Some of the very cows whose milk we drink!
I have several local sources where I buy milk from and recently asked one of them a few questions about how the cows are raised and what came of the male cows who are not milk-producing. His answer was very thorough. Do you have a local source where you can talk to the farmer or creamery to find out where your milk comes from?
Here was his response, along with a video he provided about Raw Milk:
“Rachel,
Thanks for the inquiry into our milk. I will try to answer your questions in the order you asked them, First the difference between our organic and natural milk is minimal but in the conventional marketplace unfortunately “Natural” has been used to describe almost anything that doesn’t contain toxic ingredients. 
In Trickling Springs case “Natural” Farmers are held to the same standards as “Organic” farmers with one exception. If a cow is sick the farmer is allowed to give her antibiotics to assist her in getting better, this is used in rare cases and the cow is then pulled for a period of time till the antibiotics are well past her system. The biggest benefit you have with organic milk is the certification that the farm is being run with organic standards.
Our cows are treated with the utmost care. They are allowed to roam free within their paddock during the grass-growing months of the year and are well taken during the winter, housed in a barn that protects them from the elements. Our main farmer is on a four generational farm and he recently responded to an email where the customer had some questions, here is his words: ” We do not keep our cows confined to the barn. During the grazing season we give the cows aprox 4 acres of fresh green grass and clover every day. Every day we move them forward to another 4 acre section. This allows the grass they were on yesterday to re-grow vigorously since it is also is fertilized by the cows manure during the 24 hrs they were there. As the cows continue their daily move through the pastures, they will come around to the first pasture again after about 20-25 days. By this time the grass has re-grown to maybe 12-18 inches tall and is ready to provide another 24 hr meal for the cows. During the winter we feed the cows extra organic grass that we have stored from the growing season of the summer.”
On your last question, bulls that are born on the farm are currently being raised for beef on the farm they are born.
This farm also markets raw milk on his farm and through us to consumers in Pennsylvania. His farm name is “The Family Cow”, that is why you see that name throughout both sites.
Thanks again for asking & I hope this answers most of your questions,
Joe Miller
Trickling Springs Creamery”
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Such a great question to ask & I didn’t realize we had someone so local (we’re just south of Gettysburg in PA). Thank you for sharing!!!
Oh, you’ll have to search for Trickling Springs at your local market!
Thanks for sharing! We also get fresh milk from a local dairy farm (thankfully some of our friends know how to inspect a dairy farm to make sure it’s clean; I found that task overwhelming to even figure out), and it is soooo good. I love seeing how much our farmer loves her cows, too. They have good lives and produce excellent milk and beef as a result. Isn’t it great to know where your food comes from?