If Rising Stress Levels the Mark of a Growing Movement, Then 2011 Was a Great Year for Food Rights
Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 05:48PM What is the mark of a vibrant movement?
For the food rights movement in 2011, at least, it seems to be the frequency of major disruptions, or what I would call "shock events." These include court decisions, government enforcement actions, and internal organizational moves.
Over the last year, we had any number of all of these.
On the legal side, there were major initial losses in Missouri, from Morningland Dairy, and Wisconsin. But they aren't over till they are over, and the cases are all on appeal. (Appeals were just filed in the last few weeks on the Wisconsin cases involving Wayne Craig and Mark Zinniker.)
Enforcement Actions. I'd say the most ominous event was the raid against Rawesome Food Club because the enforcers for the first time showed a willingness to press for felony charges against three involved individuals. A close second was the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's undercover investigation of Pennsylvania farmer Daniel Allgyer. This one showed the willingness of federal enforcers to snoop around private homes to intimidate them on their food choices. There was also the federal grand jury investigation of David Hochstetler, and Richard Hebron, in Indiana and Michigan...along with state actions against Vernon Hershberger in Wisconsin and Brigitte Ruthman in Massachusetts. 
Michael Schmidt, shortly after ending his 37-day hunger strike, in early November. Civil disobedience. The big event was Michael Schmidt's 37-day hunger strike stretching out over late September and October. He finally succeeded in gaining an audience with Ontario's premier. Another big event was the formation of the Raw Milk Freedom Riders, and the organization of two "rides" by moms risking arrest to bring raw milk across state lines, followed up by protest demonstrations.
Standards setting. It's generally a positive sign when an industry grows to such an extent that participants begin thinking about cooperating so as to set safety and other standards. Sure, there was lots of disagreement, and a rocky launch, but the establishment of the Raw Milk Institute overall was a positive sign. Already, it's gone through a re-structuring, which Mark McAfee describes in a comment following the previous post.
Each of these disruptions creates much tension within the movement. The tension from events like the Rawesome raid and other enforcement actions are pretty obvious-they arouse fear and mistrust. Farmers especially wonder if they will be next. And now, consumers are fearful as well. This is what the authorities are attempting to accomplish.
What the authorities don't want to see is people responding with anger and organization. That is what we have begun to see. The more people who become angry and upset, the more they let others know about what is happening.
Perhaps the greatest amount of stress came from Michael Schmidt's hunger strike. People concerned about whether he might die divided over whether he should continue or give up. In the end, Michael Schmidt's hunger strike was a great educational effort, informing thousands of people who knew little or nothing about the ongoing food wars about the severe crackdown on food rights in Canada and the U.S.
But each of these stressors has the prospect of helping us educate more people as to the nature of the struggle we are facing. Michael Schmidt put it well last year, when he distinguished between the "breaking point" and the "tipping point."
"Government and bureaucrats deliberately use the breaking point as a tool to achieve what they want to achieve: complacency and fear. The lengthy legal procedures, the threats of fines and jail and the never-ending resources will drive you towards that breaking point unless you are committed to lose whatever you have and to risk your own security of comfort and conformity. Let me guess, 95% percent of the people might think they have no option, no choice to defend the truth, the rights and the principles of fundamental justice. That looks like bad news. However the tipping point in regards to massive change is not 50% or more what most think. NO the tipping point for change is in fact less than 10% of the population. If more than 5% start waking up and begin to realize that we have the power to change the current destruction of society IF we are willing to stand up and resist."
More about the lessons upcoming.
Reader Comments (46)
Let me be the first to break this news to all. It is a new year and we have learned much in 2011.
It is our observation, that there are two camps ( at least ) in the raw milk movement. Those that appear to want legalized access to raw milk and change of laws, and those that want decriminalization of raw milk with no government regulation or intrusion what so ever.
It appears that the loudest voices amoung these two groups is the decriminalization group.
RAWMI is a grass roots organization and is responsive to all in the movement. Our primary objective is building access to safe raw milk. That means cows shares or legalized raw milk. Each location and state has its own local needs and political agenda.
RAWMI has taken steps to change its momentum and focus. We have focussed more on farmer training, standards and webinars and less on anything political.
Bill Anderson has resigned as a Director at RAWMI and has taken a position on the RAWMI Executive Advisory Counsel. His cheese making expertise is invaluable and we thank him for his service to RAWMI as a director.
RAWMI will now operate with a volunteer and part time staff and focus its financial resources on webinars, standards development and farmer training. It will be a slower course but a more methodical and sustainable course.
We look forward to serving the entire raw milk community....regardless of the camp they sit in. RAWMI has something for all farmers and all consumers. Access to safe raw milk is a universal need and must not be just for the well connected or those that can drive 40 miles to their farmer. However, RAWMI will only go where it is invited and wanted. We will use our resources to serve those that want to be served.
All the best,
Mark
Thanks so much for all of your posts and hard work . . . Deborah . . .
I just want to let you know (and I think you know this already:) that as a farmer and concerned comsumer of Raw Milk . . . Mark McAfee has never, ever contacted me for my opinion on his RAWMI enterprise . . .even though I have posted here since 2006 or 7!
I agree with you . . . we need thousands of SMALL dairy farms providing clean, healthy and nourishing raw milk to consumers . . . and I don't think that RAWMI has this in mind . . .
All the best and Happy New Year to you Deb and all!
Violet
We don't need RAWMI standards . . . here is what has happened with the Organic Label . . . one of my customers sent me this link yesterday: . . . and he knows my practices and even though we are not CERTIFIED ORGANIC . . . he knows that he is getting organic produce and poultry . . .and he loves our lamb . . and .only four of my 30 ewes were wormed last year due to weekly FAMACHA checks . . . we are all about husbandry here on our farm . . . our animals are the most important assets of our farm and I do everything to make them happy and keep them healthy . . .they are only treated when needed. Mark and I will be doing husbandry classes in the near future . . .to help current and potential farmers understand the needs of livestock . . .
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/31/science/earth/questions-about-organic-produce-and-sustainability.html?_r=1&ref=elisabethrosenthal
Best,
Violet
www.kilbyridgefarmmaine.blogspot.com
According to DPH information, none of the dairy herd manure samples tested positive for ecoli. The investigation continues.
MW
No pathogens were found in any products or manure samples taken from dairy herd. As previuosly reported, some ecoli 0157h7 samples were found in the calf raising area. Additional information is unknown. DPH investigation continues.
It appears that Americas food supply is being criminalized by liability lawyers....while the American immune systems are being sterilized. The true criminals are the Monsantos and pharma companies of this country. As super bugs make us ill..... farmers feeding us with real fresh foods are brutalized by liability brought by the superbugs created by the FDA cronies. What a greedy, wall street convenient and very stupid system. What a tragedy for our children.
Perhaps consumers that drink raw milk should read and understand the warnings on raw milk products. There are risks to eating. There are risks to drinking raw milk....most importantly, there are risks to not drinking raw milk and suffering a weak immune system.
That's typical California, wait until they release the information.
MW
Mark, I couldn’t agree with you more. Maybe the warning labels on the back of the OPDC bottles should be not be microscopic in size. Maybe they should sit front and center on the bottle along with a point of sale warning sign.
BTW, I love the new language you have added about lawsuits. I doubt it will hold up is you are sued again.
I do not think you fully appreciate the benefits verses the potential risks of raw milk consumption. When a child no longer uses side effect filled drugs for their asthma and their teeth are no longer disolving from steroid use....then the potential risks of raw milk consumption are buried by the certain benefits.
You also do not appreciate the risks of food consumption in general. Raw milk is your pet project. You have been hurt by it and you are on a rampage to wreck raw milk. A balanced approach would respect the benefits and also....appreciate the immune compromise of the very very few and the slight risks that they may have to raw milk....as they go about trying to repair the ravages of the American diet and drug war on immune systems.
I also do not think you do understand that in the event of a lawsuit or other threat, OPDC and other raw milk sources, will simply have consumers sign Arbitration Agreements and join large buyers clubs to get access to raw milk at stores. This is something done already at stores for special group discounts and or treatment. Raw milk is not going away. It is going to get better and better inspite of your deliberate attempts to deny consumers access to this healing food.
If we do this....your buddy Bill Marler will be out of a job...unless he wants to get involved in Arbitration which will deny him access to his intoxifying insurance millions. We are tenacious and we serve our consumers. Nothing will stop us from getting better and growing...and nothing will stop us from serving our consumers.
Mark you say, referring to the two “camps” of raw milk advocates:
“…and those that want decriminalization of raw milk with no government regulation or intrusion what so ever.”
What we want is decriminalization of raw milk with no government regulation or intrusion what so ever IN DIRECT FARMER TO CUSTOMER TRANSACTIONS. None of us is advocating getting rid of Claravales or OPDC or any other “public” raw milk dairy. Just no regs or interference in direct farmer to customer trade. A restoration of a million tiny totally unregulated farms providing raw milk to their communities. That has been normal human practice for millennia.
I don’t know if you wrote that knowingly as a polemic or you really didn’t understand our position, but that kind of statement tends to makes some of us wary. You’ve got our email addresses. Please communicate with us.
Regarding RAWMI being grassroots, you might be coming from a different perspective than many of us. Didn't RAWMI's start up money (amount ??) come from OPDC which is a 75% venture capitalist owned corporation (even if the venture capitalists are your brothers)? This is just what I've heard, so please correct any of this.
Yours for real food freedom,
Deborah
as I posted to Mr Marler, he's going to have a very hard time proving that the cause of the child's illness was the raw milk, since she'd been drinking it for several months prior, and thriving on it.
Ambulance-chasers and the vultures/ carrion eaters who infest the legal system do their best work out of public view ... settlements made behind closed doors, with strict non-disclosure terms.
as for a certain poster's obsession with copro-phagia = one of the other blind spots she has on this topic, is that "homo milk" has far more cowshit in it. just well-cooked. Along with the remains of all the pathogenic bacteria Before you open your stupid mouth again, Educate yourself, lady. go have a look at the filter in the milk-line on a CAFO dairy, see how the milkers just laugh at the stupidity of city-folks who drink what comes through
Have a look at the wording of Dr Beals' affidavit on my website : using the CDC's own figures, he proves that the risk of harm from drinking raw milk is 35, 000 times LESS than any other foodstuff.
FDA is pushing for warning labels on sodas...do they really think anyone will heed them? It hasn't worked for cigarettes.
From the CDFA site; "In California, state law requires that raw milk and raw milk products shall bear the following warning on the label:
"Warning - raw (unpasteurized) milk and raw milk dairy products may contain disease-causing micro-organisms. Persons at highest risk of disease from these organisms include newborns and infants; the elderly; pregnant women; those taking corticosteroids, antibiotics or antacids; and those having chronic illnesses or other conditions that weaken their immunity."
That warning label takes up a lot of space.
I've no doubt that CDFA has a minimum requirement for label size. (Ca has a regulation for everything) I don't have a bottle here, yet I do not recall the warning label being "microscopic in size".
I wonder why the govt doesn't require a truthful warning label for vaccinations, "medications", lunch meats (I've never seen one on lunch meats), etc.
"Despite receiving nearly 45,000 public comments in opposition to this particular genetically engineered (GE) corn variety (and only 23 comments in favor), the Obama administration gave Monsanto the green light to release its newest GE corn variety freely into the environment and American food supply, without any governmental oversight or safety tracking."
$$$$ rules.....
Stealth Tactics of Bacteria Revealed:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21228443.300-stealth-tactics-of-bacteria-revealed.html
Know you were a recipient of grants given by "Certified Humanely Raised" . . . Today I just got thier newsletter (they have been trying to get me certified for quite some time . . . but I have resisted . . . no interest in grants nor auditors . . . my customers are my auditors)
They are trying to get dairy farmers to go grass based and ditch the reliance on Holsteins and from what they say . . . Holsteins have a very short lactation life expectacy and are prone to lameness and mastitis . . . go Jersey, Brown Swiss, etc., is what they are advocating . . . wondering what you think about this since you have taken grant money in the past from them . . .
Best,
Violet
www.kilbyridgefarmmaine.blogspot.com
Know your farmer is a MUST . . . . because sometimes a small farmer may have an operation that is comparable to a CAFO or factory farm . . . but on a smaller scale. Unless it is inspected in person by educated consumers . . . . they may never know the true horrors of how those animals are raised. And those small farmers may very well be the downfall of the local food movement . . .if someone gets sick . . .
I don't want to say more . . . but trust me . . . I have seen some seriously bad husbandry over the last month . . . from local farms out there.
That is why I believe that husbandry is the key . . . and Mark and I are willing to teach.
Kind regards,
Violet
www.kilbyridgefarmmaine.blogspot.com
I find it interesting how you are both trying to pigeonhole me into a category that fits this movement. Everything is extreme ends. Either a person supports the legalization of raw milk or they don’t or it is raw milk versus CAFO milk. It is possible that a person can believe that that CAFO milk is not healthy to drink and that raw milk should be legal to sell from the farm, but personally believe it is too big of a risk to drink? Is there a choice in the middle? What about buying raw milk from a good source and home pasteurizing it and then making kefir and yogurt from it? This is a healthy choice, full of good bacteria, without the risk.
Gordon, you really have a toxic spirit and need to get some help. I will pray for you.