Home on the Range cowsharer writes

This story by Vanya is excerpted from the Marilyn Idle Holiday Earth blog:

Home on the Range photo

“….I came to Canada 1996 from former Yugoslavia, where enjoying dairy in any form was matter of the choice. At the open Public Markets one could by dairy products directly from the farmer who was manufacturing them. As well , milk and other products could be purchased at any grocery store, pasteurised or unpasteurised.

My family knew few favorite, trusting farmers. I enjoyed raw milk all my life, my parents would go directly to the village near Sarajevo, where we had a weekend house, and every Sunday I would drink milk, still warm, from my favorite cow called Belka, meaning White. She was friendly, happy, white cow with beautiful long eyelashes who was enjoying her meadow every day, choosing her own food and juicy grasses, and before the sunset she and few of her roommates would go back to their little stall to be milked.

How Michael Schmidt’s strong stand on raw milk rights should inform American activism to protect local organic food

Here’s what a recent post on Kimberly Hartke’s blog has to say on the subject:

Raw milk farmer Michael Schmidt talks to news media following his "not guilty" verdict last month.

“On January 21, 2010, Michael Schmidt, a Canadian dairy farmer, was cleared on all 20 counts of “selling” raw dairy in violation of Canada Health regulations. He was facing prison yet determined the government would have to send him there rather than find him guilty and send him home.

B.C. judge reserves decision on raw milk case — that means, for now, Home on the Range cowshare is “not unlawful”!

The latest from Gordon Watson (story and photos):

Ontario farmer Michael Schmidt speaks to a rally of raw milk supporters in New Westminster, prior to the hearing of the court case against "Home on the Range" cowshare in Vancouver.

The attempt by Fraser Health to shut down our cowshare fell short: we came out of court this afternoon with no decision.

For three hours, Madame Justice Gropper listened to both sides, then pronounced “judgment is reserved”. That means she’s going away to think about it. I confirmed with the Court clerk that she has not set a date to return to Court.

For now, our cowshare is ‘not unlawful’.