Re: Rainhaven Dairy Raw Goat's Milk

[Guest guest]

, it is hard for a dairy farmer to know what the " wait time " will be

for those on their wait list... I know that some of my customers will soon

be going through their annual religious fasting and not needing milk for

at least a couple weeks.... but then other customers may want more

milk than usual to make some cheese etc... and then there is the

matter of when the dairy animals are dry during the last couple months

of pregnancy and when they are due to start having milk for customers.

So for starters, see if the Conway's website mentions when the have

goats due to give birth; it may be as soon as January or February.

This is probably much farther away, but the Estrella Family Creamery in

the Montesano area have Grade A Raw goat and cow milk, and maybe

sheep milk although they may keep all of that for their cheesemaking.

I have been told there are at least 6 more dairies, including cow dairies,

who have their Grade A Raw applications pending; Condon at

WSDA is usually the best contact to find out who currently is licensed.

However, being a bureaucracy, they have been insisting on inquiries

being submitted on a special form... I kid you not .... but I think they are

getting past that, since supposedly they are going to put up a webpage

on the WSDA website that lists all the Grade A Raw for human

consumption dairies and also farmstead cheesemakers that are

licensed.

If I find out more next week I will let you know.

Debbie

>

> Debbie,

>

> Well that didn't work out. They (the Conways) have all the customers

they

> can handle. The best they can do is put me on a waiting list. I haven't

> heard back from them yet about the typical wait time, but with the

demand

> for raw milk going up and the availability going down, it's likely to be a

> long wait.

>

> Do you know of any other raw milk producers in Washington close to

the

> Oregon border that you'd be comfortable recommending? If there is

nothing

> real close, I could go as far north as Woodland maybe.

>

> Thanks again for your help.

>

>

>