The Small-Scale Dairy: The Complete Guide to Milk Production for the Home and Market [Paperback]

Includes everything you need to know in order to successfully produce nourishing, healthy, farm-fresh milk!

Whether for home use, direct sale to the consumer, or sale to an artisanal cheesemaker, high-quality raw milk is a delicate, desirable product. Successful and sustainable production requires the producer to consider and tackle many details, ranging from animal care to microbiology to good hygienic practices–and, for those with commercial aspirations, business plans, market savvy, and knowledge of the regulations.

Applicable to keepers of cows, goats, or sheep, The Small-Scale Dairy offers a holistic approach that explores the relationships between careful, conscientious management and the production of safe, healthy, and delicious milk. A historical overview offers readers a balanced perspective on the current regulatory environment in which raw milk lovers find themselves.

Included are options for designing a well-functioning small dairy, choosing equipment, and understanding myriad processes—such as the use of low-temperature pasteurization where raw milk sales are prohibited. Whether you have a one-cow home dairy, a fifty-goat operation, or are simply a curious consumer, The Small-Scale Dairy is an accessible and invaluable resource for achieving your goals.

For both producers and consumers, The Small-Scale Dairy is a must read and a valuable contribution to a growing movement.”
—Sally Fallon Morell, president, The Weston A. Price Foundation, and founder, A Campaign for Real Milk Many an urban or suburban dweller has dreamed about producing milk that comes not from a bottle but from one’s own animal, be it cow, goat, or sheep. Launching such an operation may daunt, but, as Caldwell details, it’s far frl4