Introducing the Raw Milk Institute

Michael Schmidt and Mark McAfee at Wise Traditions 2011

The Raw Milk Institute, RAWMI for short, is an organization born out of a need to advocate for raw milk.  Their mission is to expand raw milk access  by working with farmers, consumers and regulators, and by providing legislative oversight. The time is ripe for such an organization, as savvy consumers are appreciating the health benefits of clean, fresh, grassfed raw milk and the demand for such a nutrient dense food is rising. There is a raw milk revolution going on and the time is now.

As we move towards farm to consumer direct sales and buyer’s clubs, there has to be a rational and realistic safety standard that consumers may rely upon that are also farm friendly. RAWMI was created to add third party certification (with actual bacterial counts posted) from farms providing raw milk. I don’t know about you , but as a raw milk drinker, that makes me feel much more secure about the purity of the product.

In days past, the American Association of Medical Milk Commissions, created in the late 1800′s, would certify clean raw milk. After the early 1900′s it went the way of the dinosaurs as pasteurization became widespread. The early “distillery” dairies were pumping out filthy, poor quality “swill” milk that was making people sick. The cows were fed left over “slop” from making beer and spirits and they never saw the light of day. That raw milk needed to be pasteurized.

We have the equivalent situation today in the CAFO dairies. The cows are fed GM grains riddled with pesticides as well as other refuse like bakery waste and citrus cake. Many of these cows are given rBGH in order to increase milk production. These cows live less than one quarter their normal lifespan. This milk was made with the intention to pasteurize because it is unclean, processed, sterilized, immune-depressing, and highly allergenic.

The raw milk in current demand is milk from grassfed cows that have 100% access to pasture. This raw milk is full of nutrients, immune factors and enzymes that make it a superfood. This raw milk is easily digested and may be tolerated by many people who cannot tolerate the toxic and adulterated cow’s milk found in grocery stores.

It has been clearly demonstrated that when proper care and conditions are used and when standards and testing are implemented, raw milk can be extremely safe.

According to the mission statement of the raw Milk Institute:

The Raw Milk Institute is the voice of responsible leadership for the growing raw milk market. We mentor farmers in the production of safe, raw milk, educate consumers about the benefits of this living, healthy, nutrient-dense food and we promote universal consumer access to raw milk through scientific research and legislative oversight.

Here’s the good news! You can join for FREE! Join here.

However, if you make a donation you can become a member.

RAWMI has an immediate financial need. RAWMI’s daily operations and start-up costs have been covered by its founder, Mark McAfee of Organic Pastures Dairy Conpany. When Mark returned home from the Weston A. Price conference this year, he was met with a recall and has been shut down for nearly a month. This puts RAWMI in financial crisis.

Become a member here by making a small donation.

How do you like your milk? Please leave a comment and let me know!

Resources:

Raw Milk Institute

A Campaign for Real Milk

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Tagged as: raw milk, unpasteurized milk