We believe that consumers do care about the quality and environment of origin of their milk (and most of the foods they consume). That’s why we work so hard to ensure the extraordinary quality of our milk. Quality is a measurable commodity and we believe we’re raising the standard of excellence.

The standard somatic cell count (a measure of milk quality) for acceptable milk in Wisconsin is 750,000 cells and under per millileter (the higher the cell count, the lower the quality). The average somatic cell count for dairy producers in Wisconsin is 400,000 per ml. At Blue Marble Family Farm, the standard is 200,000/ml and below, and typically hovers at or below the 100,000/ml mark. In short, that means we’re producing some of the highest quality milk that Wisconsin and the nation has to offer. Further our standards stipulate that the use of synthetic growth hormones (rBGH) and animal by-products is strictly prohibited.

Much of the benefit of our hard work and quality practices is lost, however, when our milk leaves the farm. It is pooled with milk collected from many other farms throughout the state, some with somatic cell counts as high as 750K/ml., and the resulting milk product collectively averages at or about 400,000 somatic cells per.ml. This is part of what drove us to begin the process of bottling our own line of milks and other dairy products. Consumers have a right to know where their milk comes from and how it is produced. Our milk is simply, the freshest, highest quality available.

And we’ve taken that level of quality one step further, by eliminating the homogenization process, and offering a farm-fresh product called cream line milk.

What is cream line milk?

Cream line milk is, simply milk that is allowed to be milk. Like the milk found on most store shelves, cream line milk is pasteurized. We pasteurize our milk in small batches at low temperatures to ensure a superior quality product.

We do not, however, homogenize our milk. Homogenization is, in short, the process by which the cream (or fat content) in the milk is permanently mixed into the body of the milk, eliminating the separation--or cream line--that is characteristic of fresh-from-the-farm milk.

The process of homogenization uses very high pressure to break down the fat molecules into particles so small that they can be dissolved into the rest of the milk. They lose buoyancy and thus, the cream never rises to the top of homogenized milk,

We believe that homogenization diminishes the flavor and decreases many of the health benefits of milk. There is even some scientific evidence to indicate that homogenized milk could be detrimental to human health.

Studies have shown that when fat molecules are forcibly broken up by mechanical means, an enzyme called xanthine oxidase is released and allowed to penetrate the intestinal wall. Once it gets through the intestinal wall, xanthine oxidase gets into the bloodstream and is capable of creating scar damage to the heart and arteries, which may in turn cause the body to release cholesterol into the blood as a means of protecting the scarred areas with fatty tissue. This can lead to arteriosclerosis.

When un-homogenized milk is consumed, xanthine oxidase is normally excreted from the body without much absorption.
Our milk is also free of controversial growth hormones including BgH, and it is free of animal by-products. Cows were meant to eat plants not animals, thus the food they eat here contains no animal by-products.

Healthy cows are happy cows.

The way a cow lives and is treated plays a large part in her ability to produce healthy milk. Our cows are not pushed to produce the most milk, they are simply allowed to produce the best. The cows at Blue Marble Family Farm spend their days grazing in pastures against the beautiful rolling hills of Wisconsin’s Iowa County Uplands, and come in only to eat and at milking time. We take special care to provide warm, dry cover from rain, snow and inclement weather, including providing a cooling mist for them to walk through during the hottest days of summer.

We test all of our Milk to ensure that it is 100% all natural.

No Drugs, Ho Hormones, No Chemicals

Just pure milk.