Grass based diet

During the Utah growing season, our cows have access to green pastures, every day, all day. I guess you could say it is one way that our raw milk is, uh-hem, “pasture–ized.” Having access to grass pumps measurable nutrient richness into the milk (yes, we measure the nutrient richness). That’s why we do it. And, the cows like it too. 

Batch testing for pathogens

We love raw milk.  So do pathogens.  So we want to make sure we are doing all we can to make sure our milk is staying as clean and safe as possible. We aren’t required by regulation to test every batch of raw milk for e-coli 0157, salmonella, listeria and campylobacter (some of the nasty bugs), but we do it anyway. We want to know what’s going on with our milk. You’ll find our test results next to the refrigerator door where you purchase our milk.

Batch testing for bacteria

Every batch of our milk is required by regulation to be tested by a third party for coliforms and for total bacteria count. Each batch must meet the same standards of pasteurized milk before it can be sold to customers. We don’t want to brag or bore you with numbers but let us tell you this: Pasteurized and our milk must have a total bacteria count below 20,000 cfu’s. We kind-of like that for the last 13 years of producing raw milk, our total bacteria count averages around 800 cfu’s. You should like that too.

Testing for Tuberculosis

State regulations require that we test each cow, each year, for tuberculosis – a disease transmittable to humans through raw milk. We are up-to-date on our testing and have never found a case of bovine tuberculosis in our dairy herd. We will keep looking for it. 

Licensed milking facility

There are common practices of cleanliness that help ensure food is produced to the highest standards possible. Utah Department of Agriculture and Food (UDAF) has outlined these practices for dairies who produce raw milk for retail consumption. For those dairies that meet the lofty standards, UDAF grants a permit allowing the dairy to sell raw milk. We are happy to be one of the few Utah dairies that has obtained and maintained a current UDAF Raw for Retail permit. We welcome the regular inspections we receive from UDAF – it helps to make sure we are staying on track in producing raw milk to the highest standards possible. 

Food handlers permit

Clean raw milk is some of the healthiest food a person can find. To make sure it is healthy, raw milk needs to be handled correctly.  Regulations require those who are involved with the handling and packaging of raw milk process to complete a food handlers training and pass an exam. At Redmond Heritage Farms we are current on Food Handlers Permits.

Available in stores

Redmond Heritage Farms has 4 locations in Utah where real milk can be purchased. Sugarhouse, Orem, Heber City, and Redmond.  We are doing what we can to get clean real milk closer and more convenient to customers. The milk is flash cooled right after it leaves the cow and  kept at or below 40 degrees until customers pull it from the fridge.