Grassfed milk?

[(m)eat to live]

Since my reintroduction, I've put dairy on my "allowed sometimes" list. Mostly, that's grassfed butter and hard cheese. Now I'm wondering about milk. I don't really drink it often, but sometimes I like to cook with it.

I'm not talking about raw milk where I'd have to buy a cow share. Unfortunately, that's not really an option in my location, and we don't drink enough of it to make it worth it anyway. I'm just wondering if there is a benefit to grassfed milk over regular organic milk, which I assume is grain-finished.

Also, I have no idea if anything like that is even sold in stores - pasturized homogenized grass-fed milk?? I have a Trader Joe's, but no Whole Foods. Does anyone here do milk sometimes? What do you drink?

[Johnny M]

I think it absolutely makes a difference but it is not easy to find. Here in San Francisco our mega co-op store doesn't even have it. There is 1 specialty food store that sells a grass-fed brand and there are a few local brands that sell milk from "pasture raised cows" but that doesn't mean 100% grass-fed. I so rarely use milk, and if I do it's probably a little cream in a sauce, that I don't put too much effort into sourcing the best I can find. Grass-fed raw cream is about $12 a pint.

[Kim]

I believe there is definitely a difference in fats in dairy from grass-fed vs largely grain-fed animals. If you do drink raw milk, there's a definite safety aspect there, too, according to some raw milk producers I know.

Problem is, lactating cows, especially breeds that have high production, have very high feed demands and so it's challenging to graze them 100%. Moreso than to grass-finish a beef. And for winter feeding, dairy-quality hay is quite expensive and so feeding some grain is quite common to cut those costs even among producers who really want to emphasize pasture.

I had thought that Organic Valley was an excellent option for national brands, but I just checked their standards and while it's probably still the best out there, it didn't really excite me. The do have a minimum requirement for grazed pasture, but they do not restrict grain consumption.

I don't drink straight milk, but most of the limited dairy I do consume comes from a nearby Amish farmer who has a 100% grass-fed, raw milk dairy. Of course, his farmer's market stand is right next to mine, so it's actually easier for me than going to the grocery. ;-) Check out eatwild.com and localharvest.com and you might find a nearby producer who is convenient to you.