SB 201 to Gain Celebrity Backing; How Much Do We Really Want to Know About What Happens on the Farm?
Saturday, September 6, 2008 at 11:00AM
The jockeying for SB 201 will move to Hollywood territory this week. Actor Martin Sheen will team up with Sen. Dean Florez, the political force behind SB 201, at a press conference Tuesday at the Whole Foods store in Venice, designed to encourage the governor to sign the legislation.
Sen. Florez will talk about how SB 201 improves food safety, and Martin Sheen will discuss the importance of food choice and how raw milk has been part of his family's good health for many years.
I’m not normally a big fan of celebrity-based events—our country is celebrity-crazed--but I guess if it’s for a cause I agree with, what the heck. And this is California, so why not use the natural resources you have?
According to Mark McAfee, Sheen family members were among his first customers when he started Organic Pastures in 2000. Mark is due to be at the press conference, as is Collette Cassidy of Claravale Farm, and possibly other stars.
What celebrity will the CDFA come up with as a counter? Maybe Darth Vader.
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I was at a Friday evening Sabbath service a couple weeks ago, where the rabbi was discussing the scandal around the country’s largest kosher meat plant in Postville, Iowa. I hadn’t been following the situation all that closely, but I found the rabbi’s passionate sermon intriguing—he argued that for meat to be kosher under Jewish law, not only must the animals be healthy and slaughtered ritualistically, but the workers must be treated humanely. Because the company, AgriProcessor, was abusing its workers, the meat the company produced was not truly kosher.
I should point out that this rabbi’s view isn’t unanimous by any means in the Jewish community. The matter of the Pottsville plant has been the subject of much debate, and groups of Orthodox Jews have inspected the plant and say it adheres to rules that make meat kosher.
Not long after the original expose about Postville, federal immigration authorities raided the place—not because of concerns about the meat, but about illegal workers. The government compounded the problem of abuse of the workers by deporting the breadwinners of many of the worker families, which the rabbi decried as simply making worse the original offense.
I bring the Pottsville situation up because of the discussion following my August 31 posting concerning the matter of a state discovery of medication at Organic Pastures’ dairy. A few people were understandably concerned, and Mark McAfee was just a little defensive in his explanation.
The bigger problem, of course, is that most of us have little idea about what happens in barns and slaughterhouses. That’s why there was so much shock and outrage over the videos of the downer cows captured by the Humane Society, that appeared on YouTube last spring.
Such ignorance makes discussions like the one between Mark and his questioners especially useful. The questions by consumers often sound both naïve and accusatory to someone like Mark, who spends every day involved in the minutiae of running a dairy, and takes much for granted. It's all testimony to how far removed many of us are from farm life.
I know I experience that sense of ignorance when I visit raw milk dairies. On a few occasions, I’ve seen the dairies feed their cows a treat of oats when they first come in for milking. It’s conditioning, to get them to cooperate more eagerly than they might. But does it violate the dairies’ “pasture-fed” commitment? I’ve just assumed it’s one of those little informalities, among many, and I haven’t wanted to sound either accusatory or naïve by asking.
I do think I know the answer to the question from Concerned Consumer, who wonders what happens to the cattle sold off by Organic Pastures after treatment with antibiotics or other drugs: they are sent back into the vast factory farm system, where no questions are asked, or even allowed, because honest answers would upset us too much. This is the system the regulators uphold, so why would they be concerned about such a scenario?
A New Hampshire farmer I often purchase beef from isn’t certified organic, but is committed to organic principles. She says she occasionally uses antibiotics if an animal’s life is in danger, and keeps the animal on. She also says she raises her animals “with love.” I accept that, and find her farm’s meat dense and flavorful. I agree with the rabbi that there is a spiritual component to all this, and you won’t find the spirit you are looking for on this country’s vast feedlots.
Reader Comments (19)
Some who have viewed the PETA video from Agriprocessors in Postville do not consider the meat to be kosher, because the animals experience great cruelty. http://www.rrrina.com/kosher.htm
More on kosher slaughter here: http://www.jewishveg.com/media11.html
There's also an immigration fraud angle to that story that is not being addressed beyond this article: http://projectusa.org/2008/05/18/biggest-immig-raid-ever-much-worse-than-you-think/
I believe the worker-abuse angle (which is bad, and standard throughout the industry) is being used as a diversion from the fact that the meat is not actually kosher, and the conditions are dreadful.
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Thank you Martin Sheen!
The location of the Press Conference may be changing but the date is not.
I will let you know if it does.
It is awesome to have the entire Sheen family including, Martin, Charlie, Emilio and Janet supporting whole real unprocessed milk and SB 201 in CA. The Sheens raised their kids on raw milk and as a family believe in its nutritional value.
The whole food revolution is a personal health revolution and those that drink raw milk know what I am talking about.
For more about SB 201 watch this professionally produced you tube video about raw milk.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5FoFoFNeCk
Thank you Sheens!!
Mark McAfee
Founder OPDC
Initially antibiotics were cheap and effective however as time went by they became less effective and in many instances caused more harm then good. They can be attributed with a great deal of undue suffering due to their overall negative affect on an animal’s immune system which in turn increased the animal’s susceptibility to ubiquitous antibiotic resistant organisms, and parasites etc.
In the last 25 years I have not used antibiotics, vaccines or pesticides on my animals and based on my observations the animals are healthier and I am financially further ahead.
As the saying goes “shit happens” so there will be pain and suffering. My decision is to deal with such problems in as natural a way as possible.
Ken Conrad
Saddled with the capitalism of our current food choices for too long the understanding of how our food is treated will be slow in coming.
As organic is a step in the right direction it is no way the end all of sustainability and in some cases worse off in animal health, treatment, & nutrient density for feed to the animals and eventually food to our table.
The economics of direct marketing and its higher return still does not allow for the abiltiy to retire a quality producing animal because of a regime of anitibiotics which now renders her usless to the organic trade but still would be a quality animal in the conventional market.
And who are we to say and how open are we to our fellow man that we should destroy this animal and or allow it to consume precious and scarce resources in lue of feeding our less fortunate cousins in the city who deserve a product to simply survive rather than optimize their health as we who are on this site have the ability to do.
We farmers who feed people directly are more educators than anything, destroying myths instilled by corporate america that anything one can swallow is good for you and that all our food comes pastural settings and all animals die with a smile on their face.
It is my job to do the best I can to give a good life to that which feeds me (land and beast), that does not always fit within the scope of organic, and it is my experience with working with thousands of other farmers to hold one ideal as the only way, is to compromise that abilty to do whats best given the millions of variables thrown our way.
Tim Wightman
“Everyone seemed to be lactose intolerant even though we are told that about 30% of the population should be LI.”
I hope this will further understandings about the subject of lactose digestion in the body.
Most of us are unable to digest lactose or other complex sugars without healthy gut flora. These complex sugars must be broken down into simple sugars before they can be absorbed by the villi of the intestinal wall.
Primary digesters of lactose in the gut are Lactobacilli and friendly strains of E. coli. (As some people already know, healthy strains of E. coli are also our best protection against pathogenic strains such as E. coli 0157:H7.) A healthy gut has a rich, turf-like covering composed of beneficial bacteria, viruses, fungi and yeasts which protect and aid the cells of our intestinal wall. It is our best protection against lurking unhealthy strains of opportunistic flora (such as the yeast Candida albicans) or against outside “invaders”. Besides this protective role, the “turf” digests food particles, helps the intestinal wall absorb nutrients, neutralizes toxic material, and aids in flushing of waste materials from the body.
If the gut flora has been damaged by “phoods”, by antibiotics, or was never well-established in the first place during the birthing process, then both our digestion of food and our immune system will be compromised. (If a mother has poor gut flora, her vaginal flora will likewise be compromised - - and it is this flora that gives the newborn its first inoculation during a normal birth.)
With respect to the consumption of dairy later in life, people seem to fall into several categories.
● For people who have healthy gut flora and/or make plenty of lactase, the digestion of dairy (raw or pasteurized) presents few noticeable problems.
● For many who are labeled lactose intolerant, it is essential that their dairy be raw. This milk serves them as a source of lactase and feeds their beneficial gut flora, which produces further lactase to aid lactose digestion.
● People whose gut flora and intestinal walls have been damaged extensively may be unable to tolerate any dairy whatsoever. They must first rebuild healthy gut flora and healthy cells lining their gut before they can utilize any dairy products in their diet.
● People whose traditional culture does not include any dairy products lack not only lactase, as adults, but also may lack a significant population of lactose digesting bacteria in their gut. I know of several Native Americans, diagnosed with lactose intolerance, who have overcome this problem by initially consuming small amounts of raw dairy until their flora altered. Another drank his milk only after culturing it with kefir grains. (Kefiring milk for 48 hours will convert/predigest all of the lactose in the milk. Kefir grains are composed of symbiotic communities of bacteria and yeast and, as such, kefired milk will serve very nicely to help re-establish healthy gut flora.)
My story: I was raised on a farm in Central Illinois where I developed a preference for milk, straight-from-the-cow, at the age of three. Unfortunately, my parents learned their farming skills from the University of Illinois in the 1940’s, where pasteurization was heavily promoted in the agriculture programs – so I had to sneak out to the barn when the hired man did the milking to get my raw milk! I, too, graduated from the U of I with a degree in Microbiology and later worked as a Microbiologist in Cambridge, England.
I probably fall into the third category. Following years of lactose intolerance, I ran into Weston Price’s work via Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon. I returned to raw milk in the form of kefir to successfully recover from arthritic pain and stiffness in my hands and shoulders.
Amen!!
Your comments are dead on target.
Thanks for explaining why nearly all Americans can drink raw milk but many just bloat up with Pasteurized milk.
We have a new campaign at OPDC....it is:
RAW MILK - NO "LI".
This should get some people asking about "GOT LI".
Mark McAfee
I love it when they start throwing percentages around -
And Mark you hit it on the head - that "bloating " feeling we get ( that so many OTC remedies are developed to relieve) is our body telling us "stop eating dead food! "
People , you need to stop supporting the companies that make mega bucks because you are miserable - you cannot digest food that is sterile and full of genetically modified ,ultra pasteurized, super radiated ,preserved gunk and colored to make it look better. Oh and don't forget they add high fructose corn syrup and "flavor" to help it taste better.
I have had many tell me that they are LI - but have no problem with raw milk. That is as good as any clinical science out there to me. After all what do Drs prescribe for LI .....? The enzyme Lactase - which is found naturally where - raw milk. DUH.
The link has a short video as well.
Concerning LI, WAPF has funded research in our cooperative and several others. The work was coordinated by Ted Beals, MD and his wife Peg, RN (disclosure: I helped as well). Preliminary statistics (reported on this blog on February 22, 2008 - search "lactose intolerance") for over 2700 respondents showed 82% could drink raw milk, out of those who had previously been advised by a healthcare professional they were lactose intolerant.
Well thought out. I share your perspective.
David Kendall
This past Fall my husband and I built a mobile processing unit (currently licensed for small animals - but amendable if we choose to expand). Unlike the common thought, it is not impossible to do, and does not have to break the bank! We paid for ours completely by raising and selling 65 pastured turkeys. During our "off" season, when the grass isn't growing and no meat chix are in the field, we can use it as a commercial kitchen. This allows us to USE any produce that we could not sell, thus creating a solution to a marketing problem in the summer that we farmers often run into. I mean, how many zucchini's can we really sell in the heat of the season? But pickled zucchini in jars for Christmas (key: also gives farmer income during winter...)? Mmmmm
I think the importance of keeping things small-scale and diverse (everything works together, and benefits each other aspect) is important, again, for many reasons.
All of this to say that it can be done, and it doesn't have to break you*. You just have to think outside the box, and be ready to back up your logic to your DOA with an open mind. It's a new generation and a new time, and we all need to stretch a little bit, and I believe the DOA is going to be more accepting of that as we go. Or at least I hope so!
*And it doesn't have to be YOU alone. If it is built to be mobile, it can be shared by the community. By sharing, you are opening a new market for farmers to tap into, providing legal foods that have been raised AND HARVESTED on the farm, in a legal manner, which can be more accessible to stores, restaurants, farmers markets, and to the general consumer. And by splitting the expensive with other households, you could be VERY small scale and not be in debt. Which makes farming so much more peaceful! ;-)
It may be necessary to use a little grain when first training cows to come into the stanchion for milking. But that should only be necessary for a few days or weeks the first year they milk. After that the cows will come in on their own. So the regular use of grain isn't necessary; its either a handicap for cow training or (more likely) for pasture management and either way the milk isn't 100% grass-fed.
Pete
Thanks for any insight.
Roan
Tthe cited WSJ article says: "A butcher in a floor-length apron kills, skins, guts and trims the pigs into slabs of meat that are then hung in the cooler and trundled to a packaging plant." I would think the aging and packaging takes place in the packaging plant.
I am curious to know how "In Every Season" answers the question. Does he also use a packaging plant?
If you want a well aged beef around here you have to hang it in your garage.
Your abattoir situation is intriguing.
Here in the foothills, our grass-fed beef rancher trucks his animals destined for retailers to a small USDA-inspected facility in Orland - - about 95 miles one way. His custom market is mostly local, and these animals he slaughters at the ranch. At Orland, the animal is slaughtered, hung for two weeks, cut, and packaged. Optionally the packages are frozen. When all is ready, he returns to pick them up.
He told my wife the other day that he's going to build an abattoir on his place because of the time and expense to get there and back and the stress on the animals.
We, and people we know here, grow chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese and rabbits. Your county and state and the details of how your abattoir looks like would be very much appreciated. If there is stuff you would rather not share on this blog, you could email (daveshanken@juno.com) me your phone number as well as the best time to reach you, and I would call you back.
Many thanks for your ingenuity.
David Kendall
We have a walk-in cooler that we use to age our meat. Our MPU doesn't often leave the farm, tho' next year we expect it to often, thus we made it to be "expandable" to allow for growth. At that point they can use coolers (that go with the MPU, and are approved) to transport harvested meat to our larger cooler for aging, or to an approved "warehouse" for aging.
Some folks will fill the coolers with ice and age them for a shorter amount of time that way. Some harvest the chickens and sell them immediately, with instructions to age at home.
Our MPU is designed to also be the packaging room, and so everything happens from start to finish in there, even if the aging is a bit of time between the two processes.
So there are different ways of handling it, all decent options. If you design it to be small, affordable, and immobile (or at least do not plan on using it off-farm), it alleviates these concerns. And since it CAN be affordable, more farmers can potentially have on-farm facilities, including cooler space for aging. Zoning would be your biggest stumbling block for this, tho', unless you keep it on wheels - Which gives you future flexibility!
Laws do vary from state to state, tho', and so this option may or may not work for everyone. If it doesn't, it's worth talking to your DOA about other states that are more progressive in this regard - get some listening ears!
Hope that helps!