Interview with makers of “Milk War”

Yesterday on The Bovine we posted a link to the full “Milk War” documentary (featuring the Michael Schmidt story) on YouTube. Today we bring you an interview with the maker of that documentary.

The following interview from Good Food Revolution is reproduced with permission from Good Food Media (all rights reserved).

From Ivy Knight, on the Good Food Revolution blog:

Richard Paradiso and Declan O’Driscoll on May 6 upon winning the 2011 James Beard Award for Best Television Special/Documentary for Milk War. Photo: ichannel.ca

“Declan O’Driscoll was born in Toronto but spent most of his childhood in Ireland before heading out into the world to live in Iceland and the Kootenays of British Columbia until returning to Canada. He majored in theatre and minored in film at Concordia and has since shot the Iceland Airwaves Festival for four years running and completed a documentary about Icelandic immigration to Canada called The Path to Gimli. He now works as a music television producer for BPM TV, the Montreal-based dance and club culture digital TV channel.

Deconstructing Dinner is now up for crowd-source funding on Kickstarter

Devlin O’Driscoll, maker of the award winning documentary “Milk War” invites regular people like you to help support a new documentary series on food:

Host Jon Steinman and Chef Michael Stadtlander in the gardens of Eigensinn Farm.

“Just what and who are we investing in when we sit down to eat? Are these ‘investments’ secure? Become a part of a collective effort to answer these questions and embark on the journey of Deconstructing Dinner.

DECONSTRUCTING DINNER

From the internationally syndicated radio show and podcast Deconstructing Dinner (2006-2010) comes the on-screen reincarnation of the popular program from writer and host Jon Steinman and 2011 James Beard Award winning filmmaker and ichannel producer Declan O’Driscoll.

Michael Schmidt speaks, shows “Milk War” movie at Belwood Lake, Ontario

From the Fergus Elora News Express:

Pat Winter with Michael Schmidt at the raw milk blue bus last month.

November 8, 2011

Raw milk activist speaks

More than 40 people met at a farm near Belwood Lake Saturday afternoon to see the documentary film, Milk War, and hear Durham farmer and raw milk crusader Michael Schmidt.

The hour-long film tells the story of Schmidt’s battle with the government to legalize the sale of unpasteurized milk in Canada.

Michael Schmidt to speak at screening tomorrow of “Milk War” documentary

From Corry Ouellette:

Flyer for the event

Tentative schedule for tomorrow’s screening (from Corry):

James Beard award winning doc on raw milk and Michael Schmidt, “Milk War”, is screening in New York on June 19th

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Don’t “have a cow” over raw milk

An editorial from Philly.com

Quoting the initimable Bart Simpson. -- from the Simpsons, via the Interwebs

“About a year ago, after months of investigation complete with undercover purchases, a posse of federal agents made a predawn move on a Pennsylvania farm and discovered a sizable stash of pure, unadulterated . . . milk.

The government’s pursuit of Daniel Allgyer, an Amish dairy farmer in Lancaster County, continued last month with a federal complaint seeking to stop his hustling of unpasteurized milk, which has long been popular among the crunchy set but illegal to sell across state lines. A lawyer for some of Allgyer’s eager customers told The Inquirer, “He is being treated as if he were a drug lord.”

“Milk War” screening in New Jersey

From Renee Kiriluk-Hill at the Hunterdon Democrat, via NJ.com:

“DELAWARE TWP. — Louis Pasteur developed the modern process of heating food to slow microbial growth with thoughts of keeping beer and wine from spoiling. More than a quarter-century later, in the late 1800s, a German agricultural chemist suggested pasteurizing milk, which also extends its shelf-life.

But “milk” is what most people think of when they hear “pasteurization” and in most states, including New Jersey, it’s illegal to sell “raw milk.” But a movement is under way to change that; a bill has cleared the state Assembly and is before the Senate that would allow the sale.

People who want to learn more are invited to a meeting on Wednesday, June 1 at 7:30 p.m. at the township Municipal Building in Sergeantsville. Rutgers University professor Joseph Heckman will speak and the documentary “Milk War” will be shown. Questions and comments will be taken.

“Milk War” documentary about raw milk and Michael Schmidt wins James Beard Foundation award in New York

In a scene from the award winning doc "Milk War", Michael Schmidt downs a glass of the good stuff during a protest rally featuring a live cow, on the steps of the Ontario Legislature.

TORONTO, May 9, 2011 – The original ichannel documentary Milk War has received a prestigious James Beard Foundation Award.

The hour-long film, which was produced for ichannel by Stornoway Communications and The Path to Gimli, earned top honours for best Television Special/Documentary in the Broadcast Media category at the James Beard Foundation Awards gala in New York on May 6.

“Milk War” documentary about raw milk and Michael Schmidt to screen

See the latest documentary film about raw milk in Ontario and the Michael Schmidt story, May 1st, 2011 in Toronto:

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Michael Schmidt and raw milk TV — “Milk War II” to air Wed. March 16

Tomorrow evening (Wednesday March 16th, 2011) ichannel will air a follow-up to the Milk War documentary which was broadcast earlier this year on ichannel and which has since been shown at festivals in Toronto, Vancouver and Nelson B.C. The program will air at 8 pm ET/PT. To watch a trailer for the show, go to http://www.ichannel.ca/videos/milk-war-ii/

“Ontario dairy farmer Michael Schmidt fought the Ontario government for the right to distribute unpasteurized milk — and won. But the raw milk war rages on across North America. In this special edition of @issue, host Kevin O’Keefe asks why Schmidt’s battle for food freedom — as chronicled in the original ichannel documentary Milk War – has struck such a powerful chord.”