The Cow Goes Moo

You never know where the next assignment will take me. My latest adventure took me to rural South Carolina last week to visit a farm definitely off the beat and path (country people tell me this is usually where the farms are). It was a rainy morning as I drove down South 85 and exited somewhere close to Clemson and then promptly got lost thanks to Google Maps. However, some quick phone calls to the farmer, L.D. Peeler, and I soon passed over the bridge he mentioned and passed the sheep that were so cute munching on their morning meal, and turned into the driveway of Milky Way Farms.

I was here to learn about the Peeler's dairy operation, specifically since they are one of the up and coming producers of raw milk. They call it "the way nature intended," and yes, that means unpasteurized. In case you think this is for daredevils, please understand a movement is afoot. Milk Way's raw milk sales have doubled since January of 2008, and websites such as RawMilk.org are getting the word out.

But I was here to see the milking, and before I knew it, 12 Jersey cows were ushered in and large suctions applied to their udders. The whole thing was very scientific, with a sanitizer before, lots of clean stainless steel pipes and a generally efficient operation. They need to be, milking 550 gal/day!

But it was the cows that were the main attraction.

These big girls are a smaller cow breed, but you still can't ignore the size. They spend most of their lives out in the pasture, but when it's time to milk, they know, and they just start lining up outside the barn. Since the milking floor is below the stalls for the cows, I was at eye level with one girl with a dripping nose just sniffing away to check me out. She didn't want petting, though, shying away, and frankly, I didn't want to push the issue.

With a cooler full of milk, I navigated myself once again across the state line and back to city life. I don't think I'll be getting cows anytime soon, but maybe I convince my dogs that they need a goat to play with! Anyone for feta cheese?