¡Join the fight!
The crop mob I'm trying to arrange (see post below this one) is at Ploughshares Farm, near Alexandria, in Parker's Prairie, MN. They've been hard-hit with storms this past month and could really use a hand. If you know anyone in St. Cloud or Alexandria who might be interested in joining a crop mob, please have them contact me at barthanderson atsymbol earthlink dot net.
Over the weekend, a second farm was searched by Minnesota state officials in its raw milk investigations. Reporter Mark Stiel has been all over this for Minnesota Public Radio:
The Minnesota Agriculture Department has searched a second farm that has allegedly sold raw milk. The investigations began after E. coli traced to unpasteurized products sickened eight people. The southern Minnesota farm blamed for the E. coli outbreak has been searched twice. Read more...
Legal sparring has begun between raw milk farmer Michael Hartmann and the state of Minnesota's Department of Agriculture over E. coli linked to his milk products. Via MPR News:
Southern Minnesota dairy farmer Michael Hartmann has asked a district court judge to remove a state embargo on the sale of raw milk food products from his farm. Read more...
I'm excited to announce a late addition to our Fair Food Fight Night discussion on antibiotics. Read more...
I'm very fond of Lighthouse Farm and I'm excited to get there with the Twin Cities Crop Mob on July 17. It's a very small grass-fed beef, pork (that's the pork-to-be, at left), lamb, poultry, and egg operation, about an hour north of the Twin Cities.
Lighthouse Farm does a terrific direct-market business. They sell their meat straight to you, and if you live in their delivery area, they will bring your order to your door, no additional charge. Read more...
Reserve your slot at the next two Crop Mobs *, both in July.
July 17: Lighthouse Farm (Click here for schedule and sign up)
Lighhouse is a cool lttle farm, with pigs, sheep, chickens, cows, and one ornery llama!
Farmer John Mesko, director of the Minnesota Sustainable Farming Association, is dedicated to clean, real food for healthy people, and his farm reflects that in every aspect. From the Lighthouse Farm site: Read more...
Three more cases of infection linked to raw milk here in Minnesota. From the Star-Tribune:
The illnesses have occurred in seven homes since May 26, the state Health Department said. This strain of E. coli has not previously been found in Minnesota.
There's an intresting discussion about raw milk and modern dairying going on here, if you'd like to join the fray.
Have you noticed that when people write about the raw milk issue, pro or con, the caveats fly? Raw milk advocates say, "We don't want to minimize the food safety issues, but..." while opponents go, "Of course, people have the right to choose what foods they want to eat, but..."
The raw milk issue is fascinating to me because it yanks Americans' politics and sympathies in opposing directions, mine included. Which only fascinates me all the more.
For me, I believe farmers and consumers should be able to trade goods, citizen to citizen, whether it's raw milk, moonshine, or marijuana. That's the libertarian in me. Read more...
The number of people sickened by an E. coli outbreak in Minnesota has increased from four to five today. Raw milk is believed to be the source of the outbreak.
Over at Simple Good & Tasty, you can read a statement written on behalf of Michael Hartman and family whose Gibbon, Minnesota dairy was identified as the likely source of the tainted raw milk last week (Fair Food Fight coverage of the outbreak here). From the May 29 Hartmann statement: Read more...
Are you a farmer selling raw milk in Minnesota? In the wake of four people getting sick from allegedly drinking raw milk, a crack down on selling raw milk is underway by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. If you sell raw milk in Minnesota, and you've been meaning to cover your bases legally, ASAP would be a very good time to do so.
