More Milk Controversy

There was an editorial in The Washington Times this week about Big Milk and what the Times view as its negative impact on consumers. Last month the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry forced the Fresh Markets grocery chain to raise milk prices. They were selling their milk below the government mandated 6 percent above invoice and shipping prices which is illegal.

The Washington Times argues that the price limits hurt consumers, by artificially keeping prices higher and limiting competition. If anyone tries to help consumers by selling milk cheaper, they have big government knocking on their door. The Washington Times then argues that the money behind Big Milk not only keeps prices high, but also is behind the crackdown from the government on raw milk and cheeses.

We have written a plethora of articles on the pros and cons of raw milk here at Backyard Farming. My question is whether or not these two things are related? Do you think the Washington Times has a valid claim that the same big money that is convincing the government to subsidize large milk farms and processors is also behind what some people perceive as a witch hunt that is shutting down raw milk producers? Are government agencies trying to help consumers by protecting them from dangerous milk products, or are decisions made based on who has money, and who wants to keep it? I know what I think about it but I would like to hear your opinions.

~Michael~

Raw Milk, Part 5

In 2010, I did a four part series for this blog titled “Raw Milk, the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly”. I shared my ambivalence about the topic. I am a lover of raw milk - Part 2 - but I also understand the dangers. Indeed, I have experienced food poisoning from it as I described in Part 3 of that series. I have continued to support raw milk sales from a libertarian standpoint - get the government out of our lives. But recent events may have the pendulum of my emotions and intellect swinging the opposite direction again. A dairy farm that I am familiar with - The Family Cow Farm - just experienced a Campylobacter outbreak which has sickened dozens of people who drink their raw milk. See the following articles - Article 1, Article 2, Article 3, Article 4. This is a good farm. They do things right. They are licensed by Pennsylvania to sell raw milk. They practice good sanitation and they regularly test their milk for contamination. But it happened. There was a flaw in their system and people got sick. Some were hospitalized. Fortunately no one died. This is no anti-raw milk conspiracy.

In my job, I frequently visit dairy farms. When I am offered a glass of cold raw milk, I relish it as wine lovers relish fine wine or chocolatiers savor fine dark chocolate. But I know the risks are real and I have experienced coming up on the losing end. Drinking pasteurized milk, which my family nearly always does, is absolutely safer. The person who argues otherwise is uninformed. Yes the pendulum has swung the opposite direction. I discourage people from drinking raw milk. But if you do, make sure you get it from a reputable farm. Please don’t give to the very young, the old, or to those with compromised immune systems. Do not store raw milk for any length of time as bacteria will multiply. And if you do drink it, please savor it like I do.  

Raw Milk Freedom Riders

Mothers, Acting As ‘Agents,’ To Defy FDA Warning

Against FDA Prohibitions, Freedom Riders Will Publicly

Distribute over 100 gallons Raw Milk to Waiting Mothers

Chicago, IL—On December 8, a group of mothers and others will defy the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) ban on “distributing” fresh milk across state lines by transporting 100 gallons of raw milk from Wisconsin to Chicago’s Independence Park and distributing it to customers waiting at the park.

Federal law 21 CFR § 1240.61 prohibits interstate movement and distribution of raw milk for human consumption. The FDA regulation applies to individuals, or “agents” acting on their behalf.

Over the past year, the FDA and state authorities have conducted undercover sting operations on, raided and prosecuted farmers, buying clubs, and individuals who help distribute raw milk and other farm fresh foods. Over a dozen people and businesses currently face charges, orders, and other enforcement actions; some are under “federal criminal investigation” and face possible indictment by a grand jury. Several small cheese producing dairies with no history of making anyone sick have been put out of business by the FDA’s actions.

“It is a God-given, inalienable right to engage in direct, private transactions with our food producers,” says Max Kane, director of a Chicago area local-food-buying club. “Americans deserve to know that the FDA is using their tax dollars to target and prosecute independent, peaceful, farmers and their customers.”

Mothers from around the country, determined to protect their families’ food supply, launched the Raw Milk Freedom Riders with an inaugural ride on November 1 when they transported raw milk from Pennsylvania to the FDA’s headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland, and distributed the milk to crowds gathered for a protest. In response the FDA issued a statement saying it does not “intend” to take “enforcement action against an individual who purchased and transported raw milk across state lines solely for his or her own personal consumption.”

The Freedom Riders say that the FDA’s statement leaves the door open for FDA to pursue farmers, buying clubs and individuals acting as “distribution agents.” The Wisconsin to Chicago Raw Milk Freedom ride will challenge the FDA’s use of force against raw milk distribution.

Media are invited to ride along as embedded reporters to witness the FDA’s reaction to the Freedom Riders’ standing up for their rights. 

(Image Credit)

Michael Schmidt on Hunger Strike for Responsible Food Freedom

 Across Canada and U.S. Supporters Have Joined Michael On This Strike

(Toronto – October 10, 2011) Michael Schmidt has been fighting since 1994 for the right of men, women and children in Ontario to drink raw milk. He is the founder of Cow Share Canada, which provides health standards for raw milk production, and which lays down some of the most stringent hygiene standards.    

Over the last 17 years he has made every effort to co-operate with the authorities to find a solution for the legalization of raw milk in Ontario and Canada. Yet, despite this, his farm was raided in 1994 and again in 2006 (25 armed officers stormed in and terrorized the entire farm family.)

Acquitted on all charges by Justice Kowarsky in 2010, the Province of Ontario subsequently decided to appeal the acquittal and Justice Tetley found Michael guilty September 28 2011 on 15 of the 19 charges.

In addition, Fraser Health in British Columbia has filed to find Michael in contempt of court and impose a $55,000 fine (case to be heard November 2^nd 2011).

On September 29, in the face of continued persecution by the Provincial governments for his "crime" of believing that informed consumers should be able to choose what they eat and drink, Michael Schmidt started the Hunger Strike for Responsible Food Freedom.

Michael Schmidt has stopped consuming any food and now only drinks water. His demands are simple.

"I respectfully ask that the Ontario and BC governments agree to a constructive dialogue on how we can provide a framework to enable people to make real choices about their food and what they eat, beginning with raw milk and the implementation of a framework that grants legal standing for cow share operations in Ontario and BC. This objective also includes the end of the current prosecutions of cow shares which meet proper production standards."

Farmers around the country who believe, as Michael does, that people and not governments, should choose the food they consume, have joined the raw milk fight over the years. These farmers are in real danger today and many of them risk losing everything.

Currently eight people have joined Michael on this Hunger Strike for Responsible Food Freedom:

-Max Kane, Wisconsin (in court many times for his work supporting raw milk farmers)

-Vernon Hershberger, Wisconsin (raw milk farmer also a victim of several Government raids)

-Bernie Cosgrove, Alberta (farmer)

-And five others who do not want to be named are participating in this Hunger Strike for Responsible Food Freedom.

There is also a large group in Toronto who are on a rotational fasting in support and respect to Michael Schmidt and others on this Hunger Strike For Responsible Food Freedom.

The movement is growing. More people in Canada and the US are joining every day. And they are determined that the government will not tell them what they can eat.

For up to the minute info and posts from Michael Schmidt and supporters visit:

http://thebovine.wordpress.com/

What are your thoughts? Leave a comment and let us know. 

Raw Milk -West Jordan, Utah

Good news to you Utah-ites on the West Side. Utah Natural Meat will soon be selling Huckleberry Dairy raw milk.  When we lived out there, we had to drive about 40 minutes to get raw milk, and because of the drive, we weren't able to buy raw milk as often as we would have liked. 

If you are interested in buying raw milk from them,  send an e-mail to sales@utahnaturalmeat.com.  Put "milk" in the subject line, they are trying to calculate numbers and are trying to find where their interest is.

On a side note, over a year ago we bought about 1/3 of a cow from Utah Natural Meat, they hold a very high standard with their beef, no hormones, no antibiotics, grass fed etc. We are just finishing up the last of our meat, and we have been nothing but pleased with them and their meat. 





~marisa

Of Pasture Walks and Garden Walks, Part 1

By uncle Dale

We have just finished a pasture walk and I am eating lunch with nine dairy farmers and our County Extension Agent on the veranda of Myron & Janet Martin’s home at Peace Hollow dairy farm in western Maryland. Janet brings us steaming macaroni and cheese casserole, homemade sweet pickles, freshly baked whole wheat roles, and savory butter. It is all delicious. Janet knows what I like and sets a tall mug of ice cold raw milk in front of me. I am in heaven.

  The entrance to Peace Hollow Farm in western Maryland. In the background is a Mennonite church built on land donated by Myron’s father.

 One of the joys of my job is pasture walks. Groups of farmers meet at each other’s farms to walk the pastures, look at the dairy cows and facilities and offer suggestions on how to improve production methods. After the pasture walk we have lunch, where I present economic information from my research at the University of Maryland. 

I have known the farmers sitting around me for years. They are the salt of the earth, as good a people as you will ever meet. They all have strong families. They are all devout Christians from various denominations. They all have an intense desire to use the resources God has given them to produce high quality milk while protecting the environment. This is evidenced in the prayers that begin each pasture walk. 

Sometimes I wish we could turn back the clock 50 years when this culture was common and not just isolated pockets in the vast landscape of metropolises and industrial agriculture.

  Myself (left), Myron Martin (middle), and Ron Holter (right). 

Myron and Ron both produce milk for the Organic Valley milk cooperative. This nationwide company is the real deal. It is a cooperative of small family farms like Martins and Holters who really care about their customers. Ron serves on the Northeast Educational Board of the company. Try their drinkable yogurt. It is incredible. Click here to get coupons.  

Raw Milk Espionage

This article is an exercise in sarcasm. If you prefer non sarcastic articles read more about raw milk here, here, and here.

In what is assumed to be an extremely expensive operation, The Washington Times reported that the FDA was successful in rooting out evil Amish Farmers. Thankfully, federal taxpayers money was used to fund the mission of eradicating the scourge that continues to try to sell raw milk to educated adults. Some of the heroic FDA agents signed up more than a year ago to participate in raw milk clubs and groups. Then they used all of the surreptitious spy skills they learned from watching Jason Bourne to carefully infiltrate the vile raw milk community. Thanks to the great work of these great people, the FDA has filed a 10 page document with Pennsylvania courts seeking an order to stop the farm from shipping across state lines.
I for one am thrilled at this news. I dream of a day when I can walk down the streets of our great cities without seeing rampant raw milk abuse that is so prevalent today. I look forward to a time where I can stop locking my house because I am scared that a raw milk junkie might break in to my fridge to get their fix. Think about how much happier our children will be without the peer pressure of other kids trying to get them to try their first unpasteurized drink. Thank you FDA, your efforts bring a tear to my eye.

This part of the article marks the end of sarcasm.

I know that there are a lot of debates about the health benefits, or heatlth hazards of drinking raw milk. Let's assume that raw milk is terrible for you and perhaps in rare cases it can kill you. If you are a capable adult, why does the FDA feel the need to protect us. It doesn't protect us from tobacco. I think that we should be free to choose whether or not we ingest tobacco. However, if the FDA feels like they need to protect us from raw milk, why do they let so many people die the slow tragic deaths caused by cancer from tobacco use. Why do they give us freedom to choose on one case, and then protect us in the other, when they should let adults make their own informed decisions. What is the answer? There has to be a reason right? My vote is money, what's yours?

~Michael

Raw Milk Restrictions

By Michael

Most of you are probably aware that the FDA has been cracking down recently on raw milk distribution across the country. I was pleased to read this article yesterday at naturalnews.com about various states that are actually going against the FDA's advice and easing restrictions on raw milk. This article says that "Texas, Oregon, Minnesota, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Wisconsin all have pending legislation to legalize raw milk sales, relax sale restrictions that make buying the product difficult, or for the first time decriminalize raw milk sales with restrictions."

We have talked about raw milk on our site in the past and one of our contributors, Dale Johnson, is a Farm Management Specialist and Master Gardener for the University of Maryland Extension. A lot of the work he does with the University of Maryland is with local Dairy Farmers so he has a great perspective on this debate. Read his series of articles on the Good, Bad, and the Ugly of raw milk for more of his perspective.

So what do you all think. Is the FDA right in restricting raw milk distribution, or are some of the above States right in relaxing restrictions. Let your voice be heard.

Raw Milk War

I work in the financial industry for a living and one of the things that we always watch for is for magazines and newspapers to put Stock market information on their covers. This is a sign that there is irrational exuberance in the markets, and we are probably going to go down soon.

Time Magazine recently had an article about raw milk and I wonder what it means for raw milk consumers. Does it indicate that raw milk is now too popular and the government is going to crack down even more? Who knows. While I don't expect that most of us can learn anything from Time Magazine, it is still an interesting read if you are passionate about your right to drink raw milk, or if you are passionate that we need the FDA to limit raw milk consumption to protect us. Here are two quotes from the article.

"Raw milk is an inherently dangerous product, and it really should not be consumed by anyone at any time for any reason," a representative from the FDA tells TIME.

"People should have the option to consume milk the way they want," says Gumpert. Whether it's good for them or not.

Which side of the fence do you sit on. Should we be able to drink raw milk, or is it good that the FDA is there to watch over and protect us?

Michael

Raw Milk Consumers Win Round One

Judge Refuses to Dismiss Challenge to FDA’s Interstate Ban on Raw Milk

Falls Church, Virginia (August 20, 2010) -  In a complex federal district court ruling, Judge Mark W. Bennett refused to grant a motion by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to dismiss a lawsuit filed against the agency by the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF) and eight other named plaintiffs.  The lawsuit argues that federal regulations (21 CFR 1240.61 and 21 CFR 131.10) prohibiting raw milk for human consumption in interstate commerce are unconstitutional as applied to FTCLDF’s members and the other plaintiffs named in the suit.

In his August 18 decision, Judge Bennett denied part of FDA’s motion to dismiss while reserving judgment on the remainder.  As part of his ruling, the judge ordered proceedings in the case to be stayed sixty days to allow plaintiffs time to decide whether to file a ‘citizen petition’ with FDA.  The petition would ask FDA to clarify its interpretation of the authorizing statutes and regulations giving the agency power to ban raw milk for human consumption in interstate commerce.  If plaintiffs choose to file the citizen petition, the court would continue to delay the suit until the administrative proceedings were completed or until FDA failed to take action within the time the law requires.  If plaintiffs declined to pursue the citizen petition, Judge Bennett indicated the court would reconsider FDA’s motion to dismiss.

In Judge Bennett’s view, the main question FDA needs to answer in the petition process is “whether § 1240.61 applies to and proscribes the conduct of (1) persons who travel from one state, where it is not legal to purchase raw milk, to another state, where it is legal to purchase raw milk, legally purchase raw milk, then return to the original state where they consume the raw milk themselves or give it to their friends or family members; or (2) a principal and agent who agree that the agent will obtain raw milk out-of-state, where it is legal to do so, and to deliver it to the principal in the principal’s home state, where sales of raw milk are not permitted; or (3) a producer of raw milk who sells raw milk in an intrastate transaction to persons that he knows are from out of state.” 

All of the individually named plaintiffs in the lawsuit fit into one of the three scenarios described above.  Section 1240.61 provides in part, “No person shall cause to be delivered into interstate commerce or shall sell, or otherwise distribute, or hold for sale or other distribution after shipment in interstate commerce any milk or milk product in final package form for direct human consumption unless the product has been pasteurized….” 

Judge Bennett sees the citizen petition as a way to resolve the question of “whether the plaintiff’s conduct involves or affects ‘interstate commerce’ sufficiently to fall within the proscriptions of § 1240.61, and, still more specifically, whether the plaintiffs’ conduct constitutes ‘delivery [of raw dairy products] into interstate commerce’ or ‘distribution’ of raw dairy products after shipment in interstate commerce.”

Plaintiffs have survived the first round in the case.  They have until October 18 to determine what their next course of action will be.

The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund defends the rights and broadens the freedoms of family farms and protects consumer access to raw milk and nutrient-dense foods.

Concerned consumers can support the Fund, a U.S. based 501(c)(4) nonprofit, by joining or donating online at www.farmtoconsumer.org or by calling 703-208-FARM(3276).

.

For more information call 703-208-3276 or email president@farmtoconsumer.org

The press release is posted on the Fund's website at:
http://www.ftcldf.org/press/press-FDA-lawsuit-round-one.htm

Salmonella Outbreak in Eggs

This is another reason to get chickens so you can have your own farm fresh eggs. I find it ironic that this isn't very big news. If it had happened with a small farmer's eggs or raw milk we would have NSA, FBI, And CIA agents storming the farm and it would be all over the internet. I guess it's true that money makes the world go round. Can anyone say conspiracy?

FDA Raids Amish Farmer Dan Allgyer

Please take action (see ACTION at end of notice)

Kinzers, PA-At 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday April 20, Amish farmer Dan Allgyer went outside to begin milking his small herd of dairy cows.  On the normally quiet Kinzer Road in front of his farm, just a few miles from the Nickel Mines Amish massacre of 2006, several unfamiliar vehicles drove slowly past.  Two months prior, on February 4, FDA agents had trespassed on Allgyer's farm, claiming to be conducting an "investigation."  Allgyer had suspected they would be back at some point, because many other small dairy farms around the country have been similarly treated by the FDA. Following is Dan's account of Tuesday morning's events:

I became aware of the cars as soon as I walked out on the sidewalk as part of my morning routine around 4:30 a.m. and immediately said to myself something is going on, there is too much traffic on Kinzer Road.  I was watching and noticed three cars were cruising down Kinzer Road right behind each other, and immediately thought, hey, that looks like trouble. I watched and pretty soon one car came back and parked on my neighbor's farm, on private property, just as the FDA agents had when they came on my property in February; it was exactly the same place.

A couple minutes later, the other two cars pulled up and joined the first on my neighbor's property, where the occupants appeared to be in conference with one another. Shortly after that, they turned their headlights on and drove in my lane - this would have been at about 5:00.

I stood back in the dark barn to see what they were going to do. They drove past my two Private Property signs, up to where my coolers were, with their headlights shining right on them. They all got out of their vehicles - five men all together - with big bright flashlights they were shining all around. My wife and family were still asleep. When they couldn't find anybody, they prepared to knock on the door of my darkened house. Just before they got to the house I stepped out of the barn and hollered at them, then they came up to me and introduced themselves. Two were from the FDA, agent Joshua C. Schafer who had been there in February and another. They showed me identification, but I was too flustered to ask for their cards. I remember being told that two were deputy U.S. Marshals and one a state trooper. They started asking me questions right away.  They handed me a paper and I didn't realize what it was. Agent Joshua C. Schafer told me they were there to do a "routine inspection." At 5:00 in the morning, I wondered to myself? "Do you have a warrant?" I asked, and one of them, a marshal or the state policeman, said, "You've got in your hand buddy." I asked, "What is the warrant about?" Schafer responded, "We have credible evidence that you are involved in interstate commerce."

They wanted me to answer some questions, my name, middle initial, last name, wanted to know how many cows we have on the farm. I answered those questions and some more. Finally, I got over my initial shock and said I would not be answering any more questions. They said O.K., we'll get on with the "inspection."

I went to go talk to my wife. As I walked away, they held a quick excited conversation and I heard one of them say, "I'll take care of him." At that point, apparently, they had designated one of the marshals to stick close to me and dog my footsteps. He followed me as I walked toward the house. I went in the house quickly and told my wife a few words to let her know the situation, then immediately came back out of the house before the marshal had time to follow me in. When I came back out, they were inspecting all the coolers sitting out. They spent about a half hour digging through the packed coolers filled with milk and other food - all private property - taking pictures.

At one point during the cooler inspection the state trooper said to me, "You have a nice farm." I responded, "We're trying to be sustainable, but they don't want to let us."

While they inspected the coolers, I read the warrant. Among other things it said that any search was to be conducted "at reasonable times during ordinary business hours." When I exclaimed, "Ordinary business hours!" and pointed this out to the marshal who was dogging me, he said, "Ordinary business hours for agriculture start at 5:00 a.m." I challenged him that the warrant does not say agriculture hours, it said ordinary hours. He replied, "That's what the government told us."

Then they started looking around, as though in search of something in particular. They went up to one door that had a clear No Trespassing sign on it, specifically including government agents, and they did not go in the room, though they shone their flashlights around in it. Then they asked me, "What is on the other side of the door in that [same] room?" Agent Joshua Schafer asked this. I looked him in the eye and did not answer. When they saw I was not going to answer, the other FDA agent said, "Okay, come on," to agent Schafer, and they went into the room and through the closed door on the opposite side. I had another one of those signs on my walk-in cooler adjacent to my freezer, so they went through that door also. They spent probably another half hour rooting around, like a couple of pigs, in the freezer and cooler area and took many pictures.

When they came out, they asked me where I keep my containers and jugs for milk, and I refused to tell them. I figured they could look for themselves. Then they were walking all over the farm, checking everything out, everything except the house. Agent Joshua Schafer even opened my dumpster and inspected inside it, as though he thought I was hiding something in it. At that point I went and started milking my cows - it was way past milking time.

When I was just about done milking, Schafer and the other agent came in the barn and wanted me to answer some more questions. I told them I would not. The second agent said, "Are you gong to deliver those coolers to Bethesda and Bowie Maryland?" I just looked at him. Then Schafer made a gesture and said, "The stickers with those towns names are on the coolers," as through to say, you might as well tell me.

I replied, "I told you I won't answer any questions." After that they said, "We are done for today. You'll be hearing back from headquarters."

Then they got in their car and left. The state trooper and the marshals had left already.

They came in the dark, shining bright flashlights while my family was asleep, keeping me from milking my cows, from my family, from breakfast with my family and from our morning devotions, and alarming my children enough so that they first question they asked my wife was, "Is Daddy going to jail?"
THE NEXT MORNING Allgyer received an overnight, extremely urgent Letter of Warning from the FDA stating that "Failure to make prompt corrections could result in regulatory action without further notice. Possible actions include seizure and/or injunction."

ACTION: Please call and write the number and address below. Express yourself. Tell them that you support Dan Allgyer. If you drink fresh, unpastuerized milk tell them that. Tell them that more people every day are drinking fresh milk and this is going to increase. It's not going to stop no matter how many farmers they persecute. Tell them the government has no placebetween individuals and the farmers from whom they get their food.

Philadelphia District Office
Serves Delaware and Pennsylvania.
Food and Drug Administration
U.S. Customhouse
Second and Chestnut Streets, Room 900
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 597-4390 8:00a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (Eastern time)

Yours for real food freedom,
Deborah Stockton, Executive Director
National Independent Consumers and Farmers Association (NICFA)
nicfa@earthlink.net
http://www.nicfa.com

Our purpose is to promote and preserve unregulated direct farmer-to-consumer trade
that fosters availability of locally grown or home-produced food products.
NICFA opposes any government funded or managed National Animal Identification System.

Raw Milk Debate

Raw milk warning issued
Dairy Herd news source  |  Friday, March 26, 2010

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, along with several state agencies, is alerting consumers to an outbreak of campylobacteriosis associated with drinking raw milk. At least 12 confirmed illnesses have been recently reported in Michigan. Symptoms of campylobacteriosis include diarrhea, abdominal pain and fever.

The FDA is collaborating with the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH), the Illinois Department of Public Health, the Indiana State Board of Animal Health and the Indiana State Health Department, to investigate the outbreak. MDCH reports that, as of March 24, it received reports of 12 confirmed cases of illness from Campylobacter infections in consumers who drank raw milk. The raw milk originated from Forest Grove Dairy in Middlebury, Ind.

Public health authorities, including FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, have expressed concerns about the hazards of drinking raw milk for decades.

Since 1987, the FDA has required all milk packaged for human consumption to be pasteurized before being delivered for introduction into interstate commerce. Pasteurization, a process that heats milk to a specific temperature for a set period of time, kills bacteria responsible for diseases, such as listeriosis, salmonellosis, campylobacteriosis, typhoid fever, tuberculosis, diphtheria and brucellosis. FDA’s pasteurization requirement also applies to other milk products, with the exception of a few aged cheeses.

From 1998 to 2008, 85 outbreaks of human infections resulting from consumption of raw milk were reported to CDC. These outbreaks included a total of 1,614 reported illnesses, 187 hospitalizations and two deaths. Because not all cases of foodborne illness are recognized and reported, the actual number of illnesses associated with raw milk likely is greater.

More information on raw milk.

                        

Some raw milk drinkers put their heads in the sand an ignore this. Others actual deny it saying that it is a government conspiracy against raw milk. But it happens. Farmers who practice good methods are very unlikely to have problems with their milk. However it can happen to any farmer.

If your children have any health problems, I wouldn’t give them raw milk. If they are healthy, the risk is small. But don’t let them drink a whole quart in one setting like I do.

Think of it this way, from 1998 to 2008, 85 outbreaks of human infections resulting from consumption of raw milk were reported to CDC. These outbreaks included a total of 1,614 reported illnesses, 187 hospitalizations and two deaths. Hundreds of thousands if not millions of people drank raw milk during that time. If your family is the one out of 100,000 or a million that gets sick, then go to the doctor.  

What are your chances of getting the flue, or other illnesses? What are your chances of dying from cancer or getting killed in a car accident? Life is fraught with risk. I wouldn’t start smoking because of the risks associated with it (not to mention my religious abstinence). But I don’t hesitate to drink raw milk.

All of that said, Grade A pasteurized, homogenized, vitamin A&D fortified milk purchased at the store is still pretty darn good and healthy. The most important thing – GOT MILK?

Dale

Raw Milk Taste Test

Michael and I ventured and bought our first gallon of raw milk. Even after reading The Raw Milk Revolution, I was still a little nervous about it. First off, here in Utah you have to sign a waiver stating you understand all the things that could possibly go wrong if you drink it, including death. That is a little terrifying! Okay, not a little terrifying, really terrifying. After reading the facts about raw milk, I realized that it isn't any more dangerous than eating a lot of the other foods we are consuming, namely lunch meat.

Michael and I first did our own taste test and I definately could tell a difference. The pasteurized milk had a chemically (is that a word?) aftertaste. The raw milk had a nice smooth almost grassy taste to it, probably because the cows are grass fed. We waited a day to make sure we didn't get sick, then gave it to the kids. Michael and I were just as nervous to eat our very first egg produced by the chickens. It is laughable that we were so scared to eat our free range chicken eggs. Now we are egg snobs and hate it when the girls aren't producing enough and we have to buy store bought eggs.

The kids were sure that they would hate the raw milk. Disregard the fact that my kids don't know how to close their stinking eyes!

The Raw Milk Revolution

After Dale's raw milk series, I decided I wanted to educate myself further on the topic. I'm reading, "The Raw Milk Revolution". Has anyone out there in blog land read this book? I'm not that far it, but it is really interesting. It does seem like it is very "one sided" on the debate, the author is pro-raw milk. Does anyone have any suggestions on reading material the pose the good and bad regarding raw milk?

Raw Milk: The Ugly

The following is part 4 of Dale’s series - Raw Milk: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The battle between raw milk advocates and pasteurization advocates is heating up and it may get ugly. Here are some of the arguments.
Raw milk advocates:
“There are health benefits of raw milk.”
“Legalizing raw milk is a way to connect consumers with local farmers and it keeps dollars in the local economy.”
“I want to buy raw milk so that I can make my own raw milk cheese which is safe.”
“The government lets you smoke when we know that smoking kills, but you can’t drink raw milk.”
“Every year hundreds are killed by drunk drivers, but we still don’t crack down on them. If fact, legally you can have a couple of drinks and still drive. But you can’t drink raw milk and drive.”
“We are on the verge of legalizing marijuana, but you still can’t buy raw milk.”
“Outlawing raw milk is a conspiracy by the large milk cooperatives to put the little farmers out of business and to maintain control of their market.”
“The government wants to regulate everything, including what we eat.”
The Farm Bureau and dairy farmer associations:
“If the public hears of a case of food poisoning from tainted milk, demand for dairy products will plummet, even if it was raw milk. Remember what happened to the spinach farmers.”
Organic Valley and Horizon organic dairy cooperatives:
“We pay our farmers a large premium for their organic milk. It isn’t fair for our farmers to take advantage of our marketing efforts by selling the same raw milk directly to people.”
Health departments and health care workers:
“Food poisoning from dairy products is almost completely preventable through pasteurization. It seems a small price to pay for public health.”
“Pasteurized milk is not significantly different from raw milk and it is fortified with vitamins.”
“Pasteurizing is cheaper than the health care costs of food poisoning.”
“Uninformed consumers may buy raw milk from dairy farms that do not maintain proper cleanliness.”
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and the Human Society:
“Let’s close down all animal agriculture and eat vegiburgers and tofu.
“Soy milk is a great substitute for cow milk.”
Dale Johnson
I am torn by this issue. I agree with all of the above statements except for PETA and HS. I am a member of “People Eating Tasty Animals” and anyone who says soy milk is a great substitute for cow’s milk cannot be taken seriously.
A coworker of mine who is an animal scientist told me pasteurization does not change the structure of milk, that the enzymes and other components are unaltered by the heating process so that the claim of health benefits of raw milk are bogus. I am an economist by training, but I cannot believe that heating milk does not change it in some way. We may not be able to observe changes with our current scientific tests, but I wouldn’t be surprised if, in the future, we detect significant changes from pasteurization that diminish health benefits.
Maryland outlaws all raw milk sales. Pennsylvania allows regulated raw milk sales by farmers directly to customers. Virginia allows cow shares but in practicality it is a very cumbersome process for the farmer and customer. I haven’t researched the regulations in other states. A farmer in Ontario, Canada was acquitted of 19 charges of distributing raw milk because the judge said he was distributing it to joint owners of his cows and not the public at large. I hope that Myron Martin is successful in his crusade to legalize raw milk sales in Maryland.
My experience is that most people who want to drink raw milk are those who scrutinize everything they eat and that this leads to healthy diets that may reduce obesity, diabetes, heart disease and other diet related illnesses. What are your thoughts about raw milk?
This is a satellite photo of Threemile Canyon Farms near Boardman, Oregon. There are over 20,000 cows at this industrial milk factory. It put 200 family farms similar to Myron & Janet Martin’s farm out of business.

A group of Pennsylvania farmers (many Amish) at a “pasture walk” learning from each other how to improve their management so that they can try to compete with Threemile Canyon Farms.

Here is how I want my milk made - cows contently graze in the early morning fog of a bucolic Maryland pasture.

Raw Milk: The Bad

The following is part 3 of Dale’s series - Raw Milk: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

by Dale

Bukhara, Uzbekistan. It started with mild discomfort through the night – Mr. Stomach letting the taste buds know that a mistake had been made. Mr. Brain hoped for a quick resolution to the problem. But this was not to be. The digestive system armies of good organisms were slowly being overwhelmed by the legions of evil food borne pathogens.
The next morning I was on a dairy farm outside Bukhara. When I realized that things were only going to get worse, I excused myself and asked my driver to take me back to the hotel. It amazed me how a mild skirmish in my stomach escalated into a full fledged war. As the miles ticked off and I was getting sicker, I rolled down the car window in anticipation of an eruption. Through prayer and perseverance I held it off until I reached the hotel. I ran to the front desk, grabbed my key and charged up to my room. I barely got into the bathroom and dropped to my knees before I exploded into the toilet.
When it was over I grabbed the bathtub to support myself and then drug myself to the bed. For the next six hours, each end of my digestive system competed to see who could create the biggest detonation, reminiscent of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I am sure that the blasts were so loud that everyone else in the hotel was saying “That is one sick American.” At one point I thought “I am going out to throw myself over my seventh floor balcony into the court yard below” But then I remembered my family waiting for me back at home.
What was the culprit? Most likely the unpasteurized dairy products I had eaten on a dairy farm I had visited the day before. Does this happen in the United States? Yes. Every year a few people get sick from drinking raw milk. Raw milk is risky. On a cow, the udder and teats are downhill from the anus and the tail is the path between them. Farmers do a great job keeping the cows, the barn, and the milking parlor clean. But just as the old bumper sticker says “S_ _ _ Happens”. And eventually some particles are going to get into the milk, not to mention other naturally occurring pathogens. And that is why milk is pasteurized.
Does my experience in Uzbekistan keep me from drinking raw milk? No. The farmers I get raw milk from are very particular about cleanliness. Am I still at risk? Yes, but the risk is very small. Will I ever quit drinking it? Yes, when my immune system is compromised by disease or old age. Do I discourage others from drinking it? Yes - young children, the elderly, and those with deficient immune systems. I would encourage anyone who starts drinking raw milk to go slowly and allow your body to condition itself. And remember, there is a risk and this is the BAD side of raw milk.
Next in this series – I will discuss the “Ugly” of raw milk, that is, the battle over legalizing it.

On a dairy farm in Uzbekistan

Dale emphasizing a fundament principle – keep feed in front of cows all the time to improve milk production.

Teaching dairy economics to a group of dairy farmers.

Raw Milk: The Good

The following is part 2 of Dale’s series - Raw Milk: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

I drive down a long lane and over a creek to Peace Hollow Farm, an organic grazing dairy farm run by Myron and Janet Martin in the hills of Western Maryland. Beside me in the passenger seat sits 4 glass gallon jugs. I walk into the milk room next to the dairy parlor. The gleaming white painted walls and floor are spotless. But my attention is immediately drawn to the shiny stainless steel 2,000 gallon milk tank. I put my hand on it and it is cold – 34 degrees F. I can hear an agitator slowly stir the milk within. I walk over to the sink and retrieve a spigot. I lean down and remove the plug at the bottom of the milk tank. I attach the spigot and turn the tank valve on to fill my jugs with the precious white liquid. I turn the valve off, replace the spigot with the plug and rinse out the spigot in the sink for the next user. I tuck $12 in a jar labeled “Donations”. I return to my car with my treasure. On my drive out of the farmyard I see Myron in the distance and wave. My spirits are lifted by his smile and my heart is lightened by the thoughts of him and his good wife Janet raising their natural and adopted children along with foster children in need of a home. Lucky is the foster child who makes it into this home for Myron and Janet are Christians, as good a people as Heavenly Father has placed on this earth.
But Myron and I have just broken the law, even if I went home and fed the milk to my cats. It doesn’t matter that Myron let me take the milk for free and I just happened to leave a donation. Even if Myron sold me a share in the cows, he could not give me “my milk” from “my cows”. And this is all evident as the Health department put an end to it in December. They threatened to revoke Myron’s milk license and fine him if he continued this activity. So now my family is back to Grade A, pasteurized, homogenized, vitamin A&D fortified, “BST free” milk. Ugh!
Why do I want raw milk? Raw milk is to a milk connoisseur what a fine wine is to a wine connoisseur. The taste and texture can be savored. Each week can bring a subtle change in the flavor depending on if the cows graze a pasture of lush grass or if they are fed sweet fermented corn silage and alfalfa hay. Raw milk hasn’t been mixed with the milk of a hundred other farmers and pasteurized & homogenized into a boringly uniform product. Some people claim health benefits from enzymes and other components unadulterated by the heating process. Some claim that the larger unhomogenized fat globules are more likely to pass through the human digestive tract without being absorbed by the body, thus making raw milk less fattening. Some lactose intolerant people claim they can drink raw milk. There are many other claims, some reasonable, some wild. I don’t make these arguments. I just like the taste. I like skimming the cream off the top to make ice cream on a hot summer’s evening or to put on my Scottish oatmeal on a cold winter morning, or to churn it into butter for my baked potato or to whip it up to top my pumpkin pie. I also like getting the milk from Peace Hollow Farm and donating to their good work.
Do Myron and Janet benefit from selling raw milk? Not really because the $3/gallon underpriced donation is about the same as the price they receive from the milk they sell to the Organic Valley milk cooperative. But Peace Hollow customers also buy vegetables from the Peace Hollow children or eggs and meat from Myron’s sister. And Myron and Janet just want to make people happy. Other non-organic farmers who sell raw milk do get a higher price than they would from the milk cooperative.
In the eyes of many, raw milk is - well - just plain GOOD!
Next in this series – I will discuss the “Bad” of raw milk, that is, what can possibly go wrong from indulging in it.

Myron and Janet Martin of Peace Hollow Farm

The good life of a dairy cow at Peace Hollow

Milking cows is a family affair

Making corn silage for winter feed

Afternoon nap at Peace Hollow

Raw Milk: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Written by Dale

Raw milk is more controversial than legalizing marijuana. In upcoming articles I will explore the various faucets of this hot issue. About 30% of my work at the University of Maryland is spent helping dairy farmers improve their profitability. I have worked on the old dairy collectives of Poland, Moldova, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. I have toured the high technology automated milking systems (robotic) of Denmark and Holland. I have visited the grazing systems of New Zealand. I have seen the smallest and largest confinement and grazing dairy farms of the United States. The complexity of dairy farms absolutely fascinates me and I crave milk, butter, cheese, ice cream, yogurt, and sour cream. Dairy cows are the wet nurses of the human species and we owe them our love and respect.

I work with dairy farmers that want to sell raw milk and consumers that want to buy it. I work with farmer organizations and health department officials that want to keep raw milk sales prohibited. Before we discuss the controversies, let’s set the stage. Raw milk is not pasteurized or homogenized.
Pasteurization - Raw milk is heated (pasteurized) to kill the most harmful micro organisms or ultra heated (UHT) to kill almost all micro organisms. In 1924, the Food and Drug Administration developed the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance which has been adopted in full or in part by all 50 states. By law, milk must be pasteurized before it is sold in stores.
Homogenization - When milk is allowed to stand, the fat or cream rises to the top because it weighs less than the water and protein portion of the milk. To prevent this from happening, nearly all milk sold in stores is homogenized. The milk is pumped at high pressures through narrow tubes, breaking up the fat globules which will then stay suspended in the milk. Homogenization is not required by law. Homogenization makes processing simpler in delivering uniform dairy products to consumers. Consumers are use to it, and many would not want to go back to “cream line” milk.
In my next article I will discuss the “Good” of raw milk, that is, why do people want it and why do farmers want to sell it?

Holsteins – the “Mother of all milk cows”, very high efficient milk production. These cows are enjoying a tasty ration of corn silage, hay, and grains in a large, well run confinement dairy farm in Pennsylvania.

Jerseys – compact producers of rich, high fat milk. These cows are enjoying fresh grass on the eastern shore of Maryland.





















Dale explains a robotic milking system to his university students.





















Dale’s students face off with a herd of Jersey cows. The farmer is explaining his organic pasturing system.