Sheep from Manna Storehouse (pic from Manna Storehouse website)
NEW DEC. 17: Manna Storehouse 7: The Stowers tell their story.
Apparently undaunted by past legal rebukes, the Ohio Department of Agriculture recently raided a food coop in La Grange that was providing grass-fed beef, lamb, pastured poultry and other Weston-Price-style foods. Raw milk was not specifically mentioned, so we don’t know whether that might have been a factor. But the extent and style of the regulator action in this case bears a definite resemblance to what happened at Michael Schmidt’s Glencolton Farms back on Nov. 21, 2006. The Bovine learned about this incident from a comment on the Complete Patient blog by Don Neeper. Here’s part of what Don said:
Pastured chicken, Nature's Acres, Berlin Ohio, (one of Manna Storehouse's suppliers)
“Manna Storehouse, a food co-op in La Grange, providing grass fed beef, lamb, pastured poultry and other Weston A. Price foods was raided yesterday [Monday, Dec. 1st] by SWAT, ODA officials, and local authorities.
The family that runs the co-op tells me they were herded into the living room for 8 hours while the home and business was torn apart. They were not given reason, saying they were under investigation. All of their computers and phones, and customer information were taken, as well as $10,000 worth of beef. A ‘warrant’ which didn’t appear to be valid, showed the reason for investigation, was ‘beef’.
If you are a customer, please know they only have cell phones and a few numbers that may be in those phones they can call. They have no records as they were all taken, so they can’t be in contact.
They won’t know anything until they go to court, and at this point are considering going to the media.
Interestingly, I believe they said a month or so ago, an undercover ODA official came to their little store and claimed to have a sick father wanting to join the co-op. Both the owner and her daughter-in-law had a horrible feeling about the man, and decided not to allow him into the co-op and notified him by certified mail. He came back to the co-op demanding to be part of it. They refused and gave him names of other businesses and health food stores closer to his home. Not coincidentally, this man was there yesterday as part of the raid.
If you are a one who prays, they ask for your prayers….”
Read more details on this raid from a later post on “The Bovine”.
Here’s the Complete Patient post this comment was part of.
Here’s the website for Manna Storehouse.
Here are two previous stories on the Bovine about court censures of the ODA over their actions against a farmer:
Ohio Department of Agriculture loses legal challenge
Ohio court comes down hard on flagrant regulator abuses
FOR LATEST REVELATIONS: See Manna Storehouse SWAT Part 3– includes: Katie Stover’s husband was serving in Iraq at time of the raid, possible rationale for the police tactics could be the unrelated murder of officials during a meat inspection in 2000. Also story and reader comments from local newspaper coverage.
MANNA STOREHOUSE PART 4: Did Police really enter “with guns drawn”?
NEW: Manna Storehouse raid part 5 –DEEPER DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE
37 Comments
December 4, 2008 at 5:38 pm
[...] blogger familiar with the Ohio situation has reported that: “Interestingly, I believe they [Manna [...]
December 4, 2008 at 5:49 pm
[...] blogger familiar with the Ohio situation has reported that: “Interestingly, I believe they [Manna [...]
December 4, 2008 at 6:31 pm
[...] earlier post “ODA ’swats’ Manna Storehouse co-op” is proving to be tremendously popular. Following up some of the traffic sources and ping-backs I [...]
December 5, 2008 at 10:57 am
[...] One blogger familiar with the Ohio situation has reported that: [...]
December 5, 2008 at 11:39 am
[...] blogger familiar with the Ohio situation has reported that: “Interestingly, I believe they [Manna [...]
December 5, 2008 at 12:27 pm
[...] blogger familiar with the Ohio situation has reported that: “Interestingly, I believe they [Manna [...]
December 5, 2008 at 4:45 pm
[...] the beginning of the end for the freedom to eat unregulated and unmonitored food . One blogger http://thebovine.wordpress.com/2008/12/03/oda-swats-manna-storehouse-co-op/ familiar with the Ohio situation has reported that: Interestingly, I believe they [Manna [...]
December 6, 2008 at 12:53 am
Unbelievable. And yet believable.
It’s sickening to think that an honest living requires a lawyer and armed guards to protect against your own government. At least if we didn’t have the government we wouldn’t have to pay for a lawyer.
December 6, 2008 at 8:11 am
[...] blogger familiar with the Ohio situation has reported that: “Interestingly, I believe they [Manna [...]
December 6, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Seems to me turnabout here would be fair play. Someone should get a search warrant for the Department of Agriculture and send in a SWAT team to confiscate all their equipment and shut them down.
And people wonder why we need our 2nd Amendment.
December 6, 2008 at 5:47 pm
[...] blogger familiar with the Ohio situation has reported that: “Interestingly, I believe they [Manna [...]
December 6, 2008 at 7:24 pm
[...] might spell the beginning of the end for the freedom to eat unregulated and unmonitored food. One blogger familiar with the Ohio situation has reported that: Interestingly, I believe they [Manna [...]
December 6, 2008 at 11:11 pm
[...] In case you missed it, here was our first post on this story. [...]
December 7, 2008 at 3:00 am
[...] blogger familiar with the Ohio situation has reported that: “Interestingly, I believe they [Manna [...]
December 7, 2008 at 10:39 am
[...] came from: True Discernment blog I think, maybe, that blog borrowed in whole from another blog: The Bovine: ODA swats Manna Storehouse Co-op I think (initial impression) that blog borrowed heavily words from from print-journalinsm source [...]
December 7, 2008 at 3:19 pm
[...] One blogger familiar with the Ohio situation has reported that: “Interestingly, I believe they [Manna Storehouse] said a month or so ago, an undercover ODA official came to their little store and claimed to have a sick father wanting to join the co-op. Both the owner and her daughter-in- law had a horrible feeling about the man, and decided not to allow him into the co-op and notified him by certified mail. He came back to the co-op demanding to be part of it. They refused and gave him names of other businesses and health food stores closer to his home. Not coincidentally, this man was there yesterday as part of the raid.” [...]
December 7, 2008 at 3:45 pm
[...] “The USDA just released their plans to put a law into action that will put all small farmers out of business. Animals for the sale of meat or milk will only be allowed in commercial farms, even the organic ones.” -The Bovine Blog [...]
December 7, 2008 at 3:51 pm
[...] clipped from thebovine.wordpress.com [...]
December 8, 2008 at 9:17 am
[...] the freedom to eat unregulated and unmonitored food. http://www.westonaprice.org/ One blogger http://thebovine.wordpress.com/2008/12/03/oda-swats-manna-storehouse-co-op/ familiar with the Ohio situation has reported that: “Interestingly, I believe they [Manna [...]
December 8, 2008 at 10:59 am
[...] is not right here (related blog post) — both the news itself and how invisible it [...]
December 8, 2008 at 12:06 pm
[...] blogger familiar with the Ohio situation has reported that: “Interestingly, I believe they [Manna [...]
December 9, 2008 at 1:22 am
[...] to recognize government regulators and how to prepare for their strategies. I’ll refer you to The Bovine for more links and far more [...]
December 9, 2008 at 11:57 am
[...] The Bovine is doing an incredible job covering this story. Please take a look: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part [...]
December 9, 2008 at 1:35 pm
[...] It should be noted that 12 sheriff officers were there along w/ the ODA and Health Dept. Here’s another link ODA “swats” Manna Storehouse Co-op The Bovine [...]
December 9, 2008 at 9:46 pm
[...] of Agriculture Raid ODA “swats” Manna Storehouse Co-op The Bovine [...]
December 10, 2008 at 12:44 am
Please find the attached links for the Sheriff Department’s Incident report and a copy of the Search Warrant itself with supporting documentation.
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/12/Lorain%20Sheriff%27s%20report.pdf
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/12/_1209165828_001.pdf
The county health department was concerned this may have been a retail food service operation, and upon being denied the opportunity to inspect the property as such, turned it over to the county prosecutor’s office, who then asked them to send it to the Ohio Dept. of Agriculture. The ODA sent an investigator who allegedly made a retail purchase of eggs. A search warrant was then served on the property by uniformed deputies and plain-clothed detectives. Perhaps in some parts of the country that is considered a SWAT team, but in the greater Cleveland area, it certainly is not.
December 18, 2008 at 8:12 am
[...] on the big story this month. The best coverage of the Raid on Manna House Co-op is located here http://thebovine.wordpress.com/2008/12/03/oda-swats-manna-storehouse-co-op/ a 6-part story by a national award winning journalist with the WAPF organization; and of course the [...]
December 20, 2008 at 1:56 pm
[...] thorough series of blog-posts starts with a detailed description of the raid and ends with a video statement from the family, plus a pledge of legal support from The Buckeye [...]
December 21, 2008 at 4:44 pm
[...] food, and related business issues. The best coverage from a co-op point of view is probably at The Bovine, a weblog devoted to the cause of “access to raw milk,” where it appeared on December [...]
December 22, 2008 at 9:57 pm
[...] blogger familiar with the Ohio situation has reported that: “Interestingly, I believe they [Manna [...]
December 24, 2008 at 5:16 pm
[...] One blogger familiar with the Ohio situation has reported that: [...]
December 29, 2008 at 2:36 am
hey,Very useful information
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massdog
January 26, 2009 at 1:28 am
[...] payroll” How about looking into the FDA raiding small alternative nutrition companies, and small food co-ops; or Monsanto’s ‘rural cleansing’? How about admitting to and banning [...]
January 26, 2009 at 11:30 pm
[...] blogger familiar with the Ohio situation has reported that: “Interestingly, I believe they [Manna [...]
March 30, 2009 at 6:41 am
[...] earlier post “ODA ’swats’ Manna Storehouse co-op” is proving to be tremendously popular. Following up some of the traffic sources and ping-backs I [...]
April 17, 2009 at 4:22 pm
[...] ODA “swats” Manna Storehouse Co-op [...]
October 30, 2009 at 4:09 pm
[...] to vote “NO” on upcoming “Option 2″ referendum Jump to Comments The story of the raid on the Manna Storehouse Coop in Ohio by an armed SWAT team nearly a year ago was the most heavily trafficked post ever on the Bovine. Since then, the Stowers are still awaiting [...]