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After working as a veterinarian for several years in Texas, Mark Lopez moved
back to Pennsylvania last fall to be close to his family in Berks County while
opening a raw milk dairy in Yellow House.In April, Lopez's Ayrshire cows arrived
at the family farm, and the course of milking began. The land hadn't been used
for farming purposes in 10 years. He later named the business Wholesome Dairy
Farms.

Lopez grew up on this farm drinking raw milk. Unlike the processed milk commonly
for sale in chain grocery stores, raw milk from grass-fed cows, as its name
indicates, is neither pasteurized nor homogenized.

Although research on the health benefits of raw milk is limited, evidence is
available that suggests its higher concentrations of conjugated linoleic acids
(CLAs) are anti-carcinogenic, Lopez said.

"It's kind of a wonder nutrient," Lopez said. "It's intriguing how this set of
fatty acids is beneficial to the diet."

Lopez explained that CLAs are known to have reduced the size of cancerous
tumors.

Back in Texas, Lopez served as a formal practitioner for dairy cows. As a
result, he said that he has a well-rounded background in caring for the farm
animals.

He graduated from University of Pennsylvania in 2003 as a doctor of veterinary
medicine.

Lopez rents 50 out of 200 acres from his uncle in order to leave plenty of
grazing room for his 40 cows and 11 calves.

"They're such good grazers," Lopez said about his cows, which are a Scottish
breed known for their higher cheese yield.

The cows are milked twice a day, one at a time, using four machines which are
attached to a hose linking to the milk pipeline, which then leads into a 600
gallon stainless steel tank refrigerator, Lopez said.

When the raw milk cools down to 36 degrees Fahrenheit, it is filled into jugs
and ready to sell in the milk house, Lopez said.

"An independent lab picks up the raw milk twice a month to test for bacteria,"
Lopez said.

These tests are required by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Lopez
must have his cows' health tested annually.

Human consumption of raw milk is not generally accepted by the national health
community and is only legal in a handful of states which put heavy regulation on
its production.

But according to the charity-based research organization, the Weston A. Price
Foundation, responsibly handled raw milk is safe and in fact more nutrient-dense
than pasteurized milk.

"Raw milk contains multiple, natural redundant systems of bioactive components
that can reduce or eliminate populations of pathogenic bacteria," according to
the Weston A. Price Foundation in an August updated PowerPoint presentation
titled "Raw Milk and Raw Milk Products, Safety, Health, Economic and Legal
Issues."

"Claims that raw milk is unsafe are based on 40-year-old science. Milk's
anti-microbial properties have been detailed only recently," according to the
foundation, "but the destruction of protective properties was recognized as
early as 1938 in studies showing that raw milk did not support the growth of a
wide range of pathogens."

The higher bacteria content is in milk, the shorter its shelf life, Lopez said.
Thus, bacteria determine the length of shelf life.

Lopez said the raw milk he sells is generally well below the maximum levels
allowed by the state.

With the rising cost of milk in supermarkets, raw milk available at Wholesome
Dairy Farms is comparatively priced per gallon.

Raw milk from his cows still has lactose in generally the same proportion as
commercially produced milk, he said.

Customers who claim to have intolerance to lactose frequently tell Lopez they
are able to drink raw milk from his cows with no difficulty, while ordinary
store-bought milk makes them sick.

He said this peculiar but positive notion is a good thing for the dairy
industry.

Lopez said that he is happy to speak in science classrooms or to host
educational field trips to the farm.

In fact, Lopez has given guided tours to several sets of students of varying age
groups already this year.

While living in Texas, Lopez drank store-bought milk. Once back in Pennsylvania,
he tried a glass of raw milk and reminisced about the easily accessible beverage
of his childhood.

"It was a flavor explosion in my mouth," Lopez said. "This is what milk is
supposed to taste like."

Lopez's family helps him in tending to the cows and selling the raw milk. Also
for purchase is raw milk cheese from a dairy in Telford. Lopez said he is
experimenting with the cheese-making process and plans to eventually start
making cheddar and gouda.

Hours of operation for the milk store are Tuesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5:30
p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wholesome Dairy Farms is located at 136
Camp Road off of Route 562 just before Yellow House.

Douglassville Pennsylvania










-----Original Message-----
From: Pumpkin Lady <pumpkingal@...>
To: raw_goatmilk@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wed, 3 Dec 2008 9:13 pm
Subject: Re: [raw_goatmilk] Raw milk news story-






bob taby wrote:
> the link dosent work...

It worked earlier...but I'm not sure what's going on with it
now. You did have to cut and paste the WHOLE link into a
browser, but that appears to not be working now.

http://preview.tinyurl.com/5unr2x

may give better results, but if it doesn't and anyone wants
to look at it go to :

http://www.berksmontnews.com/WebApp/appmanager/JRC/Weekly

(or www.berksmontnews.com)

and look under "life"

Morgan





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