This recent story, by Travis Pillow, originally appeared in “The Fine Print”, a journalism project at the University of Florida. It was originally titled “The Raw Milk Revolution“.

Bubba Kurtz, left, in his manure-free milking parlor. (The Fine Print/University of Florida)
“A farmer in Florida is pushing the envelope by bucking pasteurization regulations in milk. The milk is safe to drink as long as the cows are healthy, the farmer says.
It’s a good day for Bubba Kurtz when nobody craps in the parlor.
These days most dairies are crappy—covered in the feces of hundreds of cows who get packed into industrial feedlots, injected with hormones and antibiotics, and engorged with chemical-laced feed until they can’t help but shit themselves.
But Kurtz runs one of Florida’s cleanest milk operations, with some of the state’s healthiest cows. In 2007, Kurtz and Sons Dairy won the prize for the cleanest milk in the state. Since he went into business on his own in 1991, Kurtz has won the prize three times and consistently ranks in the top 20, out of hundreds of dairies. His relatively tiny herd has built a legion of loyal customers from Tallahassee to Ocala. Continue reading →