Looking for Raw Milk in the Pittsburgh area

[Mel Altenderfer]

I am about to enter the great and wonderful world of cheesemaking-- provided I can locate a purveyor of raw milk in the Pittsburgh area. I know some farms are licensed to sell it as "pet food" (which wouldn' tbe a lie-- my greyhounds will happily eat all failed cheesemaking experiments). All suggestions are welcome.

Please excuse my bad typing in the thread title.

Edited May 10, 2006 by Mel Altenderfer (log)

[MarketStEl]

I am about to enter the great and wonderful world of cheesemaking-- provided I can locate a purveyor of raw milk in the Pittsburgh area. I know some farms are licensed to sell it as "pet food" (which wouldn' tbe a lie-- my greyhounds will happily eat all failed cheesemaking experiments). All suggestions are welcome.

Please excuse my bad typing in the thread title.

←

Pet food?

I don't understand why these farms have to resort to any subterfuge to sell raw milk to consumers in Pennsylvania, for this state has very few restrictions on the sale of raw milk.

Farmers and retail stores in the Commonwealth may sell raw milk to consumers. All farmers who produce raw milk for retail sale must have a permit from the state and regularly test their herds and milk for contamination and disease. Those who produce milk for sale to retail stores (which may resell it without a permit) must have their own bottling and labeling operations. (Wawa Inc. had just such a setup for decades and delivered "certified milk" throughout the region and down at the Jersey Shore. I believe the company has long since ceased to sell raw milk.)

Raw milk cheese may also be sold by any licensed dairy in the state and resold anywhere else in the state, but no other raw milk products are legal for sale because the state has not developed standards of identity for them.

Here is a list of dairy farms in the state that sell raw milk and raw milk cheese.

[Mel Altenderfer]

I am about to enter the great and wonderful world of cheesemaking-- provided I can locate a purveyor of raw milk in the Pittsburgh area. I know some farms are licensed to sell it as "pet food" (which wouldn' tbe a lie-- my greyhounds will happily eat all failed cheesemaking experiments). All suggestions are welcome.

Please excuse my bad typing in the thread title.

←

Pet food?

I don't understand why these farms have to resort to any subterfuge to sell raw milk to consumers in Pennsylvania, for this state has very few restrictions on the sale of raw milk.

Farmers and retail stores in the Commonwealth may sell raw milk to consumers. All farmers who produce raw milk for retail sale must have a permit from the state and regularly test their herds and milk for contamination and disease. Those who produce milk for sale to retail stores (which may resell it without a permit) must have their own bottling and labeling operations. (Wawa Inc. had just such a setup for decades and delivered "certified milk" throughout the region and down at the Jersey Shore. I believe the company has long since ceased to sell raw milk.)

Raw milk cheese may also be sold by any licensed dairy in the state and resold anywhere else in the state, but no other raw milk products are legal for sale because the state has not developed standards of identity for them.

Here is a list of dairy farms in the state that sell raw milk and raw milk cheese.

←

Actually, the "pet food" reference comes directly from that website you posted. I have tried to contact the farms on that list with no success.

[MarketStEl]

Actually, the "pet food" reference comes directly from that website you posted. I have tried to contact the farms on that list with no success.

←

Saw what you were talking about. Maybe the fellow couldn't afford the tests required for the permit you need to sell raw milk for human consumption, for the only other listing in Allegheny County was discouraging:

Allegheny County: Frank White Farm, 659 Magnolia Lane, Monongahela PA 15063, Five miles south of Elizabeth PA. Frank has chosen to let his permit to sell raw cows milk expire on 05/01/2006 due to insufficient sales to pay for the testing required to maintain the permit.

However he is entertaining the possibility of investing in a bottling facility so he can deliver bottled raw milk to health oriented stores. Anyone interested in selling raw cow's

milk in their store can call (724) 258-6564 to let Frank know if a market exists for raw cows milk in the Western Pennsylvania area.

The farms that produce raw milk around Philadelphia all seem to be doing well, especially Trent and Rachel Hendricks' operation in Telford. In their case, it may be because they sell raw milk cheese and organic meat as well.

[KatieLoeb]

Please excuse my bad typing in the thread title.

Mel:

I fixed that for you.

[Mel Altenderfer]

Actually, the "pet food" reference comes directly from that website you posted. I have tried to contact the farms on that list with no success.

←

Saw what you were talking about. Maybe the fellow couldn't afford the tests required for the permit you need to sell raw milk for human consumption, for the only other listing in Allegheny County was discouraging:

Allegheny County: Frank White Farm, 659 Magnolia Lane, Monongahela PA 15063, Five miles south of Elizabeth PA. Frank has chosen to let his permit to sell raw cows milk expire on 05/01/2006 due to insufficient sales to pay for the testing required to maintain the permit.

However he is entertaining the possibility of investing in a bottling facility so he can deliver bottled raw milk to health oriented stores. Anyone interested in selling raw cow's

milk in their store can call (724) 258-6564 to let Frank know if a market exists for raw cows milk in the Western Pennsylvania area.

The farms that produce raw milk around Philadelphia all seem to be doing well, especially Trent and Rachel Hendricks' operation in Telford. In their case, it may be because they sell raw milk cheese and organic meat as well.

←

Yes. We here in Pittsburgh are pretty used to being considered Philly's inbred country cousin.

Edited May 12, 2006 by Mel Altenderfer (log)

[cdh]

Well, Pbgh is reasonably close to Maryland, Ohio and West Virginia... are there no sources of raw milk reasonably close to the borders? Us easterners had all sorts of reasons to cross state lines for fine liquid consumables until recently... maybe your hunt for raw materials will have to follow the same route.

[klingedp]

"New Castle: Dean Farms-Pasture Maid Creamery, 571 Cow Path Lane, 16101. Whole raw milk from a CERTIFIED RAW DAIRY; mostly grass-fed Holstein with some Jersey. Hours: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday 4-7pm; bring your own container. Questions? Contact Adam Dean at (724) 944-7894 or adean571@yahoo.com"

New Castle, PA is not a horrible drive from Pittsburgh. Did you try contacting this dairy as well?

Dawn