Ask SAM: State adopts innovative way to sell raw milk

This column is provided by Larimer County Extension's Small Acreage Management (SAM) Program to assist rural residents.

Dear SAM,

I've been selling eggs from my hens and am considering adding a milk cow to my collection of animals. I won't be able to pasteurize the milk. Can I sell the raw milk?

JoAnne

Dear JoAnne,

Your idea is possible. But you won't be selling the milk. You'll be selling the cow.

Colorado Grade A Pasteurized Milk and Fluid Milk Product Regulations prohibit the sale of raw milk. But the Colorado Legislature recently wrote a loophole.

Legislation passed in April allows people to buy a share of a cow and then receive raw milk from the cow. If your cow produces enough milk for four families, each family can buy a fourth of the cow. You agree to care for the cow and provide the milk.

To start the process, you need to register your farm with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. While CDPHE handles the registration, it does not endorse or approve raw milk sales.

A written contractual agreement between you and the shareowner is required. The contract must include a bill of sale and a boarding contract.

You must provide shareowners with information regarding animal health standards and the results of any tests performed on the animals or the milk.

You must clearly label all milk containers or provide a warning statement to the consumer stating that the milk is not pasteurized. The milk may only be received by a person who is a shareowner. Raw milk cannot be sold at farmers' markets or other outlets. The cow shareowner cannot resell the milk.

While this might sound like a lot of legal paperwork, the documents could protect you if someone drinking the raw milk becomes ill.

These same regulations apply to raw goat milk.

Colorado's largest raw milk dairy is Guidestone Farm, operated by David Lynch in Masonville. Customers drive from as far away as Denver to pick up milk each week.

Anyone considering adding raw milk to their diet is encouraged to investigate potential health risks involved. Risks are of greatest concern for pregnant women, young children, elderly and people with compromised immune systems.

SAM

Have a question about rural living? Write to Ask SAM, Larimer County Cooperative Extension, P.O. Box 543, Fort Collins, CO 80522.