The Mindful Meat Eater

Marc Duivenvoorden of Duivenvoorden Farms has been selling raw milk for over twenty year in Cottonwood, California. In all their years, they’ve never had a single pathogen show up. Raising cows the way God intended.

The microphone had some difficulties so audio quality is not what I hoped it would be. Apologies in advance. Enjoy!

If you want some more reading, here’s a link to Part One of my essay, Raw Milk Ryan, where I break down raw milk and try to paint a clear picture of a muddled topic.

Some key takeaways from my interview with Marc:

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

“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”

Thank you for reading and watching. It means a lot!

and special thanks to Marc Duivenvoorden and his family for their generosity and kindness. They are doing the Lord’s work, and all of us are better off because of their hard work. Thanks again.