Re: Support for Minnesota farms

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

That is too bad. There were 3 other farmers who quit the biz in Jan/Feb as

well. And I know of another one who is retiring in July--their herd of milking

cows will be available. And 2 others who are sick and tired of hearing how all

these people want raw milk but yet pasteurized crap is pushed as being " just as

good " . Dead is dead is dead.

The raw milk bill may enable the farmer to bring the milk to the doorstep of

every waiting customer but that is quite a burden on the farmer as well. Right

now most (not all) of my milk people want no soy, no GMO's, no vaccinations, no

barn kept animals, no antibiotics, etc, etc, etc. That takes time to do. And

then to be expected to deliver to people who are " too busy " to come to the farm

to get their milk??? I mean, really? Come on. And I have a 4 year old as well

as a daughter who is getting married sooner now than we thought. Taking time

for either is like pulling teeth at times! If I have to take my son with me he

tends to get car sick and last time threw up all over the back of the truck.

Not fun for him or me.

Basically this is the attitude going around at the feed mill (greatest gossip

center in the universe):

Raw milk bill is made for the benefit of those who have no idea about farming

and make incredible demands from their farmers. They expect the farmer to drive

at least 1 hour 1 way into the cities, back into tiny driveways, deal with

traffic, provide a cooler for each customer, pick up containers or provide them,

make sure the milk is fresh, packed in ice, make sure the jar does not break in

the winter, be responsible for the milk if it is stolen or otherwise disappears,

bring more milk down if extra is needed, and then drive back home like nothing

happened. And wait to get paid for your trouble since that is the last thing

ever done. And then do chores (average milking time is 2.5 hours twice a day),

make sure your supply of feed and hay is sufficient, plant your own crops since

GMO's are not wanted, do all maintenance on the tractor and equipment needed for

such crops, ensure barn is clean and fences are holding animals, order seed,

plant crops, harvest crops, etc, etc. And then of course, you are supposed to

have that family time squeezed in there. Oh yeah, and have the right kind of

cows. And if you provide milk, it should not be a big deal to also provide

cream and butter.

I am glad I like doing what I am doing because when I add up the hours I put in

each week I should be getting one heck of a paycheck!

By the way, I don't support the same attitude as many of the gossipers at the

feed mill and not all of them are that extreme. You should know tho, your raw

milk access bill is going to have to come from the customer and not the farmer.

Most of us don't really have any benefit to deliver.

I have managed to get rid of my high maintenance customers and won't put up with

that again. I have a family and like to spend time with them as well.

>

> Hello everyone,

> I just thought people might want to know this. Their is another Minnesota raw

milk dairy farmer who is about to go out of business.

> It is not because of any illness claims, or licensing violations...they simply

ran into financial troubles. This is a wonderful family that produces many

quality products in addition to grass feed raw milk. They have until mid-ApriI

to come up with a hefty sum of money and quite frankly, it is too much for them

to do.

> Their farm will most likely go into foreclosure.

> I am wondering if we could all send some good thoughts, healing/positive

energy or prayers their way?

> Also, as a reminder, we should be trying to support our local Minnesota

farmers.

> The Raw Milk Access Bill would do just that.

> It is legislation that would allow farmers or a designated person to freely

deliver " the goods " , and our small farmers could flourish and expand.

> As a side note, I do believe the aforementioned farmers needed more

customers...

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks for writing about your perspective with regards to this issue.

Free market allows for customers and suppliers to have choices. The Raw

Milk Access bill would allow those farmers who WANT to deliver the ability

to be able to do so with out fear of prosecution. It still will allow those

farmers to have customers come to the farm if that is how they would like

to handle their business.

I believe was trying to make the case that if the farmer, who is being

foreclosed, could have expanded his business with a delivery system perhaps

this might have made enough of a financial difference to escape losing the

farm. I happen to know that this farmer is personally interested in this. I

know of a farmer who has a 100+ waiting list, and Weston A Price chapter

leaders who are having a difficult time finding farms for these customers,

because SOME farmers are wanting to deliver, but can't disclose this

without fear of high legal bills and time in jail.

Respectfully,

Deanna

On Tue, Feb 28, 2012 at 10:14 PM, Paradise <paradisegoats@...>wrote:

> **

>

>

> Hi ,

>

> That is too bad. There were 3 other farmers who quit the biz in Jan/Feb as

> well. And I know of another one who is retiring in July--their herd of

> milking cows will be available. And 2 others who are sick and tired of

> hearing how all these people want raw milk but yet pasteurized crap is

> pushed as being " just as good " . Dead is dead is dead.

>

> The raw milk bill may enable the farmer to bring the milk to the doorstep

> of every waiting customer but that is quite a burden on the farmer as well.

> Right now most (not all) of my milk people want no soy, no GMO's, no

> vaccinations, no barn kept animals, no antibiotics, etc, etc, etc. That

> takes time to do. And then to be expected to deliver to people who are " too

> busy " to come to the farm to get their milk??? I mean, really? Come on. And

> I have a 4 year old as well as a daughter who is getting married sooner now

> than we thought. Taking time for either is like pulling teeth at times! If

> I have to take my son with me he tends to get car sick and last time threw

> up all over the back of the truck. Not fun for him or me.

> nd butter.

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Another choice the bill contains is for consumers carpooling to the farm. It

offers choices to both farmers and consumers that we do not currently have.

>

> Thanks for writing about your perspective with regards to this issue.

> Free market allows for customers and suppliers to have choices. The Raw

> Milk Access bill would allow those farmers who WANT to deliver the ability

> to be able to do so with out fear of prosecution. It still will allow those

> farmers to have customers come to the farm if that is how they would like

> to handle their business.

>

> I believe was trying to make the case that if the farmer, who is being

> foreclosed, could have expanded his business with a delivery system perhaps

> this might have made enough of a financial difference to escape losing the

> farm. I happen to know that this farmer is personally interested in this. I

> know of a farmer who has a 100+ waiting list, and Weston A Price chapter

> leaders who are having a difficult time finding farms for these customers,

> because SOME farmers are wanting to deliver, but can't disclose this

> without fear of high legal bills and time in jail.

>

> Respectfully,

>

> Deanna

>

[Guest guest]

Deanna,

This is not my perspective, this is what the gossip around the mill is over the

raw milk bill. And I do have to say, for the high maintenance people, they can

drive. Done with that. And this group will probably not bother to show up or

talk to anyone who will be interested in passing or not passing this bill, but

they are out there, and they are pretty set in their ways and beliefs and

attitudes. And they do have some merit.

It is adding a lot more on to the farmer to do what this bill is asking.

And I doubt you will ever get it passed since there is no set handling of the

" lethal substance " . :-) That is going to bite you.

I bring stuff in to 6 different places right now. I do not want to deliver

since it takes up way too much of my time but I am doing it for the time being.

My set up is different than others tho. I think that the consumers can for the

most part, get together and rotate driving as well. I have a couple of groups

who do this, I never see the same person twice in 2 months. Works well for both

sides.

Foreclosure starts way before the lack of customers. For a farm to be

foreclosed upon it takes 12 to 18 months once the sheriff sale happens. This I

know because we have been thru it with the ex. It is a rough thing to go thru

but the world will keep turning and the sun does come up the next day.

It is a bad business plan to attempt to grow any business on a less than solid

foundation. So to try and expand raw milk sales to support the farm is shaky at

best. I think this very group has proved that as well. How many of the " raw

customers " are now getting that pasteurized dead milk because it is easier than

driving to the farm? Or because they don't want to put themselves on the line

but expect their farmers to do so? Or because someone said that it is almost as

good as real milk?

>

> Thanks for writing about your perspective with regards to this issue.

[Guest guest]

Beth,

I think the state/govt would be hard pressed to take anyones product that was

purchased and carpooled. So far I don't know of anyone this has happened to

anywhere in the US. Excluding buying clubs--those are different monsters.

The publicity of something like that happening would backlash against them with

much more tenacity than just stopping a farmer from delivering goods.

From what I have seen (and this is my perspective as a farmer), the consumers

want the farmer to take the risks and then they storm behind the farmer by

clicking like on facebook, perhaps coming to a rally, maybe talking about

getting a law changed, but not really getting their feet wet or hands dirty.

Afterall, their farmer can replace the product or they can always try that dead

pasteurized milk.

Example: IF you are a member of a buying club, then you own part of the club.

Members should be doing more than sitting back. They should be charged just

like the club " owners " in some cases. And if the product was paid for in

advance, then the owner of the product (member/owner/whatever) should file to

get that product back from the people who took it--not sitting back like a bunch

of hens facing a weasel. If they are not even willing to fill out a theft

report with the local law enforcement but expect their farmer to go to court,

jail, etc., for them, then they should be drinking dead milk. They need to find

attorneys or other legal avenues (other than FTCLDF) and make issue at the base

of the chain. Courts do not like petty little irritating suits being brought to

them. IF your product is taken/stolen and YOU as the OWNER of the product was

not given an inventory of the product being taken, then you need to start

paperwork. That means that you do have to put your name out there on documents.

[Guest guest]

I am so glad to hear some of the things that are coming forth here on the list.

These have needed to be said for some time I think.

I know I often prefer to go to the farm to get my milk myself even though it is

easier to have it delivered to me. Why? Because I think we should all see the

critters our milk is coming from, how clean things are, how things are handled,

give a helping hand, know our farmer on a personal basis and not expect to have

the farmer carry all the burden.

When I started to drink and use raw milk, I would drive over 2 hours one way to

get my milk once a month. Then I tried a carpooling group. That was OK but my

little car could not carry all the coolers for all the milk nor did I like the

idea of bring milk for others across state lines and the implications of that.

So went back to going on my own.

Then came the delivery thing. I became a delivery site for some time, loved not

ever having to leave my home for my milk. But there was problems with that too

of people not picking up, broken glass in my garage, frozen milk that leaked all

over the fridge..... I also saw that the farm I use to get my milk from was

starting to struggle due to people choosing the easy way of delivery here and

not going there any more. Delivery often hurts farmers who have fought hard to

keep and give us the rights we have to date to have raw milk. What happened to

loyalty?

I have since found that goats milk settles better on my system and usually drink

that when I can get it. I get my cows milk from the same farmer as my goat milk.

I started out going to her farm to get my milk, then was a delivery site for her

produce and milk, now it can go either way, if she is in the area she will

deliver if not I can go there. To me, this is how it should be. I should be just

as willing to do the work of getting raw milk on my table as my farmer is.

Also, this lightly pasteurized milk, well to me it is still dead milk, maybe not

as dead as milk in the store but still dead or at least in a deep coma. What

happened to real milk, raw and sweet? Isn't that one of the things Trad Foods

list was created and based on? If I am going to drink dead milk I will get it at

the local store, if I want the good stuff, raw and sweet, I am more than willing

to go to the farm and get it if that is what protects my farmers.

OK stepping down from my soap box now.

Kimi

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

" Gardening and Praying both are best done down on the knees " (unknown.)

[Guest guest]

Thanks Kimi. It's all about choices. No one is forcing delivery on anyone,

but there are those farmers who choose to run there business this way and

they shouldn't have to worry about being thrown in jail.

By the way according to the current law, a carpooling group is NOT legal.

Deanna

[Guest guest]

Carpooling may not be legal but neither is picking cigarettes for someone if you

are going to the store--of age or not. Or liquor. Both of those things are done

far more often than grabbing an extra gallon or two of milk for a group of

people.

And NO ONE has been in trouble for carpooling.

The Raw Milk Freedom Riders have brought milk across state lines twice now and

had no issues. The second time they brought milk across from Wisconsin to

Illinois, the person picking up milk in WIS and collecting money from another

person for the milk in Ill.

Those were all across state lines.

In state should probably be planned and done.

If anyone is " betting the farm " on an illegal activity there will be problems.

We have waited for years now for the law to change, it won't get heard this

year. Many of you are working very hard at getting things into the open and

changing how things are done but the backers are leaving. This list has gone to

dead milk and that is what is being promoted.

>

> Thanks Kimi. It's all about choices. No one is forcing delivery on anyone,

> but there are those farmers who choose to run there business this way and

> they shouldn't have to worry about being thrown in jail.

>

> By the way according to the current law, a carpooling group is NOT legal.

>

> Deanna

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Dear , I am not a farmer, just a consumer, and I agree! I think it is a

blessing to HAVE to go to the farm to pick up my milk. I get to see the cows. My

kids get to pet them. I chat with my farmer while our kids play, and we've

gotten to know each other in a way I do not think would be possible if he just

dropped some milk off at my house from time to time. I think customers should

HAVE to go to the farm; how else can they judge for themselves if the cows are

healthy and the barn is sanitary?

That said, it's going on a year that I haven't had a car or anyone willing to

bring me to pick up milk, so we've gone without. I think that a bill giving

farmers and consumers the option to deliver would be good for everyone because

it will get milk to people who literally can't go get it themselves. Plus any

bill that makes it easier to get raw milk is good in that the state has one less

tool to use to persecute the farmer.

Have a happy day,

Roxanne

Authoress extraordinaire! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007F39R8Q