The Mindful Meat Eater

Marc Duivenvoorden has been selling raw milk for over twenty years his Duivenvoorden Farms in Cottonwood, California, without a single pathogen report. Raising cows the way God intended.

All dairies produce Raw Milk- but not all Raw Milk is the same.

We spent a few hours talking about everything from Food and Farming to Philosophy and everything in-between.

Some key takeaways:

“Pasteurization is an excuse to do a sloppy job”

“We are a Grade A dairy inspected by the state. There’s only a handful of us doing it. With Raw Milk, you’ve got to set your standards higher: From taking care of the cows, to keeping them clean and checking them while you’re milking, all the way to the tank to the jug. We get tested by the state, and we have our own testing equipment as well. “

“All the stuff that is going on out in the world today is trying to divide us up and be against each other, but if we just got back to what we share in common, we all gotta eat.”

“Stewardship: are you being a good steward with what God has given you? Not just for yourself, but for people the benefit of others. how are you contributing? What are your intentions? Are you just in it for the money and you don’t care, or are you in it to provide something good according to God’s purpose? When you do THAT, things go the right way. “

“People come up to us and thank us for what we’re doing. And so many farmer’s don’t get to hear that. 

Most farmers don’t ever get words of encouragement. how would that make you feel? It is connected to the suicide rates. You’re breaking your back to do something good, and you never get words of encouragement. “

“To build a better food system for everybody, we have to build back the relationship between people who are buying the food and the farmers themselves. it is a great opportunity for small farms to come back. Build back the relationship and show people that we do care. and we want you to enjoy what you’re getting”

Here’s a link to Part One of my Milk Essay, Raw Milk Ryan

Video is linked below. The microphone had some difficulties so audio is not ideal. Apologies in advance. Enjoy!