Microdairies Facing Regulators In Washington
Posted: November 28, 2005
Here’s an interesting item about the raw milk situation in Washington state. This is from an AP story. Basically, it looks like the Washington state dept. of agriculture wants people producing and selling raw milk to be licensed and regulated or shut down.
To combat this 2 groups have been formed, the Washington Association of Shareholder Dairy Owners and Raw Dairy Choice Campaign.
I can’t remember when I’ve had raw milk. I know it was in my bottle as a baby since my grandfather had a dairy next to where my home was. But then we started getting it delivered in bottles and pasteurized. Nowdays we get it as 1%, 2%, etc. I only like it whole myself. The story mentions microdairies. Kind of sounds like micro breweries. A nice place to go get a cold bottle of freshly bottled home brew, er, milk.
Debbie Higgins Said,
October 30, 2006 @ 7:52 pm
Please take a few moments to virtually visit my Grade A Raw farmstead microdairy:
http://www.rainhaven.com/dairy.html
I received my license on August 12, 2005; at the time I had 6 does in production, and at this time a year later I have 11 does producing milk.
Other than changing state laws to allow hand filling and hand capping of milk jugs effective July 1, 2005, that was the only regulation that needed to be changed in order for me to get my Grade A dairy permit and license to sell raw milk for human consumption. I am allowed to hand milk my goats. As of July 5, 2006, I was also approved for making aged raw milk cheeses; all of this in my 6′x12′ milk processing room, and with an 8′x8′ milking parlor.
My construction costs were about $3,000.
Please do not believe the propaganda put out by the Shareholder Dairies or Weston Price Foundation that it is a huge unnecessary burden to meet construction requirements, or that it is impossible to meet the microbiological requirements of