Raw milk is available at farms, home sales, farmers markets, and community events in Montana under the Montana Local Food Choice Act. Small dairies with up to 5 cows or 10 goats/sheep may sell direct to consumers; retail store distribution is not permitted.
Montana authorizes raw milk sales for small-scale producers under the Montana Local Food Choice Act (MLFCA), administered by the Montana Department of Livestock alongside the state dairy program under Montana Code Annotated §81-22. Under the MLFCA, a qualifying "small dairy" is defined as a place where no more than 5 lactating cows, 10 lactating goats, or 10 lactating sheep are kept. Small dairies may sell raw milk directly to informed end consumers at the farm, the producer's home, farmers markets, and traditional community social events. Retail establishment sales, including sales to cafes, restaurants, and grocery stores, are not permitted under the small dairy framework. Producers must conduct bi-annual somatic cell count and coliform testing and annual brucellosis testing.
Montana's raw milk market reflects the state's agricultural character and libertarian political tradition, operating under a production-capped small dairy model rather than a commercial licensing system. Consumers in Billings, Missoula, Great Falls, and Bozeman have access to producers at farmers markets and through farm-direct sources within practical reach. The small dairy cap limits individual farm production scale but does not restrict the number of farms that may participate, supporting a distributed network of small producers. Montana's direct-sale framework distinguishes it from neighboring states that either prohibit raw milk sales or require a more extensive commercial licensing process.
Official government documents and legal resources for Montana
Montana legislation (SB 199, signed April 2021) authorizing small dairies (up to 5 cows or 10 goats/sheep) to sell raw milk directly to consumers at the farm, home, farmers markets, and community events. Retail store distribution not permitted.
View Official Resource →Search raw milk sources in Montana
Free, no paywalls, no private equity.
Keep this project going and growing.
Connect people with raw milk sources.
Every tip keeps real food accessible.
Please enter a valid email address to generate a secure payment form.
✓ You're supporting a free community resource. This is a tip/donation, not a purchase of milk or products.
Trusted by farms, local businesses, and startups nationwide.
Founder of the Slow Food movement, the Ark of Taste, and Terra Madre, Carlo Petrini spent four decades defending artisanal food traditions, raw milk cheeses, and the right to good food worldwide.
Raw milk is accessible in most US states. No vending machine network has developed in any of them. The reasons are structural: no machine-specific framework, a bottling default, shopping habits incompatible with raw milk’s shelf life, and farm geography.
Where to find raw milk vending machines across Europe by country, with local search terms and directory links. Covers Italy, France, Slovenia, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands, Germany, and England.
Raw milk in France is available at the farm gate, from automated vending machines, and on the shelves of organic grocery stores, including Biocoop nationwide.
Switzerland’s federal food authorities have confirmed raw milk vending machines are permitted under a consumer information framework. Austria operates a formal inspection regime under AGES with mandatory boiling notices. Two Alpine approaches compared.
Squeezed by merchant pricing that paid farmers roughly 30 cents on the euro, Slovenian dairy farmers built a direct-sale raw milk vending network that now spans close to 70 locations nationwide.
