There are various other definitions of sacrament, I like this one because it makes me think of the gut-friendly micro-organisms that grow in milk–uniquely active indeed. This is a post I have been putting off writing and I understand why. I am not sure if I can quite capture what I want to say here, but I have to give it a shot.

Sacrament: A rite in which God (or gods) is (are) uniquely active. -Hexam’s Concise Dictionary of Religion

The fact that many cultures around the world traditionally have a sacred bond between the animal (sheep, cow, goat, yak etc) and the fresh milk that animal produces is an aspect of the importance of farm fresh raw milk that sometimes gets left behind these days. We often get caught up in reacting to all the legal nonsense the various agencies keep throwing at us. At the moment there is this big push, through the Food Safety Modernization Act to tag all animals and put in a comprehensive tracking system, supposedly so food can quickly and easily be traced back to the source, in case of contamination. This way, the problem can be more systematically contained. In reality, it is an expensive solution looking for a problem. Simply knowing your source is the most reliable way to ensure you are putting well treated, good quality, safe food on your table, no fancy label can change that fact.