The Complete Patient

Dan Corrigan makes an important point in a comment on yesterday's post, correctly raising the specter of a very upset constituency unable to procure a product that has become essential to many if Michigan authorities come down hard on the Family Farms Cooperative and its manager-farm member, Richard Hebron.

Michigan politicians have been slow to react to the twin affronts of a farmer having his home searched and losing thousands in product, and a retailer being intimidated into signing a questionable "cease and desist" order. But now it appears as if the telephone calls and emails by members of the Family Farms Cooperative and others may be paying some dividends.

The Michigan representative whose district includes Ann Arbor, Chris Kolb, says he is quite upset by what happened, and has communicated his displeasure to the Michigan Department of Agriculture. In a letter to constituents who had been pressing him, he said that immediately after reports of the incidents Oct. 13, he contacted the MDA to let them "know of everyone's frustration, displeasure, and outrage with the actions taken by the Department."

In addition, he stated, "I have met personally with the Director of Agriculture Mitch Irwin. I  conveyed to him in the strongest terms my disappointment and opposition to the actions taken by the Department.I also let him know that I expected that future deliveries would be allowed without harassment by the Department. I have asked Director Irwin to review the actions taken. I believe that there were many alternative actions that could have been taken to resolve any concerns the Department had with this farmer and the cow-sharing program."

Rep. Kolb also indicated his support for legislation that would specifically "authorize cow-sharing to ease the availability of raw milk to Michigan residents." Right now, cow-sharing arrangements of the type used by Family Farms Cooperative aren't disallowed, but they aren't specifically permitted under law, so they fall into kind of a gray area that allows the MDA to crack down when it sees fit.

Michigan residents who have contacted U.S. Senator Carl Levin over concerns about the federal Food and Drug Administration's involvement in the case will need to be patient. A press person in his office said the senator is awaiting a written copy via snail mail of a letter he had been emailed last week seeking his intervention, and won't be taking any action till he receives it.

As vocal as the raw-milk constituency is, most politicians likely see it as including a small number of voters. But clearly, the word is beginning to get out. Might Rep. Kolb's visit to the MDA help explain why the investigation into the co-op seems to be moving faster than expected?