Raw Milk is in Our Roots: History & How it Heals

The Raw Milk Institute has a lovely page on their website where they share raw milk resources for farmers like us, plus stories, reports, and educational material for consumers like you. Last month, in July 2020, Mark McAfee and Sarah Smith produced a fascinating piece. It was titled:

Why Humans Drink (RAW) Milk

We found this piece particularly interesting because it reminded us that it is not known, or at least not acknowledged, by the average consumer just how far we’ve drifted from what “natural” really is. Furthermore, most can’t comprehend what that long, distant drift from natural means for the world and our bodies. We know most of our customers are the exception and not average consumers but we still feel it’s our duty to prompt and have these conversations, continue to share, as well as continue to learn ourselves.

Of course there are many credible reasons for drifting away from what was once considered natural in some regards. Sanitation, electricity, transportation infrastructure, and so much more has come a long way, for example, and we are grateful every day for these advancements that allow us to operate at the scale that we do. Without them, there would potentially be over 10 thousand people today without access to REAL food that not only nourishes them, their friends and family, but also HEALS. 

But when it comes to the processing of food, so much has drifted so far away from natural that a lot of what is distributed through mainstream channels shouldn’t even be considered food. And, as McAfee and Smith’s article so perfectly points out, pasteurization is “a technological solution to a man-made problem”. 

Our focus in this article is raw milk, but there are so many other parts of the food chain that experience this same issue. Grass-fed and pastured meat is another great example. Man demanded bigger, better, more so they found ways to speed up the production and processing of animals at any cost. Those costs are more apparent today, years later, especially in the health of mankind and our environment, but too many people are still blinded by the profit that they can make when operating in that unnatural way. The consumer is blinded by the money they can save. It’s a big train to derail at this point but we, along with other responsible brands and consumers, still wake up every day and put our good foot forward knowing that it’s a small step each day but the collection of steps over time are immensely important.

As Wendell Berry once perfectly put, “People are fed by the food industry, which pays no attention to health, and are treated by the health industry, which pays no attention to food.”

Again, there have been many amazing medical advancements and this statement by Wendell, and our overall beliefs of the food and health industry, don’t aim to discredit those necessary advancements in any way. With all that’s happening in the world today, we simply can’t help but wonder how the world would change if people acknowledged the risk of what they’re putting in their bodies every day. Perhaps they would if there was more truth shared and less regulation based not on profit but on the well being of us and the world we live in. If you think someone needs to hear that today or simply ponder this notion, please pass the word along. 

As always, wishing you many blessings in good health!