ODA “swats” Manna Storehouse Co-op

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

DEC 16 UPDATE: Manna Storehouse #6