OSPCA raiding Amish farms in Ontario

According to Michael Schmidt, 45 inspectors of the OSPCA raided 16 Amish farms in Huron County. No charges were laid. They found one dog with an ear infection, one puppy born the night before laying away from his mother, and tarter plaque on the teeth of a dog. From CTV news:

Click image to go to CTV website to watch video clip.

The Declaration of Food Independence

From Kimberly Hartke on her Hartke is Online blog:

“…Liz Reitzig served as emcee for the rally, and introduced Canadian dairy farmer Michael Schmidt who spoke to the crowd about how food rights and small farms were at risk all across North America. See his guest blog about the issue, The Tragic Reality of Human Kindness. Vernon Hershberger also gave a stirring talk to the assembled crowd, about why he is resisting the food tyranny of the state.

Environmental “obesogens” are what’s making children and adults fat — ISIS

From the Institute for Science in Society (ISIS):

Persistent environmental pollutants responsible for obesity epidemic Prof. Joe Cummins. A fully referenced version of this report is posted on ISIS members website and is otherwise available for download here

Obesity epidemic

Metabolic diseases and obesity are on the increase over the last decades. In France, the proportion of population overweight or obese rose 12 % between 1997 and 2003, from 36.7 to 41.6% [1]. In the United States, the prevalence of obesity was 32.2% among adult men and 35.5% among adult women in 2007-2008 [2]; and obesity in adolescence was significantly associated with increased risk of severe obesity in adulthood [3]. In 2011, a national cohort study of infants and toddlers in the US found that nearly one-third were overweight or obese at 9 months and 2 years of age [4].

Michael Schmidt and raw milk top story in the “New Jersey Farmer”

From Jane Primerano, in the New Jersey Farmer:

Photo of Michael Schmidt lecturing, by Jane Primerano

NEW BRUNSWICK — Michael Schmidt ran a successful dairy farm in Germany, where raw milk is allowed, but he was looking for a challenge, so he moved to Canada.
“My farm in Germany was perfect. It was built to feed Napoleon’s army. I had perfect cows. But I can’t live in eternal beauty.”

He found the challenge he was looking for, Schmidt told a packed lecture hall at Princeton University as the closing speaker at the Northeast Organic Farming Association of New Jersey annual Winter Conference.
He farmed 600 acres initially, but the cost of fighting Canada’s law against selling raw milk caused him to lose all but 50 acres and all of his machinery.

The Michael Schmidt story in “VICE”

Those of you who don’t live in a metropolis may not have encountered “Vice”, the magazine targeted to young people, that seems to pride itself on being deliberately edgy, with stories on sex, drugs, and other illicit pleasures. Add raw milk to that list, now that Michael Schmidt’s story is being featured there. From Julia Kennedy (daughter of Toronto chef Jamie Kennedy), in “Vice”:

Michael Schmidt on the steps of Queen's Park following a news conference, with a native friend.

“If you get busted for selling raw milk in Canada, penalties range from steep fines to time in prison. Farmer Michael Schmidt has received both.

It started with a simple experiment: Take two calves; feed one raw milk from cows raised on a small biodynamic farm, and feed the other pasteurized milk from a commercial brand. Do so for four months, then compare.