State wants dairy farmer Hartmann held in contempt

State officials say a southern Minnesota dairy farmer accused of selling E. coli contaminated unpasteurized milk is in contempt of court.

The Minnesota agriculture department says Michael Hartmann has ignored department and court orders banning the sale or use of hundreds of food items at his farm.

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Get milk—raw and in demand

The availability of whole foods is important to residents and visitors of the Wood River Valley. Supporting a south-central Idaho farmers and food purveyors network, Idaho's Bounty, an online market, has stepped up to meet that demand.

"Our clientele are highly interested in good nutrition," said Lynea Newcomer, Idaho's Bounty driver. "From their own research, they find what is good for them."

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County sued by newspaper over raw milk probe

A lawsuit filed Monday by the Baraboo News Republic seeks the release of documents that detail a state agency's investigation of a Loganville raw milk distributor.

The state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection did not provide proper justification for denying the newspaper records related to the investigation of farmer Vernon Hershberger, a complaint filed by the newspaper states.

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Raw Milk Fans Should Read Ayn Rand

As you well know, raw milk is under attack. The FDA has been cracking down on raw milk producers, distributors, and consumers, treating them like common criminals, complete with midnight raids and SWAT teams. You have every right to be furious with the government’s actions, but arguing about the health benefits and safety of raw milk, while true, is not the most effective way to win this battle.

As David Gumpert noted in his book The Raw Milk Revolution, this is not a battle specifically about raw milk, but an ideological debate on the more general issue of food freedom.

[ READ MORE (Morgan Polotan) ]

Not for Human Consumption?

The lid on the jar of raw milk that Gordon S. Watson carries reads: “Cleopatra’s Enzymatic Bath Lotion”. Below it, in much smaller type: “Cosmetic Skin Treatment Only. Our Cows Share Member Dividends. Should Not Be Used For Human Consumption”.

In Canada, unpasteurized milk is illegal to distribute unless it is to be consumed by the owner of the cow. But Gordon Watson, along with a group of individuals dedicated to providing the Lower Mainland with an alternative to mass-produced dairy, has found a loophole through the development of an ingenious system known as the “Cow-Share”. Rather than buying milk, consumers of “Cleopatra’s Enzymatic Bath Lotion” purchase shares in the cows instead.

[ READ MORE (The Dependent) ]

More on the “nuisance” of raw milk in Alberta

The roads were extremely icy and it took twice as long to get anywhere on Monday, January 10th but more than 28 people made the journey. As they filled the room the members of the Appeal Board were noticeably amazed at the level of interest this case was attracting.

Michael Schmidt represented Judith and Eric. Michael was in fine form! First, he educated the Appeal Board Members on raw milk and the reason for pasteurization… shelf life. They were given extensive information regarding pathogens and E coli. There was information on all the product recalls in the past years including pasteurized milk products and twice mentioning the 20 deaths in Canada because of tainted meat.

[ READ MORE (The Bovine) ]

You have been lied to about butter

Butter has been maligned as unhealthy for decades. Fortunately, the Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF) disagrees. The WAPF was started decades ago by Weston Price, DDS. He and his wife traveled to isolated locations and examined the diets of peoples free from civilization's degenerative diseases.

Others have discovered the truth about butter and disagree with butter`s bad rap as well. It`s healthier for you than all the substitutes designed to replace butter, which actually damage your health. Butter is better.

[ READ MORE (Natural News) ]

90 percent of Americans are nutrient deficient, but processed milk is not the answer

The Milk Processor Education Program Dairy Research Institute recently released a study entitled "What America's Missing: A 2011 Report on the Nation's Nutrient Gap," revealing that 90 percent of Americans are nutrient deficient. But the group's solution, to drink more processed milk, is hardly the answer to the nutrient crisis.

According to the report, nine out of ten Americans are deficient in 11 key nutrients, including calcium, vitamin D and potassium. And while this fact definitely translates into a serious health crisis, finding these nutrients in pasteurized, homogenized milk products that come from feedlot cows treated with artificial growth hormones like rBGH, is not the solution.

[ READ MORE (Natural News) ]

The American Fast Food Syndrome

Working with people as a nutritionist, I’m often met with resistance. I try to explain making healthful food choices without using trigger words like organic, sustainable, or even local. “When I hear the word organic I think of Birkenstock-wearing hippies in Cambridge, Massachusetts or Berkeley, California,” one of my clients told me recently. Other clients have referred to whole, organic foods as “yuppie food.” There’s no doubt that food choice and diet is an indicator of class and culture, but what perplexes me is this notion that eating a diet of processed, sugary junk foods is what the “real” Americans eat.

According to food historian Felipe Fernandez-Arsmesto, food has always been a marker of class and rank in any particular society. He writes that, “Food became a social differentiator at a remote, undocumented moment when some people started to command more food resources than others.” He goes on to write that, “Class differentiation starts with the crudities of basic economics. People eat the best food they can afford: the preferred food of the rich therefore becomes a signifier of social aspirations.”

[ READ MORE (Common Dreams) ]