In Vonderplanitz Affair, Sharon Palmer Is Left to Wonder If She's a Main Actor, or Bit Player in More Intricate Plot
Tuesday, July 6, 2010 at 09:13AM 
Sharon Palmer (Copyright Fillmore Gazette)When the approximately twenty agents arrived at her farmhouse door at 7 a.m. last Wednesday--from the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office, Los Angeles County Sheriff, Ventura County sheriff, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture--Sharon Palmer didn't know what to say. She had just the previous day pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of mislabeling goat's milk cheese that took more than a year to materialize from two previous raids in late 2008 and 2009, pushed by CDFA. She thought that at the least the authorities would leave her alone until that case was resolved, since she had made no attempt to get back into her original business of selling raw goat's milk and cheese.
But her 12-year-old daughter, Jasmine, wasn't the least bit tongue-tied. "She started back-talking to them," recalls Palmer. "She said, 'If you take my computer again, I can't do my homework.' This would be the third computer we will have lost. I still haven't gotten the computers back that they took in the previous two raids." (I wrote several posts about Sharon Palmer after the first raid, and then about her ongoing legal problems.)
Alas, the agents took nearly six hours to conduct their "search," and took the replacement computer, along with goat's milk Palmer feeds her chickens and pigs, since she can't sell it--"The chickens get the curd and the pigs get the whey," she told me.
The raid last Wednesday on Sharon Palmer's farm was carried out on the same day as a raid on Rawesome Foods, the Venice, CA, buying club run by nutritionist and raw-food advocate Aajonus Vonderplanitz. The main difference seems to be that her raiding party didn't include agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and Canada, as did the Rawesome raid.
Because the CDFA had previously suspended her dairy license, in late 2008, Palmer says she had worked hard to survive without selling dairy products, instead selling beef, pork, chickens, and eggs she raises on the farm. "They nearly forced me out of business with the previous raids," she says. She and her three children "are barely surviving."
She had continued providing milk to Vanderplanitz's Rawesome as part of a previously existing herdshare arrangement. "I'm not part of Aajonus' business," Palmer told me. He and other owners of the goats "have their herdshare and pick up their milk here." They even do their own bottling.
The search warrant, executed by a CDFA agent, refers to "ongoing criminal actions since January 2009." She says one of the agents said it was ongoing "about cheese and milk." When she inquired of the man who identified himself as being with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office as to why they were after her again when all she was doing was fulfilling terms of a herdshare agreement, he said, "We don't agree you can have a private membership."
What's perhaps most astonishing to Palmer is that, at a time when California state and local agencies are announcing mammoth layoffs--more than 200,000 state employees have been furloughed--an assortment of agencies are throwing huge amounts of manpower at her and Aajonus Vonderplanitz.
"They can afford to have between both locations (Rawesome and Palmer's farm) 65 different people spend a day. And how much time was spent preparing everything? Who authorizes that kind of money from Los Angeles County to go through my receipts?...It's not about public safety. These are all private members. I could see if I was peddling milk to the public, but I'm not. It's disgusting that they can abuse public funds for something that doesn't involve public safety."
Her main hope is that by going after Aajonus Vonderplanitz and his food club, authorities might at last rile up consumers enough that they will contact their local politicians, and force authorities to explain what is driving such a high-priority investigation. Following the previous raids on her farm in late 2008 and early 2009, she says she didn't see much evidence of consumer support. "People tend to stand back," she says.
Vonderplanitz, for his part, is threatening to sue government agencies for the attack on the food club.
He said in a statement over the weekend, "The club is severely in debt because of the confiscation of members' food. Warrant stated that authorities could take samples (vials) but they took 17 huge coolers of product."
He added: "Several of the volunteers for our club, including me (I do not make one cent from anything distributed at Rawesome and I pay for farmers' services like everyone else), conferenced with several attorneys and paralegals. We have decided to sue the government for their violations."
Vonderplanitz had previously stated that his nonprofit organization, Right to Consume Healthy Food, "contracts with farmers (including Palmer's) to lease their animals and/or fields and owns the produce of those animals and fields. Therefore, all members of all clubs owns the produce, not the farmer. The farmer does not sell people anything but gets paid for his services to cultivate, grow, harvest, board and care for animals, collect, package and ship the produce owned by club members."
For all the dust and confusion raised by last week's raids, I'd say one major target is the entire herdshare/buying club structure. And don't be surprised if there are others.
Reader Comments (28)
This is about control, CFR 1240.61 and raw milk......this is about some sick perversion that requires authority over everything. This is about the sick idea that the state must control food and provide permission to operate under their standards and conditions.
I dearly hope that Augonus sues and wins.....he fought in 1999 and won in LA.... now for the big battle. This battle will define what is left of our freedoms and constitution.
This really shows how the state and feds demand that everyone works inside the system and that anything outside the system is a terrorist act..when it is not. The FEDS and CDFA have been silent at OPDC for quite some time....we have also been 100% legal and compliant. Perhaps my idea of compliance and submission at least until the movement is big and strong enough to change the laws... is the right track.
Rawsome....really needs video footage of the raids. There is no way to gather the support needed for change if you stray far off the playing field.
I am disgusted.
Mark
Why am I not surprised? When not only consumers, but farmers as well refuse to stand up and publicly say "enough is enough" and demand rights...when even those farmers whine and cry in the background under the cloak of anonymity and refuse to stand up demanding their rights, preferring to let others fight their battles for them, why should we expect consumers to be up in arms?
No one will stand up in defense of someone who will not stand up in defense of themselves.
milk farmer (and others)...see how much good it did this person to just sit back quietly doing her (legal) thing? You, and others like you, might be next...and since you've been so unwilling to fight, why would anyone fight for you when that happens?
Bob BUBBABOZO Hayles
Will they eventually come for me, and try to change what I do? Maybe. That spectre doesn't weigh too heavily on my daily routine. Sure it's possible, and things that can be done to prevent or delay it, are prudent. But the notion that if and when they do come for me, that it's somehow my fault for not 'fighting' more loudly, earlier, is crazy. Rantings of a lunatic, if you ask me. Fear of the authorities is just as misguided as fear of microbes. I would hope that most of the raw milk movement would be less spiteful than you Bob, and the support that I would receive, if they do come, would be at least equal to others in similar situations (although it's obvious I won't have your support :-( ).
Yes, the authorities are waging a more intense campaign against small farmers. Those that are plucked up in the storm must need to fight the gale, but it seems wise for many others to hunker down and weather the onslaught....after all as long as people are getting their food, that is what it's all about. Sure there is a need for outspoken advocates, with high profiles and platforms...but the idea that everyone needs to be this way, is stupid. And the fact that everyone isn't, lends this movement tremendous strength.
Bob, are you still on the domestic terrorist list?
TPTB are getting meaner and meaner and they surely mean to control what we put in our mouth.
Is there a future for raw milk not if they have there way that should be evident for all to see now!!!
You state. “The main difference seems to be that her raiding party didn't include agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and Canada, as did the Rawesome raid.”
Why did Canadian officials take part in the raid?
Ken Conrad
As I understand it, Vonderplanitz's nonprofit, Right to Consume Healthy Food, has some kind of presence in Canada. So that may account for involvement by Canadian officials.
Or maybe it's like us training the Iraqis and Afghans. The Canadians have spent the last 15-plus years trying to put down Michael Schmidt and stamp out raw milk--perhaps they are being collegial and want to share "lessons" with their compatriots south of the border.
David
"It is sobering to reflect that one of the best ways to get yourself a reputation as a dangerous citizen these days is to go about repeating the very phrases which our founding fathers used in the struggle for independence. –"
Charles A. Beard
Bob BUBBABOZO Hayles
Next question?
Bob BUBBABOZO Hayles
What are these myths?
Listen to what Randall Singer had to say to the alliance for animal agriculture about the PAMPTA bill that would outlaw certain uses of antibiotics in animal agriculture.
http://www.trufflemedia.com/home/content/randall-singer-ensuring-healthy-animals-and-food-safety-the-need-to-preserve-antibiotics
Antibiotics are natural occurring molecules produced by bacteria.We don't understand why they are produced but they may possibly be signaling molecules.Antibiotic resistance is natural and as old as naturally occurring antibiotics.Low dose antibiotics in animal feed do not cause antibiotic resistance.What do low dose antibiotics do?They stabilize the commensal community of bacteria in the gut.A stable system is a healthy system.
A stable system is a healthy system ! This is the standard that we should be working for on our farms. If Animal Agriculture can live by this standard then so can we.The myth that we are operating under is that zero pathogens ,ever, is a healthy system.
There must be a way to test for stability in the commensal community.We should be testing for stability not for pathogens.We should adopt management techniques that increase stability and isn't that what we have done?
He gives a couple of examples like later weaning of young livestock and reducing stocking density.We could add proper feeding and an appropriate or more natural environment.We don't need low dose antibiotics like the Cafos do.
One big problem with low dose antibiotics in the feed that he hints at is residue in the manure that accumulates in the soil.This tends to destabilize the commensal community in the soil which eventually will come back to the animals in the feed.This is one big problem.
Ron Klein,
This is the same Randall Singer that participated in the research that questioned the validity of PFGE testing.I think you dismissed that research as so much crap.I wonder what you think of his reasoning here.
Thank you for continuing to pursue your overall theme of how our natural systems work. This (new) knowledge is or will become invaluable as it is integrated into the fabric of our lives. It will help put aside myths that no longer serve a valuable purpose. It may eventually be useful in political and legal processes to increase our freedoms of choice. I and others applaud your efforts.
"It's about your right as an American to choose what he or she wants to eat,or what contracts he or she wants to enter into.. . . ." Sharon Palmer
Randall Singer-whom I do not dismiss--can wait......
Nos disputatio ut Rome exuro inter nos.
It is absolutely clear this whole business is about maintaining power over slaves. The folks crying over safety are misguided tools at best.
As long as the authorities can play the bacteriaphobia card when ever they want to harass or punish someone this will continue.We have to educate people who want real food.We have to make them think about their beliefs.The farmers need supporters not customers.Supporters will stick with you through thick and thin,customers are off to look for another farmer(fool) when the farm is shut down.
Why not stock Rawsome with legal products and stick that in the FDA's ear???
OPDC is ready to help. We are cheaper than the stuff from back east and has a longer shelf life, tastes better, is certified Animal Friendly and is grass fed organic. Your products hold few if any of these certifications. Lets join and beat these bastards. They can not touch any OPDC products. Continued tugging on Supermans cape will get you put into jail or worse. If that is your goal.....we will protest your arrest...but that is martardum and you will still be in jail. The FDA, FBI gun toting sterile food loving hot-heads want blood.
They are crazy.
If you want them to loose their minds....go 100% legal on them so they can not touch you.
Mark
I am so sorry about this latest raid on your farm. You have a fighting spirit which I hope will get you through this. It's outrageous that officials took yet another computer when they haven't even returned your other ones. As pete says, they can get any evidence they need within a few hours or days. It's just another petty power play. Disgusting is indeed the right word to describe these actions.
If you present lab testing from the Hartman farm and suggest it relates to food rights, the information should be accurate...there is an important omission in your sentence below, which should also state that the milk tested wasn't from the same batch that the patients drank (there was no leftover milk). I don't think this fact is under dispute by the farmer or the state, and leaving out this important detail impacts credibility. For example, it would be more accurate to say:
"The bacteria count of the milk sample collected from a different batch after the outbreak exposure period was 2000 cfu/ml. No" pathogens" were found in it. (20,000/ml is ok in pasteurized milk in the store). Milk from the implicated batch was not available."
Contamination events tend to be transient and the result of a "perfect storm" of factors. IMHO, it would be more productive to deal with the food safety people by admitting that sometimes things go wrong, the raw milk producers do not deny this, and the problems are being addressed and fixed. It would be easier to move onto the rights discussion if you laid that on the table. If the problems are admitted, addressed, and mitigated, then the food safety argument fades away.
I'll try not to belabor your video link, but will mention that I"ve heard Dr. Singer talk at various meetings, and am familiar with his research. He is a long-time supporter of appropriate use of antibiotics in food animals, including low-dose subtherapeutic use in feed to promote animal health (e.g., prevent disease). In the video he is educating veterinarians and food animal producers about the importance of reducing antibiotic use where possible, but certainly not eliminating/banning them at the cost of animal health. He intensely questions the purported human health outcomes where bans have been enacted like Denmark.
MW
What Randall Singer was telling us was that attempts to kill bacteria result in a population that is resistant to whatever was used to kill the bacteria.Bacteria can also be selected for those that can survive heat shock(pasteurization).He suggested that a better option rather than a "kill step" would be to use management and tools (like low levels of antibiotics) that promote stability in the community of commensal bacteria.
I'm sure that you feel safer drinking milk that has been through one or more of these "kill steps" but consider what happens over time when this approach to food safety is taken.Why do you suppose that milk is Ultra High temperature pasteurized now? Could it possibly be that by selecting for heat shock resistant bacteria we now need to heat the milk to a higher temperature to kill these resistant bacteria?Where will this escalation lead?Maybe we will or have we already begun to irradiate the milk because heat shock is no longer effective in killing all of the bacteria.
Stability of the community of commensal bacteria throughout the whole cycle---- soil to forage to livestock to our food and back to the soil is an attainable way to insure food safety.
Repeated attempts to kill all bacteria at each part of the cycle only makes sure that stability is impossible.When that stability is destroyed then opportunistic, resistant bacteria will dominate and our soil,feed ,animals and our food will continue to be unsafe and unhealthy.
"If the problems are admitted, addressed, and mitigated, then the food safety argument fades away."
By "problems" do you mean the existence of bacteria on the farm?
Would you recommend adding more "kill steps" to our cleaning routines?
Will you ever be happy with milk that is not sterile?
In regards to your alcoholism...no I wouldn't think about passing judgment on your alcoholism. I make every attempt to criticize the words that people write, and let them be a reflection of their value and correctness. I don't need to dreg up your seedy past to lend credence to my criticism, but I noticed that you did...obviously a dire attempt to garner sympathy...shallow at best. Suffice to say that daily abuse of alcohol not only effects your liver, it also takes a major toll on ones brain and judgment....even after you give up the bottle. I wish you the best, as you struggle with your demons...but if you write it be prepared to have it commented on.
The no-fly list question is a important one....and one that I believe would be significant to discuss. You should be making every effort to attempt to find out the how and why you appeared on a domestic terrorist list...for if those that are charged with protecting the security of this country are investigating a loud mouth farmer, it calls to question what criteria is need to be labeled a domestic terror threat. Last time I checked, food doesn't blow up planes, or strike fear into the hearts of men. Putting law enforcement under closer scrutiny, and finding out why they are classifying small food producers as potential terrorists would do more for advancing the movement, and publicizing the warped criteria and listing, could garner us even more support. This is your big chance to actually do something meaningful....sic your bulldog on the FBI (and get a good attorney).
I do think it would behoove you to stop and think before you hit 'submit'. Rereading what you wrote, even once, would increase the substance of your posts. Seems to me that you just get angry, type out what you feel and hit 'send'. And you know what they say about words written (or spoken) in anger. I waited over a day for this one, and on second reflection, changes were made that I think made my message even clearer. Try it.
miguel’s advice is critically important, and also routinely ignored and poorly understood. We are distressingly short-sighted about interfering with nature’s natural balances.
Not surprisingly, the question of long-term effect is critically important in biological systems at all levels—micro- and macro-biological. We are now seeing widespread negative long-term effects on plants and insects from employing “kill steps” in the form of herbicides and pesticides, and in humans and animals from the overuse of antibiotics, disinfectants, and environmental sanitizers.
“Kill-type” interventions entice us with an apparent short term benefit, but they also carry the potential (I would argue the certainty) of creating extremely knotty problems in the longer term. We must, for the sake of sustainability, look carefully at long-term consequences, including the possibility (again I would argue certainty) of unintended ones.
It is comforting really, to know that balanced natural systems encourage health and vigor, and likewise shameful that our short-term, immediate-gratification focus prevents us from enjoying that benefit.
(Social systems are also healthiest it seems when nature is allowed to reign.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7846941319183318053#
Should this surprise us?)