Today farms selling raw milk in Vermont held open houses. They invited city and town folk to "hop
from farm to farm and spend the afternoon getting to know the farmers, dairy cows and goats in your community and beyond. Tour the farms, taste the milk, and even purchase a gallon to bring home!"
When they picked Sunday, Oct. 5, for the event, the raw milk dairies probably did not anticipate it would coincide with an E. coli outbreak blamed on their product.
Three people from Orleans County, Vermont are down the E. coli after consuming either raw milk or ice cream made with raw milk, health officials say.
In Vermont, farmers are allowed to sell small quantities of raw milk and raw milk products, but only on the farm. State health officials and the state Agency of Agriculture recommend that raw milk not be consumed.
The suggested donation for Sunday’s open house was $10 per family, and all proceeds went benefit Rural Vermont’s Farm Fresh Milk Campaign. Maybe the Campaign will step up and pay some medical bills! But we bet the milk goes sour long before that happens.