WILLIAMSBURG — A growing number of central Pennsylvania farms have begun bottling and selling raw milk in the past five years, and local farmers say the product is often more profitable and tastes better to consumers.
Although the trend seems to be newer for most producers, the Rice family, owners and operators of Clover Creek Cheese Cellar, have been in the game since the early ’90s.
Located outside of Williamsburg, visitors wishing to purchase raw milk, artisan farmhouse cheeses, or join a cheese tour will need to turn off Clover Creek Road, take a tree-lined gravel driveway, and cross a small bridge to reach the Clover Creek Farm Store. During the short ride, visitors may be greeted by the year’s calves in a pasture on the right or by Isaiah, the farm’s unofficial mascot, lounging in the shade.
Clover Creek has sold about 1,600 gallons of raw milk and produced about 10,000 pounds of raw milk cheese since the beginning of this year, according to Anthony Rice, a second-generation cheesemaker and farmer.
In Pennsylvania, raw milk producers are allowed to sell their milk in retail stores, but they must have a mechanical bottling system. Consumers can also bring their own containers for on-farm purchases.
The state Department of Health defines raw milk as “milk that has not undergone pasteurization to kill harmful germs, especially bacteria, or dairy products made from raw milk.” It also states that during pasteurization, raw milk is briefly heated to 161 degrees F for 15 to 20 seconds and then quickly cooled, destroying “99.999% of all harmful bacteria that can contaminate raw milk.”
While the PA DOH writes that “the benefits of pasteurization far outweigh any possible nutritional harm,” local farmers generally disagree.
At Clover Creek and Ferme Hameau de Belleville, many steps are taken to ensure that their raw milk is as safe as possible to consume.
Rice said this involves keeping a closed herd, meaning they don’t buy cows, which reduces the risk of diseases that can spread from one cow to another. This is particularly important when it comes to avian flu, which has affected livestock in nine states this year.
“All of the infected cows came from a farm in Texas,” Rice said. “The last time we bought cows from outside was in 2000 or 2003.”
Audrey Gay Rodgers of Hameau Farm said “additional testing is required as part of the permit process – daily antibiotic testing, milk and water are regularly tested for bacteria and pathogens. pathogens”.
For Clover Creek artisan cheeses, all cheese must be aged for at least 60 days because at that point they will be able to tell if the cheese is not good, Rice said. The first two batches of cheese should also be tested. The Cellar’s most mature cheese wheel has been there since 2014.
However, Clover Creek’s sales have fallen from last year, when the company sold about 2,600 gallons of raw milk in May. Rice attributes the change in part to rising prices. While a gallon of Clover Creek’s raw milk cost $7 last year, it was raised to $9 in 2024 to address operational costs.
Rice says being able to set their own prices and not having to purchase expensive equipment such as a pasteurizer has prompted more farmers to start selling their own raw milk.
“We moved to completely pasture-based agriculture in the early ’90s,” Rice said. “We didn’t have to go to the expense of buying a pasteurizer. So we don’t pasteurize anything. We can market and sell everything without pasteurizing anything. »
Mark Fisher, of Fisher’s Country Store in Bedford, said smaller dairies achieve better sales with raw milk.
“They need to put a good system in place and make sure the inspectors are happy with it,” Mr Fisher said. “It’s much cheaper for farms to sell raw milk than to try to start their own dairy.” »
Rice echoed that, saying it was a way for farmers to “make direct sales and run a profitable farm.”
“The dairy co-op is no longer making money on these types of products,” Rice said. “With raw milk, processing costs are lower and you can set your own prices. For the dairy cooperative, it sets the price and the farmer must accept it. »
Hameau Farm began selling raw milk in 2019 when it got its license from the state Department of Agriculture, Rodgers said.
In deciding to obtain the license, Jessica Matthews, a pasture dairy apprentice at Hameau, learned that on average, “it costs farmers about $18.73 to produce 100 pounds (or about 11.5 gallons) of milk” while they “only receive about $15.21 when they sell that same amount of milk.”
Matthews wrote in an article for the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture that “the numbers made sense” with raw milk.
“We could sell just three gallons of raw milk directly to consumers for five dollars a gallon and get about the same price for what we sell 11.6 gallons of milk to the co-op for,” Matthews wrote.
Fisher said local stores are learning that if a farm has been certified, has its licenses and has been inspected, they can distribute the farm’s raw milk.
The Country Store has been selling raw milk since 2019, when its supplier, Curvin Rissler of New Enterprise, got his licenses and certifications to sell the product. Fisher said they used to pick up their orders, but now the demand is so high that Rissler’s delivery truck has to make two trips to distribute his products throughout the county.
From Jan. 1 to June 27, 2023, Fisher sold approximately 2,547 gallons or half-gallons of raw milk. During the same period in 2024, that figure increased to 3,519, Fisher wrote in an email.
“This equates to an increase of 972 units, or 38%,” Fisher wrote. “In dollar terms, sales increased 39%. We began selling raw milk in June 2019. Since then, we have sold 20,588 units of raw milk.
Distribution is also important, with demand in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, where Rice says most of the winery’s cheeses end up arriving. They also have distributors in Claysburg, Gettysburg, Harrisburg and even Chicago.
Rice said he will meet with people at drop-off sites in Altoona, Tyrone, Bellwood and East Freedom while attending farmers markets in State College.
“In Philadelphia, there’s a pizza place that spins eight or nine wheels a week,” Rice said. “We move a lot of cheese.”
This demonstrates another factor behind the growing popularity of raw milk and dairy products in the region: many people claim that it tastes better than its pasteurized counterparts.
“The main reason I think you should drink raw milk is because it tastes good,” Fisher said. “It has a lot more cream, it’s a lot creamier than homogenized milk. Many people like it plain for its taste. »
According to Rice, most pasteurized milk is standardized, with dairies removing the cream from other products, reducing its fat content to 3.5 percent for whole milk.
The desire for a richer product comes with more consumers wanting to know exactly where their food comes from, Rodgers said.
“I believe raw milk is a premium product and I wanted the opportunity to sell it to the community at large,” Rodgers said.
Rice agreed, saying “most dairy safety problems” are caused by improper handling of milk after pasteurization.
“I know there are safety concerns, but I’d rather they trust their local farmer than where they’re getting it at the local store,” Rice said.
Mirror editor Rachel Foor is available at 814-946-7458.
