says.

" One of the specifics of the legislation is you have to visit the

farm and pick up the milk from the farm. The consumer goes to the

farm and checks it out for themselves. Essentially its up to the

consumer to know where their food is coming from, " she explains.

Cow or goat shares are usually set up to provide the equivalent of a

gallon or a half-gallon of milk per week. " I have several families

who get two gallons of milk a week in my program, " adds. " A

lot of the reasons they come to you is for their babies. The

nutrition in raw milk, particularly goat milk, is great for babies.

We're not competing with pasteurized milk at all. Most of the people

who come to us can't drink pasteurized milk. It makes them sick. "

says the group is currently working on creating quality

standards for the raw milk niche and says she has inquired with a

state health inspector on what she needs to do for her operation to

qualify as a Grade A dairy. Though it's not required for what she's

doing, she says she wants to insure her customers the highest level

of safety and quality.

" Because it's raw milk it's very fragile so you have to be careful

the way you process and handle it, " she says. Many direct-market

dairies are using their small size and flexibility to offer unique

variations on modern production practices. While high producing

Holsteins are by far the dominant breed choice at most commercial

dairies, Jerseys, Brown Swiss and other specialty breeds that give a

richer milk are often favored by the smaller outfits.

That's true at Isle Farms, which was named after the Isle of Jersey.

Fries, who grew up in Denver, relied on educational resources

and networking when she and her husband started their small herd

near Ellicott, Colo., just east of Colorado Springs. Keeping cows

outdoors and on fresh grass whenever possible is another one of

their selling points. She's proud to say their eight Jersey cows

running on 40 acres have only been kept indoors three days out of

the last year.

During the winter they feed alfalfa hay supplemented with Vitamin E,

flaxseed, organic kelp rich in vitamins and minerals and beet pulp,

a special treat.

The couple is not interested in growing their herd size, she

adds. " We are happy where we are at, " she says. " But I would like to

see more cow-share programs spring up. Even if we grow, we would not

be able to service the demand in the southern half of the state. "

For information on the raw milk renaissance in Colorado, visit the

Raw Milk Association of Colorado at www.rawmilkcolorado. org. There

are additional resources on the health benefits and state-by-state

regulations at the site.