JEFFERSON\WAUKESHA WAPF CHAPTER

Got (raw) milk?
A small, underground movement in Nevada County came to the fore this weekend when advocates of drinking raw milk spoke at the first Sustainable Local Food and Farm Conference, held in Grass Valley.

Despite concern about potentially deadly pathogens that can grow in raw dairy products, people in Nevada County are creating a growing demand for unpasteurized milk, cheese and butter.

[ READ MORE (The Union) ]

AMISH SMUGGLERS' SHADY MILK RUN
Farmers bring their unpasteurized — and illegal — product to the big city

By Jordan Heller Thursday, February 3, 2011
click here for article and video

New State Raw Milk Association Formed
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 02/22/2011

Supporters of the recent effort to legalize the sales of unpasteurized milk in Wisconsin have formed a new group to help advance their cause. The Wisconsin Raw Milk Association is made up of consumers, dairy producers and other farmers committed to changing the current raw milk laws in the Dairy State.

Organizers say the purpose of the organization is to work with lawmakers to pass new rules to allow the sale of raw milk and raw milk products. Current law only allows the on-farm sale of raw milk on an incidental basis.

"The proposed legislation WRMA supports would legalize the on-farm sale of raw milk and raw milk products by those holding a Grade A permit and by those unlicensed dairy farms that milk fewer than twenty cows," the group said on its Website. "We are seeking monetary donations from the public, and 100-percent of the donations will be used to pay for legal fees, lobbying and web presence."

The issue has split members of the agricultural industry since talks first began. Supporters say raw milk tastes better, contains bacteria that helps fight disease and is more natural. But others fear that even one instance of bacteria contamination could make people sick, thus having a negative publicity impact on the entire dairy industry.

Last May, former Governor Jim Doyle vetoed a proposal that would have allowed farmers to sell their raw milk if there were certain safeguards in place to protect the public. But Governor Scott Walker said last month that he would likely sign a similar bill if it were to come across his desk.
_

 Reuters | 03:33 AM,Feb 24,2011 By Zach Howard GILL, Mass. (Reuters Life!) - Clifford Hatch cares for about 20 cows at his family-run farm, producing fresh raw milk that is at the center of controversy over its sale and safety. Hatch sells raw, or unpasteurized, milk products from a retail shop at his dairy farm, which state regulations allow him to do because the business is located on the same property where his Ayrshire cattle are milked. He said he might sell up to 50 gallons (189 liters) a day at his Upinngill Farm, which started producing raw milk and cheese years ago when local residents began seeking an alternative to dairy from big, industrialized producers whose use of artificial bovine growth hormones was widespread then. "The system is pretty sensible and reasonably well-enforced," Hatch said. But debate is swirling over raw milk in many U.S. states, and the thought of tighter federal rules on its production and sale makes independent producers such as Hatch uneasy. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention both strongly warn the public against drinking raw milk. They see potential health risks from pathogens like E. coli bacteria, which in some instances can get into milk from an animal's manure. But raw dairy advocates say unpasteurized milk is at least as safe as the "superheated" varieties because of the dedication small-batch farmers have to maintaining hygienic facilities. Some people prefer raw milk, saying it is sweeter and has more vitamins and minerals, "healthy" bacteria and digestive enzymes. They say pasteurizing milk, or heating it to above 160 degrees Fahrenheit, destroys most of those features. Part of the debate centers on cheese, which is legal under federal law if it is aged at least 60 days to kill bacteria such as E. coli. But the FDA is mulling extending the aging requirement past 60 days which could, in effect, outlaw some popular raw milk cheeses as well as pasteurized ripened cheeses. An FDA spokeswoman said on Wednesday the agency is looking at whether the aging requirements for cheese "are sufficient to minimize pathogens," including salmonella and E. coli. The FDA's review could take until late in the year, when it would release results of its risk study, she said. Some raw dairy proponents fear the FDA could outlaw raw milk production altogether. "Their policy certainly is very anti-raw milk. It's always a concern," said Winton Pitcoff, raw milk network coordinator for the Massachusetts chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFAMass). Some U.S. states are restricting raw milk use already. Vermont has both deep agricultural roots and a newer local-food renaissance boosting the economy. But the state this month suspended workshops led by an advocacy group teaching people how to turn unpasteurized milk into butter and cheese. Vermont's agriculture agency says the state's 2009 raw milk law limits farmers to selling it to customers for fluid consumption only. But the agency says it will not interfere with how people use or consume raw milk in their own homes. In ten states, including California, Maine, Connecticut and New Hampshire, people can buy raw milk in grocery stores. But sales are banned in many other states, including dairy giant Wisconsin. Federal law also bans interstate sales of raw milk. A few states are considering legalization or loosening regulations, among them Texas, New Jersey and Massachusetts. Massachusetts does not allow raw milk sales in grocery stores, but it is considering a bill to let farmers deliver to customers and sell at stands away from their farms. Raw milk producers can sell a gallon of fresh milk for $6 to $12 -- about four times what processors pay dairy farmers for milk they truck to processing plants. Farmers say the heftier price can make the difference between a farm being profitable or needing to shut down. The number of dairy farms nationwide has dwindled. In Massachusetts, about 5,000 farms existed in 1950 but today fewer than 180 remain, NOFAMass says. (Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst and Peter Bohan)

Bill to legalize raw milk sales reappears in Wis.
MADISON, Wis.

The push to legalize raw milk sales in Wisconsin is continuing.

A bill that would permit the widespread sale of unpasteurized milk is being circulated for cosponsors by Republican Sen. Glenn Grothman and Rep. Don Pridemore.

Their proposal they made public Monday would allow for a licensed dairy farmer to register with the state to sell raw milk and its byproducts directly to consumers.

Under current law, only incidental sales of raw milk are allowed. The Legislature last year passed a law that would have allowed more sales, but then-Gov. Jim Doyle vetoed it citing safety and health concerns.

Nineteen states allow direct sales of raw milk from dairy farmers to individuals, while nine additional states go a step further by permitting retail sales.

By Pat Shannan
The public’s growing concern about hormones
and chemicals in commercial dairy farming in
recent years has provoked an increasing
demand for raw milk. During the past five
years, Massachusetts doubled its raw milk dairies to a
total of 24, andWashington state has nearly quadrupled,
from six to 22, in only two years. In NewYork,
where the product has to be black-marketed
because of laws prohibiting it, users
continue reading article........

Booming business: Area dairymen who sell raw - unpasteurized - milk can't meet growing demand The grocery store dairy case is stocked full with every kind of milk. Whole milk. Reduced-fat milk. Low-fat milk. Skim milk. Buttermilk. Acidophilus milk.

Comedian Lewis Black rants that soy milk, another choice, isn't milk at all.

[ READ MORE (Star Telegram) ]

Organic Valley Co-Op Forces N.H. Farm To Stop Selling Raw Milk Locally
by Sarah Trefethen, The Keene Sentinel
Posted: Tuesday, February 1, 2011 at 3:33PM EST

Standing on a bale of hay at Stonewall Farm on a recent afternoon, 4-year-old Sara Dafeldecker laced small pieces of hay into her father’s hair as he talked about his family’s relationship with the farm.

Sara has been drinking fresh-fromthe-cow, unpasteurized milk from Stonewall Farm for her entire life, Kai Dafeldecker said. The Swanzey family picks up the milk from a refrigerator in a room attached to the cattle barn each week. Sara knows the cows by name.

But these regular visits will come to an end on March 31, when the farm stops selling raw milk to consumers. Dafeldecker and his wife, Jenn, say they will continue to visit for events, but it won’t be the same.

To read the rest of the story, please go to: The Keene Sentinel

Morningland Dairy Trial Nearly Complete
The push for National Raw Milk Standards is a deep concern for many in the raw milk movement, and the standards expressed by Wightman on the stand in this trial are good examples of the basis for these concerns. If you haven’t grasped it before now, our nation is in a serious crisis for real food. If we have no real farmers, we certainly will not have any real food, only food produced by huge corporate conglomerates.......
http://www.newswithviews.com/Hannes/doreen111.htm
by Doreen Hannis

The history of the ruination of raw milk
From “The Ruination of Milk” by Jenny Lake:

“Today there is a (real!) grassroots movement to restore the wholesomeness of natural animal food products like dairy and return as many as possible commercial producers back to the “best practices” that ensure good health for animals and humans.

Controversy over the pasteurization of milk, originally adopted as voluntary, started from the very beginning of the practice in the 1880s and has never
continue reading

Gov. Walker, "I'll Sign Raw Milk Bill With Safeguards"
Posted Friday January 7, 2011

MADISON, Wis. (WTAQ) - Governor Scott Walker says he would sign a bill to let farmers sell raw milk – as long as it has safeguards to protect public health and the integrity of the dairy industry.

The Republican Walker made the comment Thursday, after several lawmakers said they would bring back a bill that was vetoed last year by former Governor Jim Doyle. Assembly Democrat Chris Danou of Trempealeau sponsored the original measure.

A task force is studying the health-related concerns. Its findings are due next month, and Danou says supporters will “hit the ground running” after that.

Senate Republican Glenn Grothman of West Bend says people should have the right to choose whether to drink unpasteurized milk directly from dairy farms.

Supporters say raw milk has natural health benefits. But the Wisconsin Farm Bureau says it will oppose the new bill. Spokesman Casey Langan says his members don’t want to see it move forward unless there’s a, “air tight resolution that would protect the dairy industry.”

The Farm Bureau says Wisconsin’s worldwide dairy reputation would be tarnished if just one person gets sick from drinking raw milk sold in the Badger State.

By Pat Shannan
The public’s growing concern about hormones
and chemicals in commercial dairy farming in
recent years has provoked an increasing
demand for raw milk. During the past five
years, Massachusetts doubled its raw milk dairies to a
total of 24, andWashington state has nearly quadrupled,
from six to 22, in only two years. In NewYork,
where the product has to be black-marketed
because of laws prohibiting it, users
have to be informed of the new, clandestine
weekly “drop site” to purchase
it off trucks.
The CDC and FDA treat raw
milk as if it will eradicate the human
race, but by viewing the scene
through the age-old filter of “the bottom
line is always money,” it does not
take long to see the whole picture. The
pasteurized milk industry is valued at
around $25 billion.
Dr. William Campbell Douglas has led the fight
against pasteurization for 30 years because, among other
things, the process destroys good bacteria with the bad.
He lists five arguments against pasteurization of milk:
1) When milk is pasteurized and homogenized, the
structure of the milk is altered. The lactose sugar is converted
to beta-lactose, a form that causes milk allergies.
2) If you have tried raw milk, you know pasteurized
milk just doesn’t taste as good, because the “creaming
ability” of the milk is destroyed. Pasteurization destroys
the souring bacteria of the milk, causing it to putrefy if
kept long enough, instead of souring normally. . . .
3) Pasteurization sucks the nutritional life out of raw
milk. The process diminishes the vitamin content and
destroys vitamins C, B6 and B12. Raw milk is an excellent
source of calcium; but once it has been pasteurized,
your body can no longer absorb many of the nutrients
that are left. Plus, the pasteurization process destroys all
the beneficial enzymes, hormones, antibodies and fatty
acids, such as cancer-fighting conjugated
linoleic acid.
4) Pasteurized milk can lead to a
variety of health problems. The most
obvious evidence of this is that
infants do not develop well on it.
Pasteurized milk is more likely than
raw milk to lead to arthritis, tooth
decay, constipation, allergies, cancer
and osteoporosis, despite the dairy
industry’s advertising.
5) Pasteurization is not perfect. Most
people are willing to give up all the benefits
of raw milk because of all of the bad press about
safety. But the truth is that when pasteurization is carelessly
done, it can result in . . . bacterial infections [that]
can cause of peptic ulcers.
Even the Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) own
statistics on raw milk show it is safer for human consumption.
According to CDC figures, raw milk was
responsible for a grand total of two deaths and 1,007 illnesses
(unconfirmed) between 1998 and 2007, while
over the past few decades, the pasteurized product has
led to over 200,000 cases of food poisoning and over
600 deaths. 
Whole Body Health is a special health publication
of American Free Press, 645 Pennsylvania Ave. SE,
#100, Washington, D.C. 20003

Mark McAfee is the founder of Organic Pastures, one of the largest producers of raw milk in the United States and clearly, one of the leaders in this industry.

In this interview, McAfee details the many health benefits of raw milk, and explains the process of raw milk production.

Sources:   Mark McAfee Interview Transcript (PDF)
  15 Things that Pasteurization Kills (PDF)