There is an incredible anti-expert mentality sweeping the globe. "I never hear of people getting sick from raw milk!" Because it's illegal. "I never hear of people getting smallpox!" Because we have vaccines. "What do you mean the Earth is warming? Why is there still snow in winter?" Suddenly if a person can't instantly be an expert on a topic, then that means the person with 20 years of expertise is lying. Truly bizarre.
Sadly, it long predates COVID, COVID and Trmp just happened to give anti-expert loonies a larger platform and attention. Had people actually been willing to listen and really crack down for a month, we could have saved millions of people. Had people actually been willing to take vaccines, a technology that's been in use for centuries, we could have saved millions more. I'll never smell properly again thanks to COVID carriers out and about with no protection.
Homogenization and pasteurization are different things. My local dairy offers cream-top non-homogenized milk; it's still pasteurized. (They also use a lower temperature, longer exposure process.)
Have you tried milk that has been flash pasteurized? Asking because I’ve noticed it’s been hard to find of recent and you mentioned a local dairy (which is usually more willing to offer alternatives depending on local market and resources). Recommend if you haven’t tried it! The taste profile gives a hint of sweetness while extending shelf life of the product.
I'd imagine flash pasteurization is better than the ultra-high temperature technique the average grocery store milk uses (280°F for two seconds), but having made lots of things like custards I'm willing to bet the difference between 145 and 165, even if for a much shorter time, is pretty huge.