Posted on 05/17/2011 5:36:05 PM PDT by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Four weeks after the government moved to shut down Amish farmer Dan Allgyer for selling fresh, unpasteurized milk across state lines, angry moms who made up much of his customer base rallied on the Capitol’s grounds Monday to demand that Congress rein in the food police.
The moms milked a cow just across the street from the Senate and served up gallons of fresh milk, playfully daring one another to drink what, if sold across state lines, would be considered contraband product.
“The FDA really screwed up this time. They got between a mom and a farmer,” said Mark McAfee, who runs Organic Pastures Dairy Co. in Fresno, Calif., which under his state’s laws he legally sells at 400 markets, but which he cannot ship across state lines without running afoul of the Food and Drug Administration.
Raw milk has been making a comeback in recent years as consumers try to eat locally and fresh. But the FDA has been fighting back, arguing that there are big risks to drinking fresh milk and that it brings no benefits over the pasteurized version.
The most recent action to garner headlines came last month when the FDA went to court to stop Mr. Allgyer, the Amish farmer who runs Rainbow Acres Farm in Kinzer, Pa., from selling his raw milk to an eager customer base in the Washington region.
The FDA and the Justice Department sought a court injunction after FDA agents conducted a one-year sting operation, complete with fake aliases and lab testing, to determine that the milk they surreptitiously obtained from Mr. Allgyer was, in fact, unpasteurized.
Mr. Allgyer was not at Monday’s rally, but his defenders were infuriated that he had been targeted, and said it shows a government out of control.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Well they did die. Do you realize that all the people who ate carrots in the early 1800’s are dead too. LOL
Thanks for posting that info. I grew up drinking raw milk from our own cow. Cows with TB and other diseases pass it through their milk, it isn’t only dirty conditions and cow poo that is the culprit. Apparently dad had Suzie tested for diseases because we survived years of drinking raw milk.
ROFLOL. If you eat food, you will die! (well....one day....) heh heh....
Yeah, I don’t have any trouble with milk products, but all 4 of my sisters kids do. At any rate, I have made yogurt for years, always just use regular store bought milk -whole, cream, skim, etc (and once even coconut milk, which worked and tasted good but had a different texture). But now I’m interested in making cheese and in reading there are people who swear that it’s more difficult to make some of the cheeses with regular pasteurized milk. I have no idea yet, and don’t think I can get my hands on raw milk in FL anyway. I’m going to make cream cheese this weekend (if my rennet comes in the mail —it should be here today), but it’s not a picky cheese, it’s a beginner cheese. We’ll see. :)
nor eat dairy cattle.
Do you know of a separate slaughterhouse for Holsteins? What do the do with those carcasses?
I assume you've tried to milk a range Hereford?..Hell, you could milk a Buffalo if it didn't kill you.
Pretty sure the beef buyers at cattle auctions aren't bidding on Holsteins for beef.
What do the do with those carcasses?
I dunno, McDonalds? Dogfood? (same thing)
Livestock buyers will buy almost any animal that is not obviously ill or injured. It’s up the the meat grader on the line to determine what the yield grade is of a carcass, 1 thru 5. Then there’s the marbling score for Prime +/°/-, Choice +/°/-, Select +/- Standard +/°/-. There’s more to it than the little bit I’ve explained of course.
So, do we see a lot of Prime and Choice cuts out of Ole Bossy?
That’s a large part of it. Part of the process is the re-introduction of bacteria that “digest” the milk fats/solids before you eat it.
Some cheeses also have certain molds introduced. Brie, bleu, etc. >PS
They milk water buffalo in italy for one of their high dollar cheeses. Hereford are really a tame cow, I could break one to milk in about three days. And yes I have put many a beef cow in the head gate and milked her to prevent infection, when they have more milk than the baby can suck.
I got my rennet in the mail this afternoon! I’m going to make cheese this weekend! :)
I’m not a butcher but I figure an eight year old milker should turn out a few Choice cuts, no Prime though. She’s too old for that. She doesn’t go thru the feed lot for fattening, from the farm to the auction house to the knife. Depending on what she’s been fed, how long she was out in cold rain or wind, what part of the country she’s from the rest is either going to be Select or Standard.
It’s one tough business, Pedro. There is a constant search for the most economical diet that is nutritious enough to have her bare calves without too much physical degradation of the mother. The milking industry is one of the most competitive businesses to be in. I wouldn’t even consider it.
In addition to regular vet check-ups, I would guess your Suzie did not have much contact with other cows, which would be the main source of a lot of the infections that cows get. The way cows love to huddle together in small areas, diseases can spread very efficiently!
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