Michigan Raw Milk Laws & Regulations

Michigan authorizes herdshare agreements under Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) Policy #1.40 (adopted 2013). Under the policy, a person who holds a written ownership interest in a dairy animal is entitled to receive the animal's milk, and farms operating herdshares under this policy are not treated as selling raw milk for human consumption. Herdshare holders pay a boarding fee for the animal's care and receive raw milk at the farm or, in some arrangements, through informal delivery. The Michigan Food Law and Michigan Grade A Milk Law govern commercial dairy operations, from which licensed herdshares are distinguished by the ownership structure. MDARD has maintained the policy allowing herdshares while simultaneously pursuing actions against farms it considers operating outside the herdshare framework.

Michigan's raw milk landscape has included notable enforcement controversies. In 2024, Nourish Cooperative, a Michigan raw milk cooperative, closed operations after MDARD pursued licensing actions that required commercial licensing incompatible with its operating model. Bills to establish a formal farm-direct raw milk licensing pathway in Michigan have been introduced in recent sessions, with House Bills 5217-5219 advancing through House Committees in 2026. Michigan's significant Amish population in the western and northern Lower Peninsula sustains informal raw milk access in those regions. Consumer interest in raw milk is particularly strong in the Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, and Traverse City areas.