Arkansas opened up in 2025. Licensed producers may sell raw milk at farmers markets, natural food stores and by direct delivery, with no volume cap.
Arkansas made one of the largest single-year gains of any state in 2025, moving from an on-farm-only model with a volume ceiling to a framework covering farmers markets, natural food stores and direct delivery with no cap at all. It is now among the more accessible states in the South.
Yes, and through several channels. Producers hold a raw milk permit from the Arkansas Department of Health and meet herd health, bacterial testing, sanitation and labelling requirements. Two 2025 acts define the current scope.
House Bill 1048 (Act 125, signed February 2025) clarified that raw milk sales are not confined to on-farm transactions. Senate Bill 464 (Act 698, signed 16 April 2025) then went considerably further, expressly authorising sales at farmers markets, in natural food stores and via producer-direct delivery, extending authorisation to raw milk products beyond fluid milk, and removing the previous 500 gallon per month cap. Lifting that cap matters commercially: it allows a licensed dairy to scale to genuine demand rather than turning customers away.
Arkansas buyers now have real choice. Farmers market stalls are the most visible route, natural food stores stock bottled product, and delivery reaches customers who cannot travel. Availability is strongest around Little Rock, Fayetteville and the wider Ozark region, where farm-direct food culture is well established, with producers also serving the Arkansas River Valley and the northeast. Conventional grocery distribution outside natural food store channels is not yet authorised, which is the next frontier advocates are working on. For the federal framework, see the United States raw milk laws overview.
Official government documents and legal resources for Arkansas
The act signed 16 April 2025 authorising Arkansas raw milk sales at farmers markets, natural food stores and by producer-direct delivery, extending coverage to raw milk products and removing the 500 gallon per month cap.
View Official Resource →Legislative history and full text for the Arkansas bill that became Act 698, the measure that expanded raw milk sales channels in 2025.
View Official Resource →Search for raw milk sources near popular locations in Arkansas
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