Funny you should mention it...I milk A2/A2 heritage breed Jersey’s. I’m thankful for the city people who come to our farm and take milk from our bulk tank (this is the legal way to get it to your home in our state). This article is interesting. People have been getting milk out of dairy farmer’s bulk tanks forever. We just don’t talk…
Funny you should mention it...I milk A2/A2 heritage breed Jersey’s. I’m thankful for the city people who come to our farm and take milk from our bulk tank (this is the legal way to get it to your home in our state). This article is interesting. People have been getting milk out of dairy farmer’s bulk tanks forever. We just don’t talk about it on Twitter.
What I wish people would talk more about is food freedom and people’s right to make their own decisions about what goes into their body. If you live in the city, don’t own a car, work shift work at target, and live in subsidized housing - you can’t afford raw milk, not to mention you have no way to obtain it. So you’re trapped in a system of milk produced industrially (I’m not dissing that system - drink what you want, and Americans love convenience...as do I! Farming is not sexy or romantic - it’s relentless, hard, messy, death, life, boring, terrifying etc).
I could talk about this for hours...but make no mistake...Raw milk is not “available” for regular working urban people. And that’s a while other topic - the classism of health food for which I could also bore you stupid.
I wish Suzy's article had taken this approach, rather than leaving us with this "ha ha! look at these weirdos on Twitter!" tone. There is a lot to this discussion -- and a lot more nuance -- than whether or not raw milk is a yuppie fad or whether you're taking your life in your hands if you choose to drink it. It's a shame we don't get any of that here. But at least we get to point our fingers and laugh at people!
It’s a very serious topic to me. And one that is hard to talk to with people that have no lived experience producing. So many topics.
- disconnect from nature and animals - People don’t want to live to close to death and reality (from my opinion). I think we are intertwined with death and life whether it makes one uncomfortable or not. I don’t think it helps that we’ve created a culture where we don’t have to.
-industrialization and tech “advancement” has shifted a fairly simple supply chain to something entirely different...to the point that only a certain kind of person can obtain something that is so basic. (As raw milk)
-something nebulous not exactly laziness, but more living in our heads and constantly needing to be doing something “innovative” or “new” or exciting. I have found it’s tedious work to disengage from this industrial market. It’s not convenient. It takes commitment. Sweat. Back pain. Poopy clothes. No internet access. Most people don’t want that.
-the work of being in relationship. In person relationship building. We barter. I trade my milk for my neighbors lamb and beef, my other neighbor’s eggs and chickens, and yet another neighbor’s maple syrup. My supply chain is local and I know how to do shit. But it’s not easy, glamorous, or Always fun. And is almost never Instagram worthy. (I’m only writing today because we are having a storm and I can’t get to down 😊) people don’t want that. At least it doesn’t play that way when you see the products of convenience. Maybe in their heads they do but in practice it doesn’t seem to play out that way
I say all of this but I am selling milk to the people who may even be part of the problem. And I enjoy every one of them. (So many Grey areas!)
Ultimately though my main point is that I’m doing me, and what, in my heart works for me. We happily allow access to anyone who would also like to purchase the fruits of our labor. Who want to know everything (down to the last blade of grass) that is nourishing the animal who will help them sustain life.
If you want to drink oat milk - go for it. But I’m not wrong because I don’t want to. I don’t know their supply chain, I don’t know who sneezed in the vat, I don’t know what kind of medical waste was in the city water supply, I don’t know where the tetrapaks came from, etc and so forth. On the other hand I love a good frozen pizza when I’ve been moving manure all day for the garden compost 2 years from now.
Funny you should mention it...I milk A2/A2 heritage breed Jersey’s. I’m thankful for the city people who come to our farm and take milk from our bulk tank (this is the legal way to get it to your home in our state). This article is interesting. People have been getting milk out of dairy farmer’s bulk tanks forever. We just don’t talk about it on Twitter.
What I wish people would talk more about is food freedom and people’s right to make their own decisions about what goes into their body. If you live in the city, don’t own a car, work shift work at target, and live in subsidized housing - you can’t afford raw milk, not to mention you have no way to obtain it. So you’re trapped in a system of milk produced industrially (I’m not dissing that system - drink what you want, and Americans love convenience...as do I! Farming is not sexy or romantic - it’s relentless, hard, messy, death, life, boring, terrifying etc).
I could talk about this for hours...but make no mistake...Raw milk is not “available” for regular working urban people. And that’s a while other topic - the classism of health food for which I could also bore you stupid.
Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.
I wish Suzy's article had taken this approach, rather than leaving us with this "ha ha! look at these weirdos on Twitter!" tone. There is a lot to this discussion -- and a lot more nuance -- than whether or not raw milk is a yuppie fad or whether you're taking your life in your hands if you choose to drink it. It's a shame we don't get any of that here. But at least we get to point our fingers and laugh at people!
It’s a very serious topic to me. And one that is hard to talk to with people that have no lived experience producing. So many topics.
- disconnect from nature and animals - People don’t want to live to close to death and reality (from my opinion). I think we are intertwined with death and life whether it makes one uncomfortable or not. I don’t think it helps that we’ve created a culture where we don’t have to.
-industrialization and tech “advancement” has shifted a fairly simple supply chain to something entirely different...to the point that only a certain kind of person can obtain something that is so basic. (As raw milk)
-something nebulous not exactly laziness, but more living in our heads and constantly needing to be doing something “innovative” or “new” or exciting. I have found it’s tedious work to disengage from this industrial market. It’s not convenient. It takes commitment. Sweat. Back pain. Poopy clothes. No internet access. Most people don’t want that.
-the work of being in relationship. In person relationship building. We barter. I trade my milk for my neighbors lamb and beef, my other neighbor’s eggs and chickens, and yet another neighbor’s maple syrup. My supply chain is local and I know how to do shit. But it’s not easy, glamorous, or Always fun. And is almost never Instagram worthy. (I’m only writing today because we are having a storm and I can’t get to down 😊) people don’t want that. At least it doesn’t play that way when you see the products of convenience. Maybe in their heads they do but in practice it doesn’t seem to play out that way
I say all of this but I am selling milk to the people who may even be part of the problem. And I enjoy every one of them. (So many Grey areas!)
Ultimately though my main point is that I’m doing me, and what, in my heart works for me. We happily allow access to anyone who would also like to purchase the fruits of our labor. Who want to know everything (down to the last blade of grass) that is nourishing the animal who will help them sustain life.
If you want to drink oat milk - go for it. But I’m not wrong because I don’t want to. I don’t know their supply chain, I don’t know who sneezed in the vat, I don’t know what kind of medical waste was in the city water supply, I don’t know where the tetrapaks came from, etc and so forth. On the other hand I love a good frozen pizza when I’ve been moving manure all day for the garden compost 2 years from now.
We all live in complexity, maybe. I certainly do.