SB 364 - Allowing raw unpasturized milk for sale

[kalakoa]

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The bill, as written, contains no standards ...

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That sounds about right.

[Seeb]

In the Tropics with people that have no training or experience in dairy farming.

Don't have any epidemic - No Problem, we'll start one

[dayna]

I have a couple dairy goats. I milk them. I use the raw milk. I have a neighbor that uses the raw milk.

I would NEVER consider selling to the public. Even if it was legal. Granted, I follow stricter standards for collecting milk than most, but still... The liability is huge.

One thing to think of, is while I collect and use raw milk. I'm not a milk drinker. I don't drink it. I make cheese (which requires pasteurization the way I do it) and I use it in cooking...

BUT on the flip side of me not selling to the public, I get a bit po'd when the government tells me what I can and cannot purchase as a consumer. They assume I'm not smart enough to research, make good decisions, and take responsibility for my purchases and what I chose to put on my table for my family.

Dayna

http://www.FarmingAloha.com
www.E-Z-Caps.com

[Chunkster]

Dayna, I have a lot of Libertarian tendencies and respect your position on the government dictating what you can purchase. The problem with raw milk and similar products, however, is that the buyer would be taking a lot of the sanitatary arrangments on faith. Unfortunately, things can go wrong even with the best intentions, or worse yet, some people will not be honest about the health practices of their "dairies." Tuberculosis and a number of other diseases can be spread by unpasteurized milk. There are strains of TB around now that are almost incurable.

[KeaauRich]

And Dayna, while I don't doubt that you're smart enough to research, make good decisions, and take responsibility for your purchases and what you choose to feed your family, I'm afraid I can't say the same for a lot of our friends and neighbors in Puna. I can easily see well-meaning parents feeding raw milk to their kids "because its natural," with potentially disasterous results.

[kalakoa]

quote:

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I get a bit po'd when the government tells me what I can and cannot purchase as a consumer. They assume I'm not smart enough to research, make good decisions, and take responsibility for my purchases and what I chose to put on my table for my family.

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This is America, where we celebrate a proud tradition of being too stupid to grow our own food, build our own structures, wire our own electricity, and fit our own plumbing.

Today's children are already too stupid to pass standardized tests, so we're well on our way to being completely incompetent. Hooray for America!

[dayna]

I do agree, we've been un educated or dis educated (not sure how to phrase that) away from knowing what is and is not good for us when it comes to our food.

I do test for Johnes disease (cause of TB in goats) through WADDL (http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/depts_waddl/) but I'm not sure how common is it for most folks here in Puna to do disease testing. None of the goats I've purchased were tested prior to me acquiring them.

But I did the research and learned about best handling procedures, health of the animal, etc before I started milking. Heck, I even weigh my milk every time because a change in the weight or the volume of the milk can tell you if something is off about the health of the animal before it shows symptoms.

I do think there should be requirements about handling raw milk, disease testing of the animals, etc before someone should be allowed to sell to the public.

Dayna

http://www.FarmingAloha.com
www.E-Z-Caps.com

[Rob Tucker]

Sounds like you are doing just the right things.

I spent a good part of my childhood and part of my adult life on a 300 acre organic level dairy farm in Connecticut. We milked 60 cows twice a day, every day. I got a good education in commercial dairy. Too much work for too little money. Ultimately the dairy was closed. But at the farmhouse we drank raw milk straight from the cooler for 90 years. Nothing was sold to the public. It all went to the coop for processing and distribution.

[Chunkster]

I'm very impressed, Dayna. I wish we could count on everyone to show your level of intelligence and diligence. Unfortunately, some producers won't, and once again I find my self questioning Russell Ruderman's wisdom and policy priorities.

[kalakoa]

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I do agree, we've been un educated or dis educated (not sure how to phrase that) away from knowing what is and is not good for us when it comes to our food.

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Food and everything else, and without a way to opt-out of the "lowest common denominator" legislation, we're left to form our own underground markets for commodity goods. Someone please wake me when it's over...