Why 145 degrees?-Low Temp Pasteurization

Our family's journey to producing low-temperature pasteurized non-homogenized milk (and selling raw milk on our farm) started out with a very skeptical set of dairy owners, but ended with the resolution to a family joke.  In 2004 when Craig married a milk intolerant wife, he started a family joke that lasted over 6 years.  He married someone that hadn't drank milk in over a decade and moved her to live on the family dairy, and she would soon work on the dairy with the rest of the family.  Yup, that was my claim to fame in the Miller family.  

My milk intolerance manifested itself in severe migraines.  In early 2010, a friend told me I should drink raw milk.  The look on my face was probably priceless.  I remember saying, "uh, I don't think so. We don't drink out of the bulk tank that would be gross."  They preceded to tell me that I needed to drink raw milk because it was highly possible that my milk intolerance wouldn't react.  

That started us on our journey of learning about drinking raw milk and low temperature pasteurized milk.  We quickly learned that dairying for raw milk consumption is drastically different than dairying for commercial sale of milk to the cooperatives.  Through lots of research, we discovered that there is a world out there of milk, which does not limit consumers to only drinking what is on their grocery store shelves.  

And yes, I can now drink low temperature pasteurized milk (or raw) without getting a migraine, but give me something with traditional grocery store milk and I'll have a migraine within 30 minutes of consuming it.

The picture below shows a nifty illustration of how heat effects the milk.  In addition, the video and information found here http://draxe.com/video/pasteurization-homogenization-raw-milk/ is some of the easiest to understand.  We always encourage people to do their own research, but we have seen first hand how the milk that is raw or low temperature pasteurized makes a difference in people's ability to enjoy dairy.  

And the answer to the question of why we pasteurized at 145 degrees, because that is the lowest legal temperature that can be transported and sold in grocery stores in Texas.  

(Raw milk must be purchased at the farm.)