Just so you know up front, I am not a proponent of raw milk. I know the amount of work it takes to keep a cow healthy and clean enough to say, “yes, I trust this milk is safe.” I don’t believe most people would do the “clean room” techniques I require.
I do not want to address the dietary requirements for raw milk to be pure within the udder. There are plenty of articles on that topic. I would like to focus on the requirements for cleanliness outside the udder. Since my background is bio chemistry, I approach this issue from that perspective.
In our barn, we partitioned off two small rooms, each 6′ x 12′: the milking room and the clean room.
A chemist views himself as a part of the “clean room.” If he is not clean, then the room is not clean. Our clean room is cleaner than my kitchen! Boots and outerwear do not enter. Personal cleanliness is a must.
There’s a used dishwasher (center sprayer with top rack removed) that fits everything from the milking process.
This is primarily so that nothing ever sits out to dry and become exposed to dust (which of course would be from the barn). It also assures that all equipment is sanitized without harsh chemicals. We use pure soap (Cal-Ben dishwasher soap) and vinegar to avoid contaminating our milk with detergents filled with phosphates and sulfates.
We have an udder washing procedure. The udder is carefully brushed to remove any particles and hair. Our udder wash bucket system, designed from a trip to the thrift store, helps us have all that we need in one hand.
The udder is washed with warm soapy (pure soap) water and a cloth. If the girl is really dirty, we use those blue “shop ” paper towels first. They hold up great and rinse easily. This is done until the cloth shows no signs of dirt. A rinse is done from the second bucket of warm water with a second cloth. This is followed by an iodine teat dip which is dried off with a clean paper towel after 30 seconds.
That’s just to get the udder clean! Then the floor is swept under the cow and around her feet, removing all clumps of manure and hay. This is followed by the “mud-flaps.” “Mud-flaps” are, believe it or not, old pajama bottoms, cut into leg and tail guards. We tie them on so that nothing can possibly be sucked up from them into the milk.
What comes out of the cow is pure. Is the environment it enters pure?
I was struck one morning by the fact that these procedures are so easy for me to follow and not so easy for my husband. Oh no, that’s not a dig at him! His procedures are good enough and I extend grace. It’s just that they are my procedures that I came up with and that I know produce pure milk samples at the dairy lab. In fact, the girl at the lab said she would have flagged it as a falsified sample if she hadn’t actually spoken to me. It came out looking like a pasteurized sample.
But what had struck me was that God has a bunch of laws and procedures for how to live a good life. He can easily follow them Himself because He came up with them and knows they work. He knows it’s pretty tough for us. That’s why He extends grace through His Son.
Romans 6: 14
“For sin shall not be your master because you are not under law but {because you are} under grace.”
Let’s just say:
sin = rain
you = an ant
being mastered = getting wet
law= a colander
grace = a bowl
Then:
“Rain will not get an ant wet because you put it under a colander, and then take it off; but only if you put it under a bowl. ”
If someone lives under the law, there have to be thousands upon thousands of laws for each and every circumstance. Still sin will get in. If you take away law, it will be even worse, as in the time before Noah’s flood. If someone lives under grace, he recognizes the indebtedness he has to Christ, and the relief, and therefore the joy he has. This in turn causes the person’s heart to be thankful and to work on a friendship with Christ who paid for that debt. In truly working on that friendship, one is bound to find out what pleases Christ Jesus, and desire to do those things. The compulsion is from thankfulness and a desire to love God back. The end result is that the person is no longer mastered by sin, but by thankfulness, love, and desire directed toward Christ. Therefore he is mastered by Christ.
Is the ant under the bowl never going to get wet? Yes, when it crawls out from under the bowl during a storm. But the ant isn’t smart enough to get back under the bowl.
In all children’s picture books, life on the farm is depicted as just that – LIFE on the farm. Fluffy, clean, golden chicks hatch and follow their mothers everywhere. Spotless, brown calves are found at their mothers’ sides, innocently taking a sip of milk when they need it. Pink piglets tumble over each other on fresh, sweet straw to find an available nipple between 4 or 5 other siblings. Geese and ducks wander on immaculate, green lawns, next to crystal clear, blue ponds with cattails growing at the edges. Flowers are blossoming, bees are buzzing, crops are flourishing, and the sun is ALWAYS shining!!
Well, I don’t want to burst your bubble, but that just isn’t reality. Just like the typical Nativity scene with the literal immaculate Mary and not a smidge of manure to be found, these story books do not depict the truth. With animals come manure and flies. Fowl are named just that: fowl, because that is what they do to every path they take and every bit of lawn or concrete they grace! New born chicks and calves are a wonder, that’s true, but they are sticky, weak and frail. They are prone to predation and sickness, at the bottom of the pecking order, and DON’T stay by their mothers’ sides for protection (or within the fence line, for that matter!) Mama cows clean their new-born, soaking wet calves from head to toe, encouraging them all the while to stand up and drink. They eat the placenta to discourage predators, and even lick their young ones’ behinds to encourage nursing and bowel movements. Mothers on a farm will literally die protecting their young, offering their lives in place of their babies.
It was with a mama hen named Bootie, that suffering and sacrifice tipped the scales of “protecting the young.” Bootie had sat for her typical 21 day incubation/starvation period when the first chick, then another and another arrived. She continued to sit on seven more eggs, while training the three how to catch gnats and spiders and drink water out of her mouth. They would climb all over her, peck her eyes, and fight with each other while she patiently sat and emitted instructional tones.
The seven eggs never hatched. The day after we threw them out, I noticed red, blood-filled mites all around that nesting box. I tried a few different organic suggestions to get rid of them, but nothing worked. Bootie had moved herself and her chicks to the roosting bar, but one chick would not follow. Two days later, that chick lay dead and completely desiccated, covered with red mites in the nesting box. The two chicks who remained under Bootie’s wings lived. A good bleach cleaning and dusting with diatomaceous earth finally did get rid of the mites, but it was too late for Bootie. She died shielding her young, while having the blood sucked out of her.
With much life comes much death.
We knew to some extent, that death would be inevitable when we started farming, but we could not fathom all the different ways it would come. Butchering was a given that we could prepare ourselves to face. Barnyard and hen house fights, neighbor dogs, coyotes, fisher cats, mites, a still-born birth, drownings, hawks and even, the hardest one to deal with, old age – were unpredictable, yet guaranteed.
Death is actually the one and only guarantee this life has to offer.
So the question always comes down to, “How can you prepare for death?” God’s charge to Adam in the garden was to have dominion over the animals. You’re in charge. Don’t let them suffer when maimed or infested. Be kind and let them go in peace, not pieces. You can take care of their lives with secure structures, routine door and gate closures and electric fences, but mistakes happen. I’ve listed a few recommendations at the end of this post that might help you guard against them, and deal with death when it comes. Remember that God is still in control and has lessons planned for you through it all.
The tough part of the “preparing for death” question is when it concerns people. While the scientific classification system lumps us in with mammals and primates, God says that we are made in “Our own image.” The “Our” part is meaning the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. No other creature is like that. We are so vastly different from animal and plant life! Our life and death are not so seasonally clocked off , as they are knowledgeably accounted. Do you know where you’ve been, what you’ve done, and to whom you are accountable? Do you know where you will go, who you’ll see, and what will be counted for or against you?
These are important questions to know and ask yourself! They are not even remotely a concern with an animal, are they? A dead animal can be replaced with another, but your life has meaning and purpose. And what is that purpose? Do you know?
The Bible says it is to glorify God. Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
It is what Jesus did. He showed us how, through His life and His death – His sacrificial death on the Cross. While animals paint a beautiful picture of this kind of life and death, they are actually pointing to Christ’s example. They point, but they can never fulfill the whole purpose of His sacrifice. Bootie died so that others might live; so did Christ. Bootie patiently and painfully bore the “bringing forth of new life” and taught it; so did Christ. But Bootie died and was buried, where Christ died, was buried, . . . AND ROSE AGAIN to prove that what He says is true. And He says that He paid the price for your sins – the ones you’re accountable for; the ones you committed all your life against God and man; the ones too numerous to count. The fact is, if you’re honest with yourself, that debt you’re accountable for is pretty lofty! It needs to be taken care of before death, and Jesus, who does not lie, says He paid it. Done. Finished. Death has no sting and you KNOW where you’re going.
So, how can you prepare for death?
For you? It’s actually simple. Get to know Jesus.
For animals? 1. Name them meat products like Sir Loin, Filet Mignon (or Minion), Hot Dog, Weiner, and Meatball. There seem to be an endless supply of meat product names. It helps you keep things in perspective every time you pet that cute little brown calf and utter his name in greeting. 2. Don’t name meat chickens – just don’t bother. They’re too stupid and there’s too much unplanned and planned death linked with them.
3. Spring for the portable electric fences for turkey and meat chickens. 4. Keep calves on a 20 foot rope near the electric fence until they learn to respect it. (We make the rope out of braided baling twine so that it’s light- weight, durable, and easy to replace. We braid two metal clasp hooks onto either end.) Once they demonstrate an understanding, take them for a run on the rope around the fence line every day. As they show that they see the wires and shy away from the corners, they can be set free in the pasture. 5. Lock chickens up BEFORE sundown and let them out AFTER sunup. 6. Double check your work if you have had visitors at your farm. We have lost fowl to predators or had cows get out primarily when we got out of routine due to the distractions of guests. 7. Do not let another chicken farmer enter you barnyard with his/her boots on!!! Diseases and parasites (like mites, especially scaly mites) are easily transmitted that way. 8. Do not introduce a new animal to your herd or flocks without completely checking them for disease or infestation. 9. Invest in a sharp hatchet and a .22 caliber rifle. Practice shooting at point blank range.
Scriptures that inspired this post:
Genesis 1:26 “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over all the creatures that move along the ground.'”
1 Thessalonians 5:16 Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Peter 1:21 “Through Him (Jesus) you believe in God, Who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him, and so your faith and hope are in God.”
Romans 1:21 “For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
1 John 2:12 “I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of His name.”
John 17:4 “I have brought You glory on earth by finishing the work You gave me to do”
2 Thessalonians 1:11-12 “. . . we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of His calling, and that by His power He may fulfill every purpose of yours and every act prompted by faith. We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you and you in Him . . .”
Matthew 5:16 ” . . . let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Ten years ago, there wasn’t a homestead. There wasn’t even a thought of homesteading, animals, garden, or self-sufficient farming. To make a long story VERY short, I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease fourteen years ago. For various reasons we put both our sons on my gluten free diet within the next two years, and my husband graciously allowed me to do the same with him. We found, in those two years, however, that it wasn’t just gluten. It was the American diet that was the real problem.
I remember an Italian woman, years ago in a grocery store, complaining about “stupid Americans.” She was moving from item to item in the produce section, sampling every seemingly sample-able fruit and vegetable and spitting them out! When our eyes met, she seethingly exclaimed amidst voluminous hand gestured, “You don’t even know what food is! This (she picked up a grape and threw it on the floor) is NOT food!” At the time I only thought, “So why don’t you just go home?” Instead, I said nothing and tucked it away in the folds of my mind, somehow not able to forget it.
My sister decided to move to Italy some years later. She found that she could eat all kinds of foods that, here in the U.S. she had not been able to tolerate. She also ranted and raved about how great everything tasted. Again I didn’t think much about it and chalked it up to her happiness with being out of the corporate pressure pot.
The following Spring, a neighbor brought over some tomato, carrot, and cucumber excess from her garden as a kind of “welcome to the area.” I can still remember our astonishment upon eating that first tomato! It was vibrant with flavor and so pleasing in texture. I had several flashbacks at once; one of being in my Italian Grandmother’s kitchen, and another of that Italian woman in the grocery store.
Could it be that we really didn’t know what food was? Could our food really not be food at all?!?!
The final tumbler had fallen into place. As our health problems had escalated from graves disease, miscarriages, constant sinus and gut issues, eczema, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, Celiac, then finally to developmental problems in our second son, we turned over the card of “raising your own food.”
God was very gracious and only gave us a bit at a time. When I counsel people now, it’s very difficult to not dump the whole load on them at once. Eat the elephant one bite at a time. Our first step was to go gluten free along with most additives. Dairy was another struggle, but I could not fathom a life without it. So . . . we stupidly bought a cow!
It wasn’t quite that rash a decision. A year or two of continued digestive problems even after going G-Free, much research about the factory-dairy farm, and finally the viewing of the film “Fresh”, pushed us to the point of no return. One of our farmer friends was struggling financially, and was going to send some of his dairy cows to auction. We offered to buy one for his desired value so long as he taught us how to take care of her. Six months later, the farmer had to move and we walked home with a cow we knew very little about!
We were not farmers. We were not knowledgeable. We did a lot of reading and asked everybody questions. But mostly we had the Lord and His strength, courage, and guidance. Ten years have passed and we now raise all our own beef, pork, chicken, turkey, eggs, vegetables, berries, hay, bees, maple syrup, and some small fruit trees. We drink our own milk and process everything dairy. We go to the store to buy organic fruit, juices, and nuts, and order our G-Free flours on line.
It can be done, but I’ll warn you, the learning curve is more like climbing a rope! Take it slow and steady. DON’T buy 100 chickens because there are 52 weeks in the year! Pray about the next step and WAIT for God’s reply. You are NOT going to save money on food! You should spend A LOT of money on real food. It’s what your body, your earthly tent, needs to properly function, fight, grow strong, and repair. We no longer go to the doctor or pharmacy. We don’t spend hours a day in the bathroom. Rheumatoid and joint problems are gone. Our son is a highly functioning teen with only hints of his autism.
Remember that this world is not our home any more than it was Christ’s. Our real home is in Heaven with our Father, whose Son is preparing for us a place. Like the Italian woman who was apparently stuck here in America, we long to be home. Just like Abraham and Moses, we are aliens in a strange land.
Jesus said that eternal life is knowing God. So our eternal home can begin here on earth – one bite at a time, one step at a time, prayerfully consulting the Father for direction. I am certain that Italian woman either died here miserable or started raising her own food. Just like her, we can’t go home,but the Kingdom of God can be cultivated here spiritually. To some extent, it can even be cultivated physically.
Scriptures that inspired this post:
John 18:36 “Jesus said, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now My kingdom is from another place.'”
John 14:2 “In My Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.”
2 Corinthians 5:4 “For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed, but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.”
Hebrews 11:9 “By faith, he (Abraham) made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise.”
Exodus 18:3-4 “…one son (he) named Gershom, for Moses said, ‘I have become an alien in a foreign land,’ and the other was named Eliezer, for he said, ‘My father’s God was my helper; He saved me from the sword of Pharoah.'”
John 17:3 “Now this is eternal life; that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.”
Luke 17:20-21 “The Kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the Kingdom of God is within you.”
Proverbs 16:9 “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”
Psalm 105:4 “Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always.”
We tie them on so that nothing can possibly be sucked up from them into the milk.
