The Real Dangers of Raw Milk!

Our family has had goats and have been using their milk for over eleven years now. I’ve heard of the “dangers” of raw milk, especially back before it was more popular. If you go to your favorite search engine and type in “dangers of raw milk” you’ll see all kinds of scary germs and diseases associated with raw milk. In all the time we’ve been milking goats, we’ve never had any kind of adverse health problem or disease from using it. That being said, in my experience, there are some real dangers of raw milk that we have noticed.

Spoilage

No, I’m not talking about the milk. I’m talking about you! Raw milk actually tends to last longer (more on that later). Once you get used to it you’ll be spoiled forever and store bought milk will never satisfy! We went for a time when our goats were not producing and it was painful! Nut milks tastes terrible. I’d almost rather just use water! There may be some other issues with nut milk as well. My oldest son tried store bought milk and he exclaimed, “it tastes like dust!!!” so that has become a joke in our family.

Over Production

Occasionally, you’ll have more milk than you know what to do with. This is probably more of an issue with cows than goats. However, we have gone through times where we had more than we were using. At a certain time, we were not able to make other dairy products like yogurt, sour cream, butter, and cheese so we found a young mother who was in need and gave it away. It felt really good to know that it was not just going to waste but was actually helping someone! However, when we got in a better routine, we started making more yogurt, sour cream, and cheese. We didn’t quite get enough cream to make butter because goat milk doesn’t separate as easily but we did occasionally make sour cream. Once you get a taste for amazing home grown dairy products and experience your first hard cheese success, it’s really difficult to go back! You’ll be addicted!

Trust Issues

It’s SO nice to know what is in your dairy. It’s also nice to know that you have more control over the quality of the milk and that you can address issues immediately when they arise. In fact, you can often see signs of health issues in the animal before you even get the milk so you get an early warning if there is something wrong. On the other hand, the danger of this is that you mistrust everything that doesn’t come from your homestead! We try not to be extreme. Sometimes you just have to let go and realize that the anxiety you create with the worry is worse than consuming something that isn’t perfectly healthy but we certainly want to do everything we can to increase the health quality of our own food.

Full of Bacteria

Yes, it’s true. Raw milk is full of bacteria. But hopefully you know that not all bacteria is bad. In fact milk is naturally full of beneficial bacteria that is good for gut health. I know that many people nowadays have dairy sensitivities and can’t even handle the highest quality dairy, but I just don’t believe something that has been a food source for humans for so long, is so full of beneficial things, is automatically the “bad guy”. When raw milk ages, instead of rotting, it begins to clabber. Milk turns to clabber is when the beneficial bacteria naturally present, multiply and consume more of the sugars in the milk creating a more sour milk. It’s very similar to buttermilk. In my opinion this is a really good sign. Pasteurized milk does not usually clabber but just rots. Why is that? When milk is pasteurized, it kills ALL bacteria good and bad. This leaves the milk to be a ready food source for any bacteria that might be present in the environment to move in and take over. The milk then has to be stored and handled very carefully so as not to introduce any microorganisms. But it’s only a matter of time before that happens and those microorganisms will multiply. Raw milk is already inhabited by bacteria that you might consider the “good guys”. They keep guard and keep the “bad guys” from taking over. It’s a beautiful system! Nature is not the enemy.

Exposure to the Elements

If you raise your own dairy animal, you’ll have to go outside every day, rain or shine. Some days I don’t feel like going out to milk. However, as a whole, I actually really love it. As an entrepreneur who has often worked at home, it’s nice to have some routines in life. It’s actually really helpful to outside and see the sunshine every morning!
Also, if you’re going to have a dairy animal, you’re going to have a lot of manure. That manure will be mixed with bedding which is high in carbon and those things will make a lot of natural compost. You’ll have to do something with that compost so you’ll be forced to start a garden. You’ll spend more time outside and you’ll have more of your own healthy, home grown food!

In conclusion, I think the biggest danger in getting a dairy animal and drinking raw milk, is that it’ll improve your quality of life and you’ll never look back!