Raw Milk

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We run a small herdshare for raw milk purposes throughout the year.

Our raw milk starts with the health of our momma cows and their calves. At Moonlight Ranch, we never remove calves from their mothers. We practice what is called “milk sharing” where calves are out on pasture during the day with their mothers and are brought into the barn at night. This allows the calves to drink as much milk as they want throughout the day and gives the cows a rest at night. We milk in the morning and then both momma and baby return to pasture.

Dairy cows make more than enough milk to supply their calf and us, and this system allows the calves to grow strong and maintain their deep bond with their mothers. We also practice a method of stress-free weaning with weaning rings when calves are about eleven months old. This allows them to stay with the cow herd even after their continued nursing would negatively affect the cows.

Our cattle are never fed grain, not even our dairy cows. They are free to forage on our pastures and silvopastures as long as the weather allows. For a few months in the winter, when the pastures are dormant, they are fed grass hay and alfalfa hay. We do our best to only buy certified organic hay, however, when that is not available we purchase hay that is grown without the use of sprays and chemical fertilizers. Only when both are completely unavailable will we feed conventionally grown hay.

Year-round, during milking times, cows are supplemented with organic alfalfa hay.

Our dairy cows are fully health tested for tuberculosis, brucellosis, and bovine leukemia virus and have clean bills of health. We milk with milking machines to create a closed system where the milk from the cows goes straight into the sealed milk pail, therefore preventing any particles from getting into it. The sealed milk pail is then taken to our processing room where the milk is jarred and cooled, and the equipment is fully cleaned and sanitized.

From there, our amazing customers come in and pick up the freshest milk available.

Raw milk can have amazing health benefits thanks to the natural probiotics it contains, but chances are, if you made it this far, that you already know that! If not, it can be fun to do a little dive into research on the natural benefits of raw milk and the percentage of lactose intolerant folks who have no issues with raw A2 milk.