Why I’m Thankful for Lots of Brave Dairy Producers, and Why It’s Difficult to Go Back to Being a Slave
Thursday, November 27, 2008 at 11:48AM 
I’m especially thankful this Thanksgiving for dairy farmers Barb and Steve Smith. Along with others like Mark Nolt, Glen Wise, Richard Hebron, Mark McAfee, Ron Garthwaite, Collette Cassidy, Michael Schmidt, Lori and Darren McGrath, and others I am temporarily blanking out on.
These individuals have stood up to the tyranny our government has become to provide us with life-giving raw dairy products. It’s not as if they’re doing it to become rich, since raising dairy cows is not too often a road to riches.
Standing up to tyranny is much easier said than done. It means confronting regulators, and sometimes entire platoons of regulators and police flooding your property in search of...pure milk. I know how my heart races when I’m stopped by a state trooper for a traffic violation and all I face is the possibility of a fine—I can only begin to imagine what it’s like to confront cars full of them, trying to take away my livelihood.
The extra challenge is that once you stand up to them, there’s really no going back, unless you’re prepared to shuffle back and lick their boots. It’s easy to think, like Amanda Rose commented following the announcement of the judge’s decision on the Smiths: “I forgot why the Smiths took the LLC approach to begin with. I'm glad dairying is still an option for them.”
It doesn’t work like that. The Smiths took the LLC approach because, like so many producers of raw milk, they were being harassed when they held a permit issued by the state—I described their plight in a post a year ago. The Smiths thought they might escape the harassment by adopting a private shareholder arrangement, as all kinds of clubs and organizations do. But they discovered, as we are all discovering, that increasingly, there is no place outside the regulatory system. Moreover, there is no way to appeal the regulators’ actions, no matter how arbitrary, since anyone you appeal to tells you that the regulators are all-powerful.
There’s even this little nugget Judge Egan included in his decision on the Smiths, which I neglected to quote: that a regulation from New York's Department of Agriculture and Markets “has the force of law and should be interpreted no differently from a statute.” So regulators can make up any regulation they want—say, that farmers caught drinking their cows’ milk can be barred from ever owning cows again--and presto, it’s as if elected representative passed it and the chief executive signed it into law.
And now that a judge has decreed that anyone who produces milk in New York, presumably even the farmer who milks his own cow, can’t consume raw milk without getting a permit, well, protesters forced back into the permit realm are not unlike runaway slaves of the 1800s who were caught and returned to their owners. They could expect a less than cordial reception once their slave shackles were re-attached.
Here is how Barbara Smith asks the question on this Thanksgiving day: “Why would we put ourselves, and the security of our children, in the hands of those who can at any moment make us essentially destitute, with no recourse or chance for a REAL fair hearing! We need security for ourselves and our kids and Ag and Markets does not provide that for small farmers, despite the fact that their charter says they are supposed to be supporting farmers and farming in New York State.”
I don’t know what the Smiths are going to do. But they should know that lots of us are thankful that they have done as much as they have, which is a huge amount.
Reader Comments (11)
Hope everyones day was filled with good food, good drink and good company.
"THE INDIVIDUAL IS HANDICAPPED BY COMING FACE TO FACE WITH A CONSPIRACY SO MONSTROUS HE CANNOT BELIEVE IT EXISTS"
J EDGAR HOOVER
Well lets see....
I have never promised or suggested that raw milk can not cause illness. What I do promise everyone is that...if you do drink raw milk everyday... your immune system will be much stronger as a direct result. That is a fact.
The list of potential pathogens in America grows longer and we grow more and receptive to becoming ill from them....the more we eat sterilized foods and take antibiotics. That is also a fact.
Ethics....what about the FDA killing thousands of people per year as a direct result of their approved drugs...drugs that kill people. FDA drugs and the doctors that push them are the biggest cause of death in America. Ethics....?
Nutrition has been ignorred in America....nutrition is where prevention of disease begins and ends.
Raw milk can cause illness but it is rare and a raw milk death ( from retail approved regulated and tested raw milk ) has not been recorded that I can find. There are deaths from raw milk cheeses that are made from garbage class B milk. Not milk intended for human consumption. Not milk that was tested and labeled and regulated.
I stand on the highest ethical ground that exists. I stand here with my customers and we defy the corrupt FDA and their minions that profit from death.
Raw milk brings life and supports healing of immune systems. What higher ehthical ground can their be ??
As far as liability insurance is concerned. We are considering adding a legal disclaimer on our raw dairy products. It is hard to sue a dairy farmer that adds such a disclaimer on his products. Our insurance is not that expensive. In CA all unprocessed farm products are lumped together under the same coverage. Almonds, alfalfa, grapes, they are all raw. Our policy does not differentiate between them.
Ethics...I am blown away by the thought that ethics is an issue with tested regulated lebeled retail approved raw milk. Our dairy products have brought healing to tens of thousands of California citizens that are deeply grateful.
No where in any speech I have every made did I promise perfect food safety. Yes I have given the stats on our testing and CDFA testing...but never a promise of perfect.
It does not exist...three people died from pasteurized milk last year and three died from spinach and more from chile and the list goes on. But it does not seem to matter much...raw milk is the bastard child and gets beaten with food safety lies....
Perfect food safety does not exist....strong immune systems do exist and they are created by lots of whole foods and raw milk. This is the only pathway forward in America. The other roads lead to more of todays increasing disease and medical disasters.
Parents that I speak with (like in the U Tube Videos linked above) will not follow the brainwashing FDA to drug and illness hell. They love their kids and want them to have strong immune systems to avoid disease.
I sleep very well at night...
Ethically,
Mark McAfee
You posted on the wrong thread of comments. You’re referring to comments made on the previous post.
This was the question, “is it ethical to encourage people to try raw milk for their children without presenting all the facts, both pros and cons, on this subject?”
You didn’t actually answer the question. When and where do you present the cons on the subject of raw milk? I haven’t been able to find them.
Also, based on what you just stated [We are considering adding a legal disclaimer on our raw dairy products. It is hard to sue a dairy farmer that adds such a disclaimer on his products], would you be opposed to a sign above your products stating all of the possible pathogen risks if your milk happened to be contaminated?
The “sign” would probably benefit you in the future if legal issues cropped up again.
cp
This is another comment that wasn't addressed following other comments under an earlier post by David on a Campylobacter investigation in California in 2007:
"As far as OPDC having on going illness or pathogen problem, I am completely confused as to what is being referred to? Discounting the September 2006 incident, there have been no other alleged illnesses."
Sorry to put you on the spot, but do you agree now that "pathogens" (campylobacters) were found in your milking cow's manure? Isn't that a fact too, which requires revisions to previous statements that appeared to suggest no pathogens are found in "grass fed" cow poo?
Thank YOU and your readers Again for this awesome blog!! I too voiced my gratitude for small local farmers; yesterday, and jeez, just about every day.
Mark, I welcome your posts any time, regardless of current thread - you're on topic!
Don, bless you but crikey - can you give us a link? They don't make it easy to post comments. Sorry if I missed this earlier - been cooking in the kitchen..........
My brother says every Thanksgiving he reads the Mayflower Compact. (I couldn't find it on the net) He tells me that on the way over here, the Pilgrims realized that they had significant differences in faith and moral direction. In fact, there was wide conflict and in-fighting. So much for American roots of unity...
They recognized this conflict and wrote a compact that said regardless of their differences, they would all agree to disagree, but follow basic cohesive survival rules of community when they landed. The original document is not available, but it was the 1st founding agreement for America, and maybe one we should re-construct?
One of the things that delights me about the raw milk movement is the diverse, politically opposite types that it attracts. We find ourselves duking it out over sex, politics and religion but by God, we are united in our right to choose raw milk.
Unalienable rights. We shall overcome. We shall live in peace.
The Washington Post reported that this month a record all time high 30 million Americans will be on food stamps. Last June it was reported that the US grain reserves were at a 60 low and grain exports were increasing. And the US now imports 50% of our food. When the US fiat paper dollar collaspes what will we use to pay for the imported food.
WE CAN NOT EVEN AFFORD TO LOOSE ONE FARM. MSM REPORTS ANYWHERE NO.
This is utter madness and insanity that we are even discussing loosing farms to cow and pig gas!!!
Is this at the root of it all?
"FOOD IS POWER WE USE IT TO CHANGE BEHAVIOR SOME MAY CALL IT BRIBERY. WE DO NOT APOLOGIZE"
St. Petersburg Times 1998 Catherine Bertini UN World Food Program Executive Director and former US Assistant AG Secertary.
likely eating this recalled crap won't kill you outright, more likely it's just a small dose of some toxin or another...
what a sad mess our system has created....
link: http://www.fda.gov/opacom/7alerts.html
Recalls, Withdrawals and Alerts in the Last 60 Days:
This page includes the most significant product actions of the last 60 days, based on the extent of distribution and the degree of health risk. The recalls on the list are mainly Class I. A record of all recalls (Class I, II, and III) can be found in the FDA Enforcement Report. Definitions of Class I, II, and III recalls.
Search Only Class I Recalls
You can search by: brand, product, company
View Recalls and Safety Alerts By Date
November 24, 2008
Balanced Health Products, Inc. Conducts Voluntary Urgent Nationwide Recall of Starcaps Dietary Supplement Capsules Found to Contain an Undeclared Drug Ingredient
Stop & Shop Recalls Butternut Squash in Prepared Turkey and Ham Dinner
November 23, 2008
Fashion Sanctuary Issues a Voluntary Nationwide Recall of All Lots of Zhen De Shou Fat Loss Capsules Found to Contain an Undeclared Drug Ingredient
November 20, 2008
PANOS Brands Recalls Vegan Rella Cheddar Block
Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. Issues Voluntary Recall on Wegmans Italian Classics Seasoned Tomato Sauce
November 14, 2008
Seattle's Favorite Gourmet Cookies & Dessert Co Issues Nationwide Allergy Alert on Undeclared Milk in Muffin Tops
November 13, 2008
CSI USA, Inc. Issues Voluntary National Recall of Topical Acne Cream
November 7, 2008
Nestlé USA Voluntarily Recalls Two Production Codes of Nestlé Nesquik Strawberry Powder
ETHEX Corporation Initiated Nationwide Voluntary Recalls of Specific Lots of Five Generic Products Due to the Potential for Oversized Tablets
Johnson and Johnson--Merck Consumer Pharmaceuticals Company Announces Urgent Voluntary Nationwide Recall Of Infants' Mylicon Gas Relief Dye Free Drops (Simethicone-Antigas) Non-Staining Due To Possible Metal Fragments
Amy’s Kitchen Inc. Issues Allergy Alert and Voluntary National Recall due to Possible Undeclared Milk in Tofu Scramble in a Pocket Sandwich; Lot Code H148
November 6, 2008
FDA Seizes Contaminated Heparin from a Cincinnati Manufacturer
November 5, 2008
FDA Reports Nationwide Recall of Mislabeled ReliOn Insulin Syringes
November 3, 2008
Nestlé Withdraws Nestlé Farinha Lactea Cereal in the United States
October 31, 2008
General Mills Issues Voluntary Class One Recall Involving One Day’s Production of Progresso Hearty Tomato Soup
October 29, 2008
Everlasting Distributors Inc. Issues a Nationwide Recall of Fresh and Crispy Jacobina Biscuits Because of Possible Health Risks
October 27, 2008
Mars Petcare US Issues Voluntary Recall of a Limited Number of Bags of SPECIAL KITTY® Gourmet Sold at Wal-Mart locations in Fifteen States due to Potential Salmonella Contamination
October 24, 2008
Thoratec Corporation Issues Worldwide Medical Device Correction of HeartMate II® Left Ventricular Assist System
October 22, 2008
Harry and David Issues Nationwide Allergy Alert on Undeclared Pecans in Harry & David Moose Munch Confection, Milk Chocolate Gingerbread
Nonna's Real Italiana Cuccine Issues an Allergy Alert on Undeclared Milk, Soy, and Wheat in Stuffed Artichokes
October 21, 2008
Portland Shellfish Co. Inc, Recalls Claw Island Brand Lobster Claw and Knuckle Meat Because of Possible Health Risk
October 20, 2008
The Hartz Mountain Corporation Voluntarily Recalls One Specific Lot of Nationwide Chicken-Basted Rawhide Chips Because of Possible Health Risk
October 17, 2008
Lotte USA, Inc. Initiates Nationwide Recall of Koala's March Crème filled Cookies
October 15, 2008
ETHEX Corporation Voluntarily Recalls Three Lots of Dextroamphetamine Sulfate 5mg Tablets Due to the Potential for Oversized Tablets
October 10, 2008
HUA XIA Food Trade USA, Inc. Recalls YILI Brand Sour Milk Drink and YILI Brand Pure Milk Drink, Because of Possible Health Risk
Barry Callebaut USA LLC Issues Allergen Alert on Undeclared Milk Protein in Kroger Value Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
JFC International, Inc. Issues Allergy Alert on Undeclared Sulfite in "Kyosai Sengiri Daikon" Dried Radish
October 9, 2008
In Specific U.S. Markets, Russell Stover Candies, Inc. Issues Hazelnut Allergy Alert for the 2 7/8 Oz Size Of Private Reserve Assorted Chocolates
October 8, 2008
Arnold Foods Company, Inc. Issues Allergy Alert on Undeclared Nuts in Brownberry Whole Grains Bread 100% Whole Wheat
October 6, 2008
FDA Detects Melamine Contamination in Flavored Drink
Consumer Alert: Possible Botulism Contamination in "Frozen Salted Croaker"
Consumer Alert: Undeclared Sulfites in "Shad Raisins"
October 3, 2008
Tristar Food Wholesale Co Inc. Issues a Nationwide recall of Blue Cat Flavor Drink Because of Possible Health Risk
October 1, 2008
Mr. Brown 3-In-1 & and 2-In-1 Powdered Packets in Bag Coffee Mixes Due To Health Risk
September 30, 2008
McCormick & Company Has Recalled McCormick Enchilada Sauce Mix Due To Unlabeled Milk Ingredients
September 26, 2008
FDA Updates Health Information Advisory on Melamine Contamination
QFCO, Inc. Recalls White Rabbit Candy Because of Possible Health Risk
NY Fish Inc. Recalls Imperial-European Style Smoked Salmon Because of Possible Health Risk
Lion Pavilion Issues Alert on Undeclared Sulfites in Yulanpian Brand Dried Slices of Tender Bamboo Shoots
September 24, 2008
CaJohns Fiery Foods Company Recalls HDH Grillin' Sauce
September 23, 2008
Fineland Corp Issues Alert on Undeclared Sulfites in Ying Feng Foodstuffs Brand Pumpkin Seeds
Mom's Food Products, Inc. Issues Allergy Alert On Undeclared Eggs in Sandwiches and Potato Salad
FDA Updates Health Information Advisory on Melamine Contamination
http://www.dailygazette.com/news/2008/nov/29/1129_moomoopoo/
Wow. Can't argue with the 1st part - Food is Power. That's my goal; I want that power. And we haven't even scratched the surface with water wars.
I find myself wondering if I am resilient enough to bear the next 5 years. Better start pushing the floor, cancel Christmas (except for the freezer & side of beef).. Tell me, how many of you think the dollar will collapse?
Gosh if people are trampling and shooting each other over shopping items, is there any doubt that fear and lawlessness will prevail when the food shortage hits? Do I need to learn how to shoot a gun? Am I crazy for even thinking these thoughts? Will reason prevail in this country? Nah - they've already lost it, haven't they. We. I mean we.
Thanks to Hugh Betcha's list, it's clear their phood is poison, real food from real farmers will become our only medicine. Hugh, no obligation, but I'd like to see a similar list on FDA approved poisons... Big Pharma is already dead - big layoffs there too...
The good side of this wretched detox is that we will become stronger, our connection to topsoil will become vital, and the meek shall inherit the earth That line always hit home for me. You learn that when you raise animals or try to grow your food. Humility. We are so small.
Farmers are HUGE -- and humble.I owe them my life. And my family's.
-bliar
The health benefits and the truth about raw dairy from clean healthy grass fed cows cannot be denied. Raw dairy from grass fed cows has been a gift from GOD for thousands of years. Who would dare to deny us that gift? TPTB of course!
Just as we learned from our personal pain from consuming the SAD we are as well feeling the pain of the loss of our weath via the fiat paper money system as it is debased by the money changers that stand behind the curtain with important sounding names and titles to deceive us. We are warned as well in the OT about using unjust weights and measures which the fiat paper debt based monopoly money system is a classic example. Gold and silver is a time honored form of money that has always been hated by TPTB and their bankers, perhaps that would be something to use again plus it would be very difficult to conduct modern warfare using gold and silver.
We are the vanguard of modern day America that are leading the way out of the utter darkness and mine fields of lies pouring out of this destructive system. More and more Americans are begining to learn what we already know, thats the good news.