IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – Susan Young has been growing her goat herd for more than a decade. After Governor Reynolds signed a law in 2023 allowing producers to sell raw milk directly to consumers, she’s been refining her process.
Monday, community members gathered at Lucky Star Farm just outside Iowa City to learn more about raw milk.
The farm partnered with Practical Farmers of Iowa to host a Field Day.
Co-owner of the farm Susan Young said she works diligently to make her product safe.
” As soon as the dairy goat gets up onto the milk stand, I take care to clean her utter very carefully and to make sure there’s no bacteria entering the milk supply,” Young said. “After each goat has visited the milking stand, then I take all the milk, the raw milk back to my processing kitchen, where it is chilled quickly below 40° within the hour.”
But even with precautions, Rob Thul with Johnson County Public Health said there’s always a risk when consuming raw dairy.
”I think the science says that consuming unpasteurized products, milk or dairy products always will leave a chance. As safe as the producer is being in the steps, I think the science says that there could be that potential risk,” he said.
Those risks include contracting things like E.Coli, salmonella, listeria and more.
”I think each person that’s interested in that should do their research. Take the time to understand what the difference of pasteurized and unpasteurized consumption would mean for them so they could make an informed decision,” Thul said.
Young said she does have testing records available for those who may want it.
She added while there’s no textbook way to farm raw milk since she started, she’s been refining her practice.
”I believe that it’s entirely possible for farmers to produce safe, low-risk raw milk,” she said.
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