Dairy farmer Aubrey Lettinga-VanLaan remembers a customer’s question about raw milk: "Do you have any?"
Instead of being provoked, Lettinga-VanLaan saw this as an opportunity to educate the consumer and talk about Walnutdale Family Farms LLC’s milk — how it ends up at Guernsey Farms Dairy in metro-Detroit, why pasteurization is important, and the motive behind opening a farm store.
At a time when health trends like eating raw cheddar cheese take over TikTok and other social media platforms, Walnutdale Family Farms is trying to change public perception — one customer at a time.
It’s March in West Michigan and two customers walk into The Milkhouse Farmstore. They leave the car engine running. It’ll be a quick trip — about 10 minutes — one where they can use the self-checkout before quickly heading back on the road.
Walnutdale Family Farms started the Milkhouse a year ago. It was a dream project for Lettinga-VanLaan and her brother Austin Lettinga. Today, the store sells various beef and dairy products, including 1.5 quarts of ice cream and chocolate milk.
The store is also the perfect place to learn about agriculture, said Lettinga-VanLaan, noting the recent customer inquiries into raw milk and whether they’re stocked with any.
“It lends me the opportunity to explain that — nope — we pasteurize, and (our milk) is homogenized,” she said. “I explain to them the whole pasteurization process and the regulations we're under in Michigan that we can't sell raw milk. I also say to them that if raw milk is something you're going to go and find and buy, I want you to do your research, and I want you to understand the risks that come along with buying something of that.”
Some of the risks associated with consuming raw milk include exposure to harmful microorganisms such as Salmonella, E.coli, and Listeria. Pasteurization, conversely, kills those harmful bacteria by heating milk to a specific temperature for a set time. However, in recent months, some people have questioned pasteurization, believing raw milk is the safer, healthier alternative — a myth refuted by the USDA and other health officials.
In fact, you’re 150 times more likely to be exposed to illness and outbreak from drinking raw milk than pasteurized milk, according to MSU Extension’s Kara Lynch.
“The decision to drink raw milk is one that an adult can make for themselves, but serving it to children can have serious consequences that they may pay for the rest of their life,” Lynch, a registered dietician, wrote June 7, 2024.
“Despite the many facts supporting the dangers of raw milk and the safety of pasteurized milk, some people still have doubts and spread myths.”
It’s these doubts and myths Lettinga-VanLaan tries to discourage and why the farm hosts up to five farm tours each year for people of all ages, including children in preschool through second grade. She believes educating the youth starts with the parents — with simple conversations.
“I think people just want that feeling that they are connected to where their food is coming from,” said Lettinga-VanLaan, an Allegan County Farm Bureau member.
“I get a lot of people who say, ‘We just want to support local people. We love that you're doing this.’ I mean, the feedback has been great from people. I think people just want to come in here and maybe ask some questions and have a connection instead of going to some bigger grocery stores where that option might not be available.”
For example, customers who visit The Milkhouse learn that Walnutdale Family Farms is the sole milk supplier to Guernsey Farms Dairy, a fifth-generation processor in Novi that makes chocolate milk, ice cream, and other dairy products.
Or that their all-natural beef is raised from birth at the farm without any added hormones.
Or that the family milks 2,000 cows and farms 3,500 acres of corn and alfalfa.
According to Austin Lettinga, controller for Walnutdale Family Farms, farm facts bridge the communication gap between consumer and farmer.
“The Milkhouse gives customerd a chance to put a face to a name in terms of the people who only see a big farm when they pass by,” he said. “We’re able to put something out there where we can connect with them on a personal level. That helps community outreach and maybe teaches people a little bit about farming.”
From milk to myth-busting, they’re serving up one customer at a time.
Learn more about Walnutdale Family Farms here.