Local News: September 27, 2023

Two farms in Tompkins and Schuyler Counties temporarily halt raw milk sales

Raw milk sold by two small area farms has tested positive for bacteria in the past two months. No one has gotten sick but the farms won’t be selling raw milk for a while. In routine tests by the state Department of Agriculture and Markets, milk from Remembrance Farm in Trumansburg tested positive for a strain of Listeria. 

"We immediately, by regulation and by our own personal standards, decided to halt any production of raw milk. Essentially everything made from that point has been a pasteurized product," said dairy manager, Sean Waters.

Waters said they told their raw milk customers to throw out milk that might be infected. In New York state, raw milk can only be bought legally on the farm where it’s produced. Remembrance runs a buying club so contacting customers was done quickly.

At Sunset View Farm in Odessa, some raw milk tested positive for a strain of Campylobacter. Farm co-owner Jessica Hoffman says they won’t be selling any raw milk until all tests come back clear. There’s a 5-day incubation period between tests for the bacteria. In a Facebook post, she wrote the latest tests were conducted on Tuesday.

The milking parlors and production areas at both farms have been dismantled, gotten additional cleanings, and sanitized. If the bacteria persist Hoffman and Waters say they'll have to test their cows. If any of the animals test positive, they will have to be removed from the herd.