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Is Wyoming’s Food Freedom Act with Farm to Consumer Direct Sales a Model for Food Security for the Rest of the U.S.?

Earlier this week (April, 2020), U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Sonny Perdue, appeared at the White House Coronavirus Task Force press conference to explain why the country is facing some food shortages, such as meats, in grocery stores, even though there is plenty of food in the country. The problem is the commodity-based food distribution system, which is experiencing bottle necks right now due to restaurants and other food establishments being shut down across the country due to the coronavirus restrictions. A significant portion of commodity-based food sales is processed, packaged, and distributed for businesses, and not for consumers who purchase food in stores and supermarkets. So with the decline in food sales to businesses, there has also been a corresponding demand for food in grocery stores from consumers who would normally be eating more at restaurants, schools, ball parks, and work places. There are a lot of businesses that get a piece of the pie that is our food system here in the U.S., controlling the flow of food from the farm to the consumer. When everything is going well, it is like a high-speed train going from one destination to another. And most of the food you see in your grocery store, or eat at institutions, is heavily subsidized by taxpayers as well, keeping food cheap, and not representing the true cost to produce that food. But when a crisis hits the nation, such as the current coronavirus pandemic, it just takes one section of the train to derail and cause the entire system to start failing, and potentially to completely derail. And the effects we are seeing today as a result of the nationwide lock downs, are really a small problem in the grand scheme of things when it comes to food distribution in this country. Just think of what the effects could potentially look like if, for example, transportation was disrupted due to energy disruptions, or communication was disrupted due to electrical grid issues, or telecommunication issues. This is mild in comparison to what might happen, for example, if the country found itself in a real war, and not a "war" on a virus, where an enemy could bring down the power grid, disrupt the Internet, etc. This should be a wake up call that our nation's food distribution system is incredibly vulnerable. Wyoming's Food Freedom Act, allowing local consumers to purchase food directly from farms in their community, might be a model that needs to now be put in place at the national level.

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Food Freedom Flourishes in Maine: Model for Other States?

Food freedom is flourishing in the State of Maine. A year after the governor of Maine signed “the Maine Food Sovereignty Act,” many Maine towns have responded to the new law by adopting ordinances that give their residents the legal right to sell food to one another without burdensome regulations. There are good reasons to permit farmers and home-based food processors such as bakers to sell food to their neighbors without oversight, but in most every state this is not permitted. It’s not about food safety, but about corporate control of the food system. On the day after the Maine Legislature approved the law in July of 2017, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) contacted state officials and threatened to federalize Maine’s system of livestock slaughtering and processing facilities. This article takes an in-depth look at Maine’s Food Sovereignty Act, the threat raised by the US Department of Agriculture against that law, and provides guidance for people in other states who want to bring food freedom to their communities.

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Food Freedom Laws Needed to Rebuild Economic Prosperity – Reestablish Relationships between Local Food Producers and Local Consumers

Those of us who seek to restore the old-fashioned practices of food production and distribution in our local communities are concerned about food safety. We are not anti-regulation – we are instead pro-common-sense when it comes to food that is produced and sold locally. We are simply seeking to restore a way of life that has successfully promoted economic vitality, physical health, and a sense of community and belonging that used to characterize America. Such a way of life has been stripped away by mega size grocery stores, corporate dominated agriculture and food processing, and by over-reaching food regulations. The combined effect of these factors is destroying small locally owned businesses and small family farms. These destructive forces are crawling through our country, and are destroying the fabric of community life. The adoption of food freedom laws are one of the positive steps that we can take to rebuild economic prosperity, and reestablish personal relationships between local food producers and local food consumers. This article will examine the food freedom movement and will consider whether the allegations of corporate interests are valid. Should we be free to buy and sell food directly from our neighbors, or will such practices kill us? I am not being overly dramatic with my language here. Allegations against local food freedom advocates are highly charged with emotional rhetoric, and warn of unescapable illness and death.

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Big Dairy Continues War Against Farmers and Raw Milk

Increasing numbers of Americans are seeking out unpasteurized, or raw, dairy products — both for the health benefits and the flavor. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), meanwhile, has released a report that's clearly an attempt to squelch the growing enthusiasm for obtaining farm-fresh foods like raw milk and cheese. The war against raw milk has been one of the most successful, fear-based campaigns ever created to monopolize an industry. As long as farmers are prevented from selling to consumers directly, processors can and do price fix the market, ultimately leading to the intentional destruction of small, family dairy farms and consolidation of CAFO dairy farms using taxpayer-funded subsidies.

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The War Against Small Family Farms in the U.S.

Both the USDA and FDA seem to focus on protecting factory farming and all the industries that contribute to BigAg and Big Dairy from competition by smaller healthier operations. They do this by enforcing regulations meant for factory farms and CAFOs (Confined Animal Feeding Operations), which by their very vastness and economics need to be regulated since they are breeding grounds for disease. This holds true for foods that most urban shoppers take for granted, eggs and milk. Using the cover of "protecting human health," these agencies force operations to protect against foodborne pathogens that often don’t work or are not necessary with good farming practices. We, consumers, get less nutrition from those milk and egg products but Big Ag thrives. One way to continue "business as usual" is to prevent the rising demand for healthier milk and eggs that encourage small dairies and egg producers to have any market presence. We should have the right to choose and support better farming.

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Why Doesn’t the U.S. Government Want You to Drink Raw Unprocessed Milk?

The misinformation campaign continues. The Montana and Idaho legislatures are currently considering bills that would loosen restrictions on the sale of raw milk. The Montana bill has already been approved by the state’s House of Representatives and is now being considered by its Senate. Apparently the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) think consumers aren’t qualified to make this decision for themselves. In response to the Montana bill, the CDC issued the following warning: "Raw milk can contain harmful germs, such as bacteria, viruses, and parasites, which can make you very sick or possibly kill you. If you’re thinking about drinking raw milk because you believe it has health benefits, consider other options." This is nothing new; it’s been the position of government health officials for years. The FDA in particular has taken an aggressive stance against purveyors of raw milk. The vendetta against raw milk is completely unjustified. As our friends at the Weston A. Price Foundation point out in their campaign for “real milk,” raw milk has a proven safety record and has shown to be superior to pasteurized milk in protecting against infection, diarrhea, rickets, tooth decay, and tuberculosis. Children drinking raw milk also have better growth rates than those drinking pasteurized milk.

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Food Club Members Fight Back: Sue State for Food Rights

For years now, farmers have borne the brunt of government efforts to interfere with food rights and consumer access to the foods of their choice. That may be about to change, as consumers launch actions to take the burden of government harassment off farmers’ backs.

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Wyoming Makes it Legal to Buy Food Directly from your Neighbors and Local Farm

In a win for farmers, deliciousness, and just plain common sense, Wyoming’s governor signed a bill this past week which will “stop overregulation of locally produced foods” by making it illegal for the state government to require “licensure, permitting, certification, inspection, packaging, or labeling” when farmers sell food directly to consumers. In practice, this means that farmers markets and small food stands will be able to proceed without the interference of government busybodies. As the bill explains, its purpose “is to allow for the sale and consumption of homemade foods, and to encourage the expansion of agricultural sales by farmers markets, ranches, farms and home based producers.” The bill’s sponsor, state Rep. Tyler Lindholm, says it will “take local foods off the black market. It will no longer be illegal to buy a lemon meringue pie from your neighbor or a jar of milk from your local farm.”

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Minnesota Aims to Fine Family $500 Per Day for Feeding Their Community

If the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) gets its way, Lake View Natural Dairy Farm, owned and operated by David and Heidi Berglund and their daughter Lyndsay, will be fined $500 per day until they submit to an unconstitutional inspection of their farm. When the farm briefly explored the possibility of selling milk for processing, this triggered a call to the MDA by the processor, and the MDA realized they had no record or control over this farm. On October 14, 2014 the MDA demanded to do an inspection of the farm, which the family refused on the grounds that the Minnesota Constitution acknowledges their right to peddle the products of their farm. Now, the MDA hopes to fine the small operation a crippling $500 per day after the March 9, 2015 hearing if they are found to be in contempt.

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USDA Power Play Threatens the Future of Organic Foods

Last week saw an inter-agency power grab. It begins with the weakening of organic standards—and could end with the term “organic” becoming practically meaningless. Action Alert! Tell the USDA to use a public and transparent process for all major changes to organic standards by publishing proposed changes in the Federal Register, and actively seeking public input and discussion. In addition, tell the USDA to enforce the sunset provision of the OFPA as it was originally intended—allowing synthetic products to remain after their “sunset” date only after public debate and a two-thirds vote of the NOSB. More than 100 synthetics will be up for sunset consideration in 2015. We must act now to protect the integrity of organics.

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Victory! Hawaii Leads Nation on Banning GMO Crops

This week's elections saw two victories regarding banning GMOs in the United States. A ballot measure in Maui County, Hawaii that calls for a ban on GMO crops passed by a slim margin this week. But while the margin was slim, the victory was HUGE, because it followed an $8 million campaign against it by Biotech giants Monsanto and Dow AgroSciences. The GMO industry sees Hawaii as a rich region to develop new GMO crops. The amount of money spent to defeat the GMO ban initiative was the largest amount ever spent on a political campaign in the history of Hawaii, according to the Honolulu Civil Beat. And they lost. Maui consumers won. Well done Maui. In another election victory this week for Food Freedom, Humboldt County in California passed a County Measure "prohibiting the propagation, cultivation, raising or growing of GMOs in Humboldt County."

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FDA Backs Down from Consumer Outcry over Raw Artisanal Cheese Restrictions

Does the FDA have a legitimate concern when it comes to aging cheese on wooden boards? Is it true that they can’t be “adequately cleaned or sanitized?” Simply put, no. As thoroughly documented by the American Cheese Society, there are a number of effective ways that wooden boards can be safely cleaned. Some of “the most awarded and well-respected” American artisanal cheeses are aged on wooden boards, since it brings a richer, more complex flavor that can’t be duplicated when aged on other materials. In fact, many artisan cheese recipes are specifically formulated to be aged on wooden boards. This rule could have irreparably harmed thousands of small artisans and businesses. The business about wood boards is just an excuse, a distraction, from the issue at hand, which is the FDA’s determination to harass and even shutter as many artisanal cheese makers as it can. The FDA’s demand that artisanal cheese producers, which depend on friendly bacteria for the taste and nutritional benefits of their product, essentially create a sterile environment, isn’t unlike what’s happened to the rest of our society with a push for sterilization of food and the environment, all the way to the ever-present hand sanitizers. Unfortunately for small cheese producers, the only entities that can successfully produce cheese in a sterile environment are the corporate producers, whose cheese fewer and fewer people want.

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Michigan Residents Lose ‘Right to Farm’ in Backyards

Property rights took a hit recently when the Michigan Commission of Agriculture and Rural Development voted to to take away protections for backyard farmers statewide — which will result in many small farms being shut down. Backyard and urban farms were previously protected by Michigan’s Right to Farm Act. The Act stated that local ordinances could not trump the state’s Generally Accepted Agriculture Management Practices (GAAMP). After the rule change, however, these protections no longer apply to many homeowners who keep small numbers of livestock. Backyard farmers who raise their own chickens, goats, pigs, and honey may have to give up their operations and go back to shopping for mass produced meats at the supermarket.

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Vermont Passes No-Strings-Attached GMO Labeling Law

Alliance for Natural Health reports that Vermont became the first state in the U.S. to pass a bill mandating that all GMO foods be labeled, with no other conditions (such as requiring other states to pass similar legislation.) The law will not go into effect until 2016, however, and you can be sure the anti-GMO labeling forces with large processed food companies will challenge this. National legislation on GMO labeling is already being proposed to pre-empt states rights to require GMO labeling, so we will keep our eye on this issue. Although Connecticut and Maine have already passed GMO labeling laws, Vermont’s bill is unique: unlike its New England neighbors, Vermont decided not to include a “trigger” provision in its bill. So while Connecticut’s and Maine’s bills won’t activate unless enough nearby states also pass GMO labeling laws, Vermont will immediately move forward with the labeling of GMO products.

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World Bank Destroys Traditional Farming to Support GMO Corporate Land Theft

Smallholder farmers and herders are currently feeding 80 percent of the developing world. Casting them aside in favor of industrial farming corporations from the West betrays the World Bank’s reckless and short term approach to development. The World Bank is facilitating land grabs and sowing poverty by putting the interests of foreign investors (like Bill Gates) before those of locals. The Oakland Institute and /The Rules, along with other NGOs, farmer and consumer organizations from around the world have launched a campaign, Our Land Our Business, to hold the World Bank accountable for its role in the rampant theft of land and resources from some of the world’s poorest people--farmers, pastoralists, and indigenous communities, many of whom are essential food producers for the entire planet.

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FDA Starts to Take Control of American Organic Farms

Jim Crawford started New Morning Farm in Maryland many decades ago. He was young and idealistic. He had little or no money and had to start small. He believed in sustainable agriculture and wanted to produce fresh and healthy produce to sell in farmers’ markets to the urban public. He succeeded and became increasingly well known both for his ideals and his produce. This may be why the FDA picked him out for a site visit. An inspector appeared without warning and told him that his operation would have to change. It didn't matter that no health problem had ever been associated with Crawford’s impeccably run operation. The Food Safety Modernization Act for the first time gave the FDA direct authority over our farms. It should have been obvious to everyone that putting the FDA in direct charge of farms was a terrible idea. Much of the FDA’s budget is paid for by Big Pharma instead of the taxpayers, which creates a serious conflict of interest.

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IRS Seeks to Limit Free Speech

The IRS has no business in politics or interfering with free speech. Recently, the Alliance for Natural Health told us about newly proposed IRS rules that would dictate what they are allowed to tell their readers and what they cannot. To give an example, they would be forced to remove every single reference to a candidate’s connection to any legislation from their website sixty days before an election—giving incumbents a free pass to introduce legislation with almost no public scrutiny. If this stands, Senator Durbin would be allowed to introduce an anti-supplement bill knowing that the Alliance for Natural Health (and other organizations) could not link him to it in print. Now is the time to tell the IRS to rescind this political gag order and protect the right of political dissenters and organizations that represent individuals like you!

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New Farm Bill Sneaks in Dangerous Fluoride Amendment

Capitol Hill’s most powerful special interests resorted again to underhanded tactics. The Senate just passed the $1 trillion dollar Farm Bill with a vote of 68 to 32 (the House gave its approval last Wednesday). As you may recall, the most recent version of this cumbersome bill had serious ramifications for farmers, GMO labeling, and consumer access to locally sourced foods. What that earlier version didn’t have was an amendment that will expose Americans, and especially children, to dangerous amounts of fluoride residue—yet such an amendment was somehow snuck into the final, 949-page Farm Bill just forty-eight hours before it went to vote.

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Family Farm in Michigan Threatened with Armed Enforcement from DNR for Raising Heritage Pigs

Mark Baker of Baker Green Acres gives an update on their ongoing battle with the State of Michigan regarding their heritage breed free range hogs. Their case might be reaching a dangerous point with the State of Michigan, as Mark is reporting that a USDA field agent has stated in writing that Mark is a "gun-waving lunatic" and that the USDA would not come to visit his farm, but that "armed DNR agents" will come instead. Health Impact News has reported on the Baker Green Acres family farm situation since April 2012, when the DNR decided to label all free range hogs in the State of Michigan as illegal, by classifying them as "feral" pigs. Mark and others have reported that the new definition of "feral swine" adopted by the DNR in 2012 came directly from the commercial pork industry, which raises all commercial pork indoors in confinement. Since the State made it a criminal offense to keep their heritage breed hogs that have now been ruled illegal, most hog ranchers destroyed their herds and went out business. They did not want to face arrest on criminal charges. Mark Baker decided to challenge the ruling, however, and has been involved with a long legal battle with the State of Michigan since then. Various actions have been taken against the Baker family to try and force them out of business, such as levying a fine of $700,000 against them, and getting the USDA to refuse to process their pork at a USDA processing facility, effectively eliminating most of their market to sell their pork. Now, with court case getting closer, Mark is worried that since they believe they have such a strong case against the State, they may try something else before he gets his say in court. As you watch the video below for the latest update, he will explain that he and his family are peaceful people, and portraying him as "gun-waving lunatic" is not true.

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The Nutrition Monopoly Is Beginning to Crumble

When it comes to nutrition, it is very important that you have the right to freedom of choice and information. Unfortunately, organizations such as the American Dietetic Association (now calling itself the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics or AND) are threatening your freedom of choice about health and nutrition. The AND has pushed state laws to block almost anyone, except their registered dietitians (RDs), from legally giving nutritional advice. Their mission is to censor the broader nutrition community, which includes many well trained and educated practitioners, such as clinical nutritionists, pharmacists, naturopathic doctors and traditional naturopaths, acupuncturists, herbalists, nurses, mental health professionals, homeopaths, personal trainers, and the like. All across the U.S., however, this nutritional monopoly is beginning to crumble, especially at the state level.

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