So what’s so good about raw milk?

From Justin Robertson on Post City.com (website of a Toronto based newspaper chain):

Michael Schmidt and some of his supporters leaving the court on Friday

“Last week, Michael Schmidt incurred a hefty slap-on-the-wrist (to the tune of $9,150) for charges related to selling raw milk. Not only that, he racked up two separate probation sentences for offences dating back to 2006. The guy clearly loves his raw milk. The government clearly does not. So what exactly is the deal with raw milk anyway? What makes it special enough to die for (or at least to abstain from eating for over a month)? Below, five reasons why raw milk has a cult following.

1. Taste the delicious taste. Of course, advocates will try to convince you that raw milk is the best tasting thing to happen to humanity since manna. But one thing is certain: raw milk certainly tastes different. Here is a pretty thorough breakdown of what to expect if taking the plunge. 

More good things come from Maine

Last Saturday I was talking to a young woman who is studying midwifery in Maine. I asked her what the culture was like down there. She started by noting that Maine was next to New Hampshire, where the tagline on the license plates is “Live Free or Die”. She also told me that in Maine it wasn’t uncommon for homes to be off the grid, and that there were a lot of folks living simply there in preparation for the collapse of civilization as we know it. In fact, she said, the whole of New England is much closer philosophically to what we think of as Canada than places like Alberta. She went so far as to suggest Canada should swap Alberta for New England. All by way of introduction to this story on Good Food 4 All blog about a congresswoman who takes her work seriously:

“Maine Congresswoman Chellie Pingree has questions for USDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg on raw milk and the appointment of former Monsanto lawyer Michael Taylor to head the USDA.

READ THE LETTER HERE

As all of us in the food movement have done, Rep. Pingree questions the FDA’s role it plays in raids on small farmers.

Small dairy farmers across the country offering raw milk seem to be targeted just because they are easy prey.  They’re outside the lobbying interests, financial influences, coercion and corruption of the government by “Big Ag.”  They don’t have the funds to fight back.   Despite consumer demand, the FDA and CDC still issue dire warnings about raw milk like every sip of the stuff will immediately kill people.

Michael Schmidt refuses raw milk fines

From Aprons and Icons in Toronto Life:

Michael Schmidt talks to the media after his sentencing last Friday.

“After he professed a willingness to die to see the sale of raw milk legalized, it should come as no surprise that food freedom crusader Michael Schmidt is prepared to go to prison for his cause. Schmidt was in court in Newmarket last week for sentencing on convictions related to the sale of unpasteurized milk. The judge—who seemed entirely sympathetic to the cause—handed down a relatively gentle fine, but Schmidt, ever the hard-liner, refused to accept it.