DVD!
Proud Wisconsin Dairyman, Scott Trautman
Good News from Wisconsin and other Raw Milk News
Yesterday afternoon, I got a surprising call from a reporter, “Have you heard the news?”
“No”, I said.
“The raw milk bill passed, 25-8, it flew through!”
I then gave Rick Barrett of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinal, a quote for his story, Wisconsin Senate Approves Raw Milk.
It is discouraging to read the comments on this story, the ones that claim there is just no science to back up the health benefits of raw milk. After all, Farm-to-Consumer Foundation just brought in to Madison, Wisconsin, from Germany and D.C. two of the leading experts in the science of raw milk to the 2nd Annual International Raw Milk Symposium. They each made a lengthy presentation of the science.
But, presentations like these don’t easily translate into media stories.
Here is an excellent overview of the raw milk issue that may help:
http://realmilk.com/rawmilkoverview.html
Raw Milk Dispute Hits Health Section of USA Today
I arranged for two interviews for Science writer, Elizabeth Weise of USA Today, one with Ted Beals, M.D. and the other with Emily Matthews, R.N. in regard to the symposium. One of them was quoted in yesterday’s article, Raw Milk Advocates, Health Officials Step Up Dispute.
A number of raw milk fans have complained to me about the article being so heavily slanted in favor of the opponents of raw milk. However, the reporter told me that her purpose was to show both sides and help people decide for themselves. Just getting into the USA Today with such a big article, and with all the mentions of pro raw milk URL’s is a huge deal. The full page article ran on a page4 in the Life Section. On the front page of the Life section, a teaser ran at the top center of the page with a color photo of a cow being milked by hand with the words A Better Life.
In the print edition, the story had a large photo of two cows on pasture at Mark McAfee’s Organic Pastures Dairy. Those cows certainly have a better life! And, most thinking people will read both sides and dig deeper for information if they really want to know the truth.
USA Today reaches 2,284,219 readers daily. It is said of this paper that if you want to know the future, read USA Today. It is widely read by travelers since it is our only national paper. These are folks who are educated, professional, and have money to spend on the healthiest food for their family. This article will spark their curiousity, and many will decide that raw milk may have positive benefits.
Check out these two websites if you want to know more about the positive benefits of raw milk, raw-milk-facts.com and realmilk.com.
Max Kane Called Before Another Hearing
Max has been summoned to appear before a Virquoa judge on Monday, April 19, at 10:30am. He cancelled a scheduled public appearance at the Gluten Free Cooking Expo tomorrow, to prepare for the hearing. This young husband and father faces jail for not divulging his farmers and consumers that comprise his private farm buying club, Belle’s Lunchbox. Kathryn Pirtle, author of Performance Without Pain and Kelly the Kitchen Kop blogger will both be at the Expo, and will stand in Max’s place as advocates of nutrient dense foods.
State Attempts to Outlaw Massachusetts Buying Clubs
I met Winton Pitcoff at the Raw Milk Symposium, he heads the Raw Milk Network for the Massachusetts Chapter of the Northeast Organic Farming Association. I was excited to know he is a daily reader of this blog. He shared with me that they are in a battle with the state defending the legitimacy of farm buying clubs which provide delivery services of farm fresh products to urban and surburban citizens who live a great distance from farms.
David Gumpert, author of The Raw Milk Revolution and a Massachusetts resident, in his blog about the situation, Too Much of a Good Thing? states that $600,000 in annual raw milk sales are at stake. Not to mention the dietary needs of thousands of citizens will go wanting if such a bill passes.
Kathryne Pirtle told me yesterday, “Consumers need to get closer to our farmers, we need to be there, defending them when necessary.” I couldn’t agree more.
Kimberly Hartke is the publicist for Weston A. Price Foundation and realmilk.com. Raw dairy is part of her daily diet, and she believes it should be available for those that chose this wholesome food.
Fight Back Fridays Blog Carnival
This post is part of Fight Back Friday’s blog carnival on Food Renegade blog.
Thank you for your amazing work!!
3 Comments
Hey all, I just found this interesting article:
http://www.cornucopia.org/2010/03/wisconsin-ranked-no-2-in-nation-in-organic-farming-usda-reports/
This is why the passage of the Wisconsin bill is so significant. Raw dairy sales really do drive the engine of the organic farms. To continue to maintain their vibrant organic economy, the Wisconsin House needs to also pass this bill.
This is great news! I’m in California, but anything that makes raw milk easier to get is a step in the right direction!
.-= chanelle´s last blog ..Any questions?? =-.
It was indeed discouraging, as you say, to read all the negative comments on the first article you linked to. However, was also quite heartening to see all the nice pro-raw milk comments that followed.
Judging solely by the tone of the comments attached to that article, it would appear that drinking raw milk makes one intelligent, well-reasoned, polite, and respectful, while drinking pasteurized milk makes one rude, insulting, and belligerent!
Let us continue to fight the good fight in our typical firm but polite manner. Our continued patience and proper manners — in response to rude anti-raw milk comments — can only serve to strengthen our argument and expose the ridicule for what it is: baseless, cheap, malicious, uninformed blathering that often does not make sense in the wider context*.
* — If we apply their twisted, zero-tolerance logic to spinach, then raw spinach should be outlawed. And if you are stupid enough to eat raw spinach anyway and you get E. coli from it, you should pay your own medical bills (and don’t come crying to us, because you got what you deserved you idiot). Their heated and ill-reasoned comments are not only quite unbecoming, they are hardly convincing!