Farm Fresh

Every summer we head up to Pinetop, AZ for a week or two.  We escape the heat, spend time with family, and enjoy the beautiful country.  After doing some research I found Sunrise Dairy, a farm in nearby Taylor, AZ, that sells Raw Milk.  My dad and I grabbed a cooler, got the kids in the car, and drove on down to the farm.  It is very important for me to raise my children with an understanding of where the food that we eat comes from.  I thought that this would be lots of fun for them.  When we rolled up, we were greeted by a very friendly gentleman who informed us that the cows were being milked right that very minute!  He invited us back to take a look.  I was thrilled.  Since I was buying their Raw Milk, I had lots of questions and actually seeing the milking process would answer a lot of them.




There were about 5 cows all at milking stations, happily eating treats while they were milked.  I wish I had taken a picture of B.  He had each index finger stuck into each of his nostrils.  He did not enjoy the livestock smell.  He said it smelled like the zoo.




As each cow rolled on up to be milked, they were rinsed off and hooked up to the pump.  They are milked twice a day and produce about 5 gallons per day.  In between milking, all of the hoses and pumps are cleaned and sterilized, ready for the next milking.  It was really fun looking around and talking to the farmer.  We were able to see that the milk goes straight from the cow and right into a stainless steel tank where it was immediately chilled.

Our milk was bottled directly from this tank.  The Raw Milk that isn't sold directly to consumers then continues on to pasteurization and bottling.  One important thing to note about this dairy is that their cows are grass-fed!  You can read more about why that is so good for our bodies here.  They distribute primarily to Bashas (and to a few other places I think), so if Raw Milk isn't the choice for you, look for their brand!  Their milk will do your body extra good!

After our milking tour, we were invited to have a look around the farm.  There were a few new calves that we were able to check out, so we went looking!  How sweet is this pink-nosed baby?!

After walking around for a few minutes and saying hi to a few cows, we decided to head back to Pinetop.  Visiting this dairy was so fun for me.  The animals were happy, the area was lush and beautiful, and the farmers were so friendly.  I encourage everyone to get to know their farmer.  Start at your local farmer's market.  Talk to people.  Most likely they are thrilled to talk about their product, so there are no bad questions!  Have fun!