From Raw Milk to Water — Raw milk farmer Michael Schmidt arrested today by police for blockading gate at Site 41

Raw milk farmer Michael Schmidt was arrested by police today and forceably removed from the gate of the Site 41 after blockading the entrance. Here’s the story from stopdumpsite41.ca:

Farmer Michael Schmidt arrested by police earlier today for blocking gate at dump site 41. Photo by Robert Preston.

“Raw milk activist and dairy farmer Michael Schmidt from Durham in Grey County was arrested today after spending several hours blocking Dump Site 41 Gate 2

“We all have to prevent Site 41 from opening,” he said in a statement. “The cry for help to protect all our water has been getting through too slow. Already thousands of people have been protesting. It seems that this is not enough because the powers that be are not listening. We need more people.”

Schmidt said he knew about the injunction that prohibits anyone from blocking trucks or stopping construction.

“If you now become a criminal when you protect water, protect the environment, protect our land then I have to be a criminal, if that is what it takes to protect the future for our children.

“Only if we are willing to suffer ourselves for the good of all can we initiate change and be heard”

Schmidt is known for his passionate advocacy of organic raw milk and is before the courts for illegally selling milk that isn’t pasteurized.”

Darol Dickinson at the Harrisburg PA USDA listening session on NAIS

Here’s one of the most concise statements we’ve seen about  why NAIS is such a bad idea. Pictures are from Darol’s farm website. Get the whole 54 page transcript of the Harrisburg listening session here.

Darol Dickinson's grandkids, atop one of his Texas Longhorn cattle. What will American agriculture look like by the time they grow up and start farming. Let's hope the USDA got Darol's message!

DD: My name is Darol Dickinson. I am from Ohio. I had the privilege of driving 7 hours over here yesterday, so I could get my precious 3 minutes in. I thank you for that. Then one kind person that I’ve never met before today relinquished his 3 minutes to me, so I hope you’ll put that 6 minutes on the clock, please. I had an email from John Carter, the president of the Australian Cattlemen’s Association, realizing that I would be at this meeting, and he said, “Fight NAIS.” We’ve had NLIS in Australia now–mandatory. It’s a nasty word. They’ve had that in Australia. It’s killing them. The book work, the compliance, fees, the fines, the penalties are driving them crazy. He says, “Fight NAIS with your life. Don’t let the government get it started. They started it in Australia. It’s just cost them a fortune. Land has dropped in prices. The big ranches have dropped. They’re trying to sell. They cannot fight the government. It’s killing them down there. That’s a word from John Carter who’s right in the middle of it in a country that can’t stop it. Their government will not relinquish it.