Outside/In The Raw Milk Question
Mar 25, 2026
Andy Bisson, a Maine dairy farmer who runs both pasteurization and raw milk sales, tours farm operations. Dan Brown, a former small-scale Maine dairy farmer turned local business owner, recounts his high-profile legal fight over raw milk and ongoing advocacy. They discuss why people crave raw milk, taste and nutrient claims, safety practices, legal patchwork, and how social media and celebrity buzz revived interest.
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Why Pasteurization Uses Exact Temperatures And Times
- Pasteurization is a precise heat‑and‑cool process designed to achieve a five‑log reduction of Coxiella burnetii, using 161°F for 15 seconds as a common standard.
- That treatment dramatically cut historic milk‑borne disease rates like tuberculosis and cholera before modern regulation made pasteurization widespread.
Raw Milk Rules Vary State By State
- Raw milk legality in the U.S. is a patchwork: federal law mandates pasteurization for interstate commerce but leaves in‑state sales to states, producing varied rules.
- That patchwork keeps raw production small yet growing, with about 1% of Americans drinking it weekly.
Choose Farms With Routine Testing
- If you choose raw milk, seek farms that perform regular mastitis tests and state lab sampling to monitor cell counts and contamination.
- Andy Bisson describes weekly state samples and on‑farm testing as prerequisites for legal raw sales in Maine.
