In 1979, Jeff Lewis’s father started dairy farming in the scenic Bitterroot Valley in
southwestern Montana. Today the business milks 260 cows three times a day. He
tells me his milk gets tested “every time a truck comes to pick it up.”
Lewis opposed HB 574 during Montana’s 2013 legislative session.
The bill aimed to allow small farmers in Montana to sell unpasteurized milk, also
known as raw milk, with minimal regulation. He appreciates the present rules and
costs that govern his Grade A operation, and would be wary of lighter bylaws.
For Lewis, the issue has nothing to do with size. Montana
has no corporate mega dairy farms, he notes, adding that the biggest has 600
cows. Then again, he knows one farmer with fewer than 20 cows that have
produced certified organic milk for years at a sizable profit of $2 per
gallon. The issue for Lewis is to start easing parameters on “the guys who have
Grade A dairies.” If that goes well, maybe the state could consider other
options later.
Jennifer Holmes is another Montana dairy farmer. She tells
me she supported HB 574, saying the bill looked like a “successful” program in
Idaho. She resisted excessive deregulation, but wanted folks to have the
freedom to make their own food choices.
Holmes interrupts a few times to tell someone something
about “bottles” and “greenhouses.” She eventually states that safe milking
involves cooling fresh milk from 100 degrees to 30 degrees in one hour. This
takes special equipment that hobby seekers may lack.
Both Lewis and Holmes recognize the risks of unpasteurized milk –
then move on. They like raw milk and hope to see it sell in Montana, provided
it is done wisely.
HB 574 was defeated in April 2013.
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(Originally published by Yahoo! Voices.)
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