Prosecution of Peaceful Farmers Continues Across U.S.

State regulatory agencies are increasingly targeting and prosecuting peaceful farmers who provide fresh, healthful food to ready and willing co-op members. The war against raw milk and other small farmers is an issue of government and big business trying to interfere with your right to access pure food from the producers of your choice. This is a tragic situation, indeed, as well as a serious threat to your ability to purchase food from small, independent farmers.

Is Raw Grass-Fed Milk Safer Than Pasteurized? Wisconsin Raw Milk Farmer Acquitted on 3 Charges

As you're probably aware of by now, there's a war being waged against raw milk. While raw milk sales or distribution are legal in many US states, and progress has been made toward improving access, there’s strong opposition to this trend. Each victory is hard-won. Our federal health agencies claim to be protecting us from this 'dangerous' product. As you walk down the aisles of junk food at your local grocery store, pass by the liquor section, and watch individuals buying cartons of cigarettes - you have to wonder is this really about our personal safety or the safety of the milk industry. In the just concluded trial of Wisconsin raw milk farmer Vernon Hershberger, a jury found him not guilty of operating a retail store without a license, allowing him to continue selling food to his private club members.

Trial of Raw Milk Farmer in Wisconsin Seen as Pivotal Case for Food Rights

Now that a Wisconsin judge has rejected raw milk farmer Vernon Hershberger's religious freedom arguments to justify having a witness testify on his behalf, his trial looks likely to go forward as scheduled beginning May 20. The reason the case is so important politically is that it isn’t just about whether Hershberger has the right to distribute food privately, it is about whether all of us have this right on either end of the equation--to distribute food privately or to contract with producers to obtain food privately.

Wisconsin Senator Dale Schultz Holds Up Raw Milk Bill, Says Raw Milk Supporters “Fringe”

Rally in Baraboo Wisconsin for Raw Milk Farmer Vernon Hershberger
Photo by David Gumpert 
Health Impact News Editor Comments: Back in 2010 a bill supporting the sale of raw milk in the state of Wisconsin enjoyed bi-partisan support, passing both the State House and State Senate. Jim Doyle, the governor at the time, vetoed it, in what […]

Wisconsin Throws Raw Milk Farmer in Jail

by Todd Welch
State Coordinator
Wisconsin Campaign for Liberty

Despite objections inside and outside the courtroom, a farmer was fingerprinted, photographed and booked in the basement of the Wisconsin Sauk County Courthouse in Baraboo.

What was his crime?

Selling raw milk to those who wanted it.

Because of these “horrible crimes”, Amish raw milk farmer Vernon […]