raw milk sales in Mich BUSTED

I'm beginning to wonder if the United States is still the place to be? If you can't start a homestead based business, then what can you do? I mean, if eggs are being controlled, how long before they start controlling the soap made by so many homesteaders. How long before they start controlling the veggies you sell?
Geeze, there are less controls on home business in Marxist 3rd world countries in Africa! Heck, even in Nazi Germany, people were allowed to sell milk and eggs!

Now here's another side of the coin...
Don't you think that the citizens of this fine country had something to do with the current situation? 15 years ago, we didn't have these restrictions - but then all the lawsuits started happening. If someone bought something from anywhere and it "made" them sick, they sued the company and then the govt grabbed in to make sure it doesn't happen again. "Hot" coffee at McDonalds, fingers at Wendy's, the examples are endless. I think the stupid lawsuits had something to do with it...I say we start culling lawyers...wonder how they would go in a brunswick stew....hmmmmm....lawyer....

To legally sell "pet food" here you have to be inspected as a distributor of pet food. You have to have a license for it..

i did not think there were any regulations on pet food.

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this message has probably been edited to correct typos, spelling errors and to improve grammar...

"All that is gold does not glitter..."

30 years ago I could only find one dairy in the Salt Lake City area that sold raw milk. There may have been others but I couldn't find them. I had to drive about 50 miles round trip to get raw milk for my kids to drink. On my limited (as in, living on $350 a month) budget, that was difficult for me so I only went there once a month. Even that far back, the clamps had been put on the production of raw milk. Seems like everything today is personal choice except what you can feed your kids. If it isn't filled with additives, somebody isn't making enough money off of it so it must be bad.

I had always thought that in PA you could not sell raw milk..but perhaps after they inspecet you can. I understand also that "Big Brother" wants to "protect" us from the evils of raw, organic foods..but if they are labeled as such..then it should be the buyers responsiblity to deceide for themselves if they want to..they should, if possible check into the farm that these foods are coming from..?? I just don't know..Maybe Uncle Sam just doesnt' have enough to do with his time..next the head lines will read..Ma & Pa Kettle in jail for selling egss !!" What a country we live in ??

Eggs aren't the problem, people are the problem. When the people became aware that factory farmed eggs are unhealthy and started buying healthy natural eggs from backyard farmers then the factory farmers used their influence to get lawmakers to start regulating and banning the sale of the healthy eggs from backyard farms.

What it boils down to is this: Factory farms aren't happy with a large share of the market, they want it all. They fear of loosing part of the market to the natural products produced by backyard farmers. They have the $$$ "protect" them and their adgenda. Therefore, in my opinion, they have a plan to harrass people who sell pasture raised eggs, milk, and meat in an attempt to force the natural growers out of business. I believe that's why NAIS is being pushed so hard. It's their first step toward eliminating the backyard farmer who provides the natural foods. Of course it's being done in a way that makes it appear that the government is protecting the people.

Disclaimer: This is my opinion based on information I have recieved from several sources. I have no admissions of guilt from any factory farms or public officials that could confirm my opinion. (keeping my fingers crossed that I won't be harrassed for excerising my freedom of speech)

They already have their hand in this. Also in home made candles.

They are working on this. I just read the other day that inspectors are watching to be sure no fruits or veggies are cut open for customers to taste before they buy. edited to add: commerical stores can do that, but individuals can't. I don't remember what state that is in, but can bet that if one is doing it, the others will follow soon.


Yep, welcome to Nazi America!

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Afte thinking further on this..What can we all do to change the law that it would be OK to sell milk in this manner. Any suggestions ???

You know I really wonder what this once great country is coming to.......Anything that makes anyone feel good is politically correct......BUT when it comes to having your own mind that's when you run into problems. AS much as I try not to be pessimistic I can't help but think that things are going to get really bad. Honest people have very few rights anymore.....the sex offenders up the road from me have more than I do. And the cops go out of their way to protect them. If I shot one of them breaking in my house to rape one of us I'd probably go to jail for it..................but is there anywhere that is a "good" place to be anymore?

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Ginnie..
http://ginniequilts.blogspot.com/
You can say what you want about the South,
But you never hear of anyone retiring and moving North.

Only thing we can do is all club in and buy a couple thousand acres, move there and set up a self-sufficient community. It's been done before and it can work if people are open minded enough and has enough desire to live free. Nothing illegal about it - in fact, it can be a great way to improve education for our children.

Look at this post in the Poultry forum.
http://homesteadingtoday.com/showthread.php?t=148781
Are farmers now living in a police state? !!

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My wife (American born) jokes that it would have been faster, cheaper and easier for me to get to the USA if I wasn't being honest about it.
I try to be optimisitic, and if it wasn't for the hard working, Honest people in America, this country would have been down the tubes 15 years ago.

God Bless the USA!

I am not really selling pet food. I am selling raw milk for pet use. Maybe they are giving fluffy a bath in it.

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I can't believe I deleted it!

It's going down the tubes in a hurry NOW!

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Very True, Ladycat, but there is still hope.

When you pay only $20 for a share of a cow and then can buy any amount of milk you want for $6.50 it isn't the share milk operation recommended by the realmilk site. It is simply a sale of milk with a wink and a nod.

It is apparently all in the way the contract is structured. From what I remember from the site the costs need to reflect actual cost of operation. For example, if a milk cow is worth $1,000 and ten buy into the contact their purchase price needs to be $100. They then need to pay room, board, labor and other processing cost in line with the milk produced and the cost of doing so. Say it cost $600 year for all expenses. There share would be $60 year.

Just for the sake of illustration that cow averages giving five gallons of milk a day for 300 days, or 1,500 gallons total. Each of the owners of that would would then be entitled to 1/10th that, or 150 gallons, or less than one-half gallon on a daily avrage. Say three gallon a week.

The owner should be entitled to receiving some 1/10th of the net sales price if that particular cow is sold. They should be entitled to 1/10th the value of any calf received. Say the producer buys it from them for $200. Each should get $20 from the calf sale.

Thus, you pay $100 to buy in for 1/10th the cow, you paid an annual maintenance cost of $60 and for it you get about 150 gallons of milk at no additional cost as you have already paid for it.

And, yes, they should only get the products of what 150 gallons of raw milk would provide in the way of raw milk, butter, cottage cheese or such to stay within a share agreement.

If this co-op was selling through retailers than they were making milk sales, not selling on a milk sharing arrangement.

Sounds to me like what they were doing wasn't legal because of the way it was structured.

We have a full generation + that has been taught that raw milk is dangerous. The BB's funnelled lots of money into being sure the propaganda was widely spread and unquestionable believed. At this point it will be extremely hard to undo all the damage they've done. You can bet the farm that they will pump millions of dollars into fighting anyone who dares to stand up to them.

I suggest a quiet campaign. Talk to friends and neighbors. Go to realmilk.com and other sites that have facts. Print out information to back up what you say. There's some good info at http://www.organicpastures.com/testimonials.html Get a local movement up and running. Start small and grow. Try to get people from other areas to start small movements in their areas. Then when there are enough small groups, they will make one giant group with power to get things accomplished.

Imagine this: Choose certain days for all members of all groups to contact public officials. If they are getting millions of calls and letters they will HAVE to pay attention. At that point, we can demand a law be passed to make it legal for raw milk, eggs, meat, veggies, etc. and they will either pass the laws in our favor or we will have the power to elect someone who will pass laws in our favor. That's how the BB's do it. The only difference is they pay others to do their Lobbying, we need to do our own Lobbying (or maybe hire their Lobbyists away from them? )

OR... To take a softer stance, we could demand that the option to buy & sell raw & natural products be put to a public vote in each state.

I know I dream big. But most things in life start with a dream and become reality. Lets get past the dreams and start making our wishes real.

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Ultimately, the people of a nation get the government that they deserve. Everyone should be looking in the mirror and nowhere else to find both the problem and the solution.

Spinner, I like your idea. At least it is a start. Hmm..Wonder how I would get going on this. I shall peruse the idea. Action is much better that complaining. The gov't. does Not give a ---- about US(A)..just the money aspect.

The Farmers Markets are going strong, so maybe they would be a good source to contact the state legislatures. That law about selling in plain egg cartons just smells of unjust regulations. The "cow share" idea is another laughable law. I don't own something to sell shares in it. IT's MINE!!

Yes, we get the gov,t. we deserve. Contact everyone of your local, state, and federal "representatives" to give your views. I just wrote to the Ks Senator and did not like his reply. I then answered his letter to let him know my further thoughts. I can't believe an agruculture state like Kansas would let this happen. The big boys are getting their way because they are vocal. Let's all be just a vocal without being abusive.

Not to mention the long arms they have.... the better for reaching into deep pockets.

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Thanks Danaus!
But I OWN a small commercial orchard (+45 trees) & I usually have
more cider than I know what to do with (not this year - no apples) because

I REFUSED to sell Pasturized Cider!!

That’s part of my point and one of the reasons I’ve declared WAR on the PDA & the USDA. I have just had enough!!

As a small farmer I’m up against milk, cider and scrapie (sheep) regulations.
Here’s a typical small farm story:
A while back the PDA tried to shake me down for $50 a year for inspections & licencing for jams & jellies ; I sold less than $200 worth a year. It came out of the blue.
I had an established PDA #, had been having my well tested & the inspector checked my kitchen every 5 years - never had a problem. Then one day...things change...new regulations.
Whatever.
I refused to pay & elected to check the box “go out of business” on the Ag Dept. Form.
Told the Inspector
“I’m not paying. I don’t give a ****. Farm wives have been selling homemade jams & jellies to visitors for over 200 years in Pennsylvania.. Have it your way. Screw “You Got A Friend In Pennsylvania” (state licence & campaign) & Tom Ridge
(our dumb a** Governor who became the 1st Homeland Security idiot)”

. Big Agni Business is killing people making them sick. And now we are supposed to go along with NAIS??? That will be the day.

I was reading yesterday where the CDC is investigating yet another e.coli outbreak. How about we “Premises ID” ALL backyard gardeners & start “Tagging & Tracking” all tomatoes, spinach, lettuce & onions!

It’s about time that people who own small farms & homesteads start to pick up the pitchfork & march on Washington.

veme