How to Market Farm-Fresh Milk Direct to Consumers

Reader Contribution by Steve Judge
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Milk is food.  I repeat; milk is food, an incredibly delicate food with a flavor as complex as wine. If you decide to sell milk from your farm directly to consumers as a standalone beverage and you want to command a premium price, your milk must stand out. It must taste better and have a longer and more dependable shelf life than its competition, including commodity milk. Flavor and shelf life are directly impacted by how the milk is produced and handled on the dairy farm. The good thing is that you will know good milk as soon as you taste it. Here are my best practices for handling and producing the highest-quality, most delicious milk.

Keep your cows and their housing clean. No excuses. This is not a matter of working harder, it is a matter of working smarter. Sure, there will be occasional manure on the cows’ tails, flanks and feet. But, if your cows have manure built up on their bodies, something is wrong with their housing. You need to take care of it quickly. Manure can get into the milk and negatively impact flavor, making it taste metallic or like cardboard. Obviously, bacteria from unclean equipment or conditions can reduce milk’s shelf life. My advice: Take the time at the outset to set up your cows’ housing properly and they will keep themselves clean. And, don’t use too much chlorine when you clean. It is bad for milk flavor.

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