LAUREL — A Laurel goat farmer is touting raw milk amid spoilage problems with commercially produced milk this past week.
Those problems, which were first reported by MTN News, showed milk expiring before its expiration date on numerous occasions, which forced the launch of a statewide investigation.
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At Cole Canyon Farms in Laurel, Morgan Cole and her family breed and milk their goats, then sell the raw, unpasteurized milk straight to consumers. For Morgan and her husband Andy Cole, raw milk is part of daily life.
"Yeah, so we've been doing raw goat milk for about two years," Morgan said. "I love drinking the raw milk because there's nothing better than knowing where your product comes from."
Both said there's comfort in consuming milk they monitor from start to finish.
"It's just like where we get our meat. I would much rather know where it came from and what went into it," Andy said. "I actually think I lose weight when I drink the goat milk."
Following recent problems involving store-bought milk, which centered around the Meadow Gold plant in Billings, small dairies across the region are seeing more interest in raw milk products. Morgan says her family was not worried about those problems because they know exactly how their own product is handled.
"I mean we know exactly what time it was milked, how it was handled. There's no questions about any of it," Morgan said.
But food safety experts warn that raw milk carries real risks. Washington state attorney and food safety expert Bill Marler has represented families across the country who have gotten sick from drinking raw milk. He argues the risks outweigh the benefits.
"Just because you think it might be a good idea doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be a good idea," Marler said. "Making that change to raw milk because you think there's been a glitch in the production system of pasteurized milk, it's just not a good reason to do it."
Marler says pasteurization remains the safest and most reliable way to protect consumers from harmful bacteria.
"If it's a little kid or a pregnant woman or an elderly person, you know, raw milk is just not worth the risk," Marler said.
The Coles acknowledge the risks but said cleanliness, sanitation, and transparency are what keep their product safe and that it's important for customers to ask questions before purchasing and consuming raw milk.
"Yeah, there is a risk with it, but it really all comes down to how you're handling the raw milk," Morgan said. "When you're buying as a customer, these are things you should be asking."
