I launched this blog 16 years ago to report on raids by state and federal regulators on small farms in Ohio and Michigan for illegal sale of raw milk. As a business journalist, I was puzzled as to why regulators were intent on forcing small farms out of business for producing a food product many people felt was healthier than the mass market pasteurized version.
Over time, the conflicts over raw milk extended to many other states—Massachusetts, Georgia, Illinois, Wisconsin, California, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Maryland, Maine…..and even to Canada. In addition to raids, there were criminal charges leveled at farmers, couriers, and retailers selling raw dairy.
It became clear that federal and state regulators were sometimes coordinating their actions. Sometimes, it appeared as if they were hyping the occasional illnesses that resulted from raw milk consumption, even when the overall data wasn’t alarming. It even seemed at times like they were serving the interests of large processors of pasteurized milk, who clearly were nervous about the marketplace potential of large-scale raw dairy sales. The battles over raw milk became emblematic of conflicts over food sales by small producers of a variety of fresh foods.
But never in all those years did I suspect that the crackdown on raw milk was part of a larger conspiracy….say, involving globalist plans to degrade our health in pursuit of some kind of ‘world government,’ as some readers speculated. To me, these battles in some cases illustrated power struggles in which food-safety regulators became overly concerned about food safety, or else felt a need to assert their authority over farmers and consumers who had a different vision about what foods should be available, and in what ways.
I do this recollecting because over the last couple years, I’ve shied away from posting much here because of the increasingly toxic tone of discussion—discussion not dissimilar to what’s happened on social media and various other large platforms. No matter what the topic, some readers seem obsessed with expounding endlessly about conspiracies having to do with vaccination (anti-vax), climate (climate-change-denial), gun violence (anti-gun-control), and political fraud (coverups). Covid just exaggerated the entire trend, with raw milk proponents like Sally Fallon Morell applying their conspiracy mindsets to explaining covid (in her case, arguing it came from 5G wifi).
I discussed my frustrations over these trends in a talk I did together with a journalism colleague last fall about the “Upheaval of Journalism” over the last 50 years. The slides and discussion about how all the craziness asserted itself here covers three minutes (beginning at 1:04 and going through 1:07), though you may find the rest interesting as we chronicle the huge shifts in media influence and economics. (It was based on a book I contributed to, Inside the Upheaval of Journalism: Reporters Look Back on 50 Years of Covering the News.)
Many raw milk proponents have dealt with the raw milk challenges and obstacles as a battle against entrenched interests, rather than as a search for conspiracies. These individuals have employed tried-and-true lobbying techniques like pressuring their state legislators and testifying at state hearing, and made much progress in shifting the tide in favor of raw dairy and other healthy foods. These proponents have also pressed raw dairy producers to take stricter precautions in production, and that led to formation of the Raw Milk Institute, which has worked hard to educate farmers about best practices for producing safe raw milk.
Earlier this year, Iowa became the latest in a long line of states to legalize raw milk distribution. All that prompted USA Today a few days ago to declare: “Public health has lost the war” on raw milk; ironically, that quote comes from a long-time blogger here, Mary McGonigle Martin, whose son was seriously sickened by raw milk he consumed in California back in 2006.
I’m thrilled to know this blog played a major role in the shift highlighted at long last by the mainstream media. Educating the public about food rights has been an exciting project for me over the years, which led to me writing three books about various aspects of food rights.
As for this blog’s future direction, no final decisions have been made. I do have a few options in mind, and will be posting about them as appropriate. In the meantime, thanks for all the great support over these years.
David, thank you. Your perseverance and professionalism in covering this topic epitomize the best in independent journalism.
It should be noted, Steve, that you applied your considerable legal expertise to help the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund get on its feet in the early days of attacks on dairy farms. I know your involvement was much appreciated by a number of raw dairy farmers.
You are such a good balanced journalist. and loved interacting with this blog over they years. educating me, while i also got a glance at the bloviated commenters on here at times, and what they were all about, too. i hope you keep writing on ‘raw’ milk and i don’t think any battle has been won, just went underground and more sinister. and i’m not a conspiracy theorist. But i can see after 20 years of following certain governments – they try it one way, and when that isn’t working for them, they go black. and then sinister. or maybe more underhandedly. who knows. but without this blog – we’d have all been in the dark. so Thank you !!
Thank you, Jojo. I agree, nothing can be taken for granted when it comes to food rights. It’s important to be vigilant.
Let me add my thanks for your work as well, David. Your blog has helped educate me about the political aspects of food. The community of this blog and the larger food rights community are lucky to have an experienced journalist like you covering the issues important to us! I would sure love it if you continued writing on your blog, but I certainly understand if you’ve moved on to other things. Best wishes in all your future endeavors!
Thank you, Shana, for all your support and many insights over the years.
David,
Your journalistic acumen has greatly educated me over the years, and you’ve made an invaluable contribution to the community of people who care about nutritional integrity and all the political aspects of this important part of our lives. I sincerely thank you for your devotion and level headed treatment of subjects, especially in the face of quite a few commenters on this blog who venture into the extremes of interpretation. Even if there is something to political intrigue in some cases, it is our duty to hold the solid middle ground while still respecting often wildly differing opinions, and you do just that. You are a testament to a democratic society. Thank you.
Sincerely , Caroline M.
I hope you will continue to be a voice of reason and information for those of us who are still trying to add some local resilience to our food supply, even though I have been personally disappointed in some of the bad ethics at WAPF and the downright craziness of some of my colleagues (even drinking sheep and horse wormer) during the covid pandemic, you and several of your regular posters were a voice of sanity in a very weird time. Change, and especially institutional change takes much longer than most visionaries want, and we have made some small inroads. Thank you for your balance and sanity!
I’m told that Ron Garthwaite, the owner of Claravale Dairy, a raw milk producer in California, committed suicide recently. Very sad. I wrote about him a number of times over the years. Here is one of the last posts I did about him, back in 2015. https://www.davidgumpert.com/on-verge-of-collapse-claravale-finally-reaches-out-to-community
Oh, that’s so tragic to hear about Ron Garthwaite! The suicide rate for farmers remains 3.5 times higher than for the general population. And I want to add my voice here for thanking you, David, for retaining your integrity, balance and calm reasoned approach to journalism. You are a true professional and I also have learned SO MUCH from you over the years. I also couldn’t help but notice that none of the past habitual ‘extremists” who used to dominate most of the responses to your articles have posted here for this one. Hhhmmmm…
as one of those whom Mr Gumpert designated “extremist”, Joanne Blaxter’s comment is an invitation. REAL MILK has largely been de-criminal-ized in America. David Gumpert was a key figure in that political contest.
In British Columbia, it’s livened-up again just this month. I foresee it coming to a dramatic climax, as we head to Court where it will be demonstrated that the quota farmers were selling raw milk out the “back door” even while they call on the govt. Authorities to put our little raw milk dairies out of biz.
like the Lone Ranger, David Gumpert could say “my job here is finished now, ma’am” and retire gracefully.
Yet I go back so far I recall when this website was entitled “The Complete Patient”
from which I learned how to spell “I-atro-genic” medicine.
I urge David Gumpert to forget about the Campaign for REAL MILK. Put his efforts in to exposing the crimes against humanity, perpetrated over the last 3 years, disguised as “lockdown” then ‘mass vaccination’.
us “extremists’ have put together the overwhelming case that the thing was a bio-weapon, years in the making, insinuated in to America as part of the communist agenda for world government. Of course > even to begin to consider that, one must admit there is evil in this world.
Well … one place to start, is, with hard evidence re so-called Gulf War syndrome. The directing mind of the armed forces of the US of A was infiltrated by domestic enemies, who managed to kill/ wound / incapacitate FAR more personnel with the poisoned needle, than ever got hurt in combat
I recommend anyone who cares, study the HOAX of AIDS … as explained by John Rappoport
Published October 2022 https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/epidemiology-and-infection/article/foodborne-illness-outbreaks-linked-to-unpasteurised-milk-and-relationship-to-changes-in-state-laws-united-states-19982018/4822109E69DDAB37E92CAAB41AB1CC0F
Looks like someone is breaking the law again. Scroll to May and June of 2023.
https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/USCOURTS-caed-1_08-cv-01786/context
having been through seven ( count ’em, seven ) contempt prosecutions in British Columbia, for my activities on various political issues, I can you = there’s nothing the Accused likes better than an Evidentiary Hearing.
Twice, I had top flight lawyers who had refused to give me a Bill of Particulars : ordered to do so, by the Judge
the Accused is entitled to know the case he has to meet. So, since you’re dredging-up very old news, Mary Mc., what exactly is your beef, now … still nursing that grudge from 2 decades ago?
an Evidentiary hearing is how you get there
meanwhile the REAL MILK is flowing = and will keep on flowing = in the Great State of California thanks to the folks at Organic Pastures / Raw Farm …. who led the way, re-inventing dairying, in the last 2 decades.
Dearest Mary,
Breaking what law again? We signed a settlement and Decree with the DOJ and FDA that brought an end to and sun-setted the original 2010 Court Order. We made it go away!! That’s not a criminal activity.
We look forward to working with the FDA as we go forward and serve our nation with legal pet foods and truly raw cheeses. Our markets are growing and thriving!
A recent article talked about Raw Farm and our raw milk sales. They called us Hippies, Preppers and anti-vaccers. Owe….how little they know. We are mainstream big time. We serve all, feed all and love all. Not a fringe product as much as our enemies would like to think. In California raw milk is the top seller in the natural foods industry market sector. Number #1. Spins Data shows this clearly. Being a pioneer requires focus on two things: food safety and consumer service. That’s it. The rest is background noise and a distraction.
https://www.spectacularlabs.com/
When this hits in a few months….the pasteurization guys are going to freak out even more than they already do. What’s not to love about raw milk when is safety is solved. In six hours all pathogens reported to the farmer by email or text your choice. Simple, rapid, reasonable expense and accurate ( AOAC and FDA approved). RAWMI and RAWFARM assisted in the development of this PCR based pathogen system. We are super stoked.
Move over pasteurized processed allergic and hard to digest dead milk….Raw Milk is back in style, its safe with 21st century innovation combined with clean conditions and hard working farmers using high standards. .
Change is hard, I just lost 8 of my neighbor dairies with in 20 miles of me in Fresno California in the last month. If pasteurization was so great conventional dairies would be thriving and consumers would dollar voting for pasteurized milk. Breaking news! They are voting for clean safe raw milk. Conventional dairies are dying!
I guess your testing missed this pathogen. I’m really curious how your cows can produce the amount of cheese being sent all over the US. https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2023/08/raw-farm-cheddar-recall-was-imposed-just-one-week-after-a-federal-court-order/
Mary,
That batch of raw cheese that CDFA found to be positive was also found to be negative in our FSNS lab tests…all six of them were negative. FSNS is a state of CA inspected ISO certified lab that does our 3rd party lab testing. All of our lab test systems are AOAC and FDA approved and LISTED in BAM.
The state of CA lab testing does not use AOAC FDA BAM approved standards or technologies.
We had six negatives and after nearly two weeks of specialized testing inside the lab at CDFA they finally got a positive.
Do I have to explain the implications of this?? Innocent raw cheese was quarantined and thrown away using our six FSNS standardized tests that were ignored, instead the state relied upon non standardized tests used by the state of CA that they refuse to share with us.
This is the crap we endure. Unfair…yes. Going to change soon….hopefully. We have asked the state for a dialogue to change this paradigm of lab disparity.
Mary….why is this that you hate me and safe raw milk so much? You must spend your days digging for anything that could possible hurt us? Why is that? I don’t hate you. In fact, deep in my heart is a special place for you. You played a very special part of making me better and putting the edge on raw milk safety. It was because of you that SPEC LABS is releasing a pathogen testing system that all farmers can use with results in six hours. The incident in 2006 ( that is 17 years ago ) set raw milk on a track towards world class safety. Can we just let the hatred fade away.
Raw milk is safer and better than ever. That’s a great thing. Saving children from Asthma and allergies is a great thing. Healing Crohns patients is a great thing. That’s not a new drug…that is gut microbiome recovery using a food that builds the gut micro biome as its purpose at birth.
Your son is healthy and enjoying college. That is a blessing. Why the hatred? Embrace love and forgive. It is time to let go and embrace the progress and the goodness.
Mark, what I hate is children getting sick from raw milk because parents believed the rhetoric that raw milk is safer than pasteurized milk. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNIUuHCh-YQ
Mary, what I hate is seeing children getting sick and/or dying because of the invasive and toxic cancer causing and immune disrupting chemicals/drugs/biologicals being fed and or injected into their bodies because parents believed the rhetoric promoted by the medical establishment and government bureaucracies… namely, that if they do so their child will achieve good health.
What is even more disgusting is that the above institutions have the gall to think that they have the authority to mandate those invasive interventions on the public as well as legislate against and mandate the wholesale unnatural adulteration of essential and life-giving healthy foods and microbes.
Mary,
Please review the PUBLISHED current data. This study is on PUBMED if you look it up. It shows a huge decline in raw milk illness and outbreaks in the last few years. Not an increase! http://bcherdshare.org/education/IMGC(2019)_raw_milk_poster.pdf
In fact they called it the RAWMI Effect.
Train farmers, use high standards and do testing results in very low level of risk…ie..safe raw milk.
This morning about 50 farmers attended the RAWMI sponsored Iowa initial raw milk training event via zoom. 100 enrolled and 50 attended. It was nearly 2 hours in length. The state Senator that lead the legalization of raw milk in Iowa spoke and so did the University Ag extension. We had someone from Scotland, Morocco, Utah Idaho and others attend along with many from Iowa.
One very awesome event with the standards and training and on farm testing started for excellence in raw milk for Iowa.
Mark, nice to see you are training farmers. Just curious if you are honest with them when a pathogen is found in your milk. Despite your RAMP plan, pathogens still find their way into the milk. https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2023/05/raw-milk-recalled-in-california-after-testing-finds-campylobacter-bacteria-2/
Mary
It is indeed amazing that you still in attack mood. That might be called progress for some, for others it is same old, same old same old…………………………..
I really hoped for your own sanity that you actually would move on.
Got off the press.
We are attending the national convention that Sprouts Farmers Markets stores puts on every year.
The repeated problem the stores are experiencing is this.
The store managers are constantly finding abandoned full grocery carts at the dairy case. When stores are out of raw dairy products…. Raw dairy consumers just leave the full grocery carts at the dairy case right next to the empty raw dairy shelves and leave the store to find another store that has raw milk!!
Stores are telling us they must have more raw milk and don’t ever miss a delivery. Missing raw dairy means serious store losses or gains.
Interesting !
Today I heard a prominent health influencer state: the FDA and CDC have lost all credibility because they deny and actively suppress the existence of raw milk benefits as written in PUBMED research that us published on their own websites.
The FDA and CDC have become economic puppets for the big dairy pasteurization brands.
No longer independent respected regulatory or academic resources.
When you lose authority and respect. You are done.
state of the art : on site testing of raw milk in 15 seconds
https://rbj.net/2023/08/31/agtech-startup-labby-shaping-the-future-of-the-dairy-industry-by-tackling-testing/
RAWMI just completed an all day in person training course at North Texas Community College. We had a packed class with all sorts of farmers from Texas and nearby states. The state of Texas even sent a raw milk inspector to speak for an hour. It was awesome.
I also think it is fascinating to see that this years top ten most dangerous foods include no raw dairy products … but does include a pasteurized dairy product. The recommendation also says to keep on eating your leafy greens and melons because they are good for you even though the are dangerous according to the FDA.
Pasteurized dairy ice cream considered dangerous and raw dairy does not make the list?!!
Congrats to the hard working raw milk producers who have elevated raw milk to low risk or safe by doing such a great job in the last decade.
Consumers are demanding safe raw milk and with solid standards and testing raw milk is dominating markets where it is available!
https://www.cspinet.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/resource/cspi_top_10_fda.pdf
Thanks for all of your hard work! I’ve been visiting your blob primarily to keep in the loop regarding FCLO, but it’s always interesting to see where the fight sits with raw milk..
Speaking of which, have you considered writing another article on FCLO or WAPF? The blog articles have mostly dried up on those fronts..
Pardon me, I meant blog, not blob lol.
I don’t have any additional news on those fronts.
The Complete Patient, and now davidgumpert, the articles, AND the comments, going back many years, are a trove of information.
How can they be accessed?
It is good to see so many familiar names (Gumpert, Conrad, Watson, Mcaffee, Mary and on and on)!
All the best in 2024 to you all,
Mr. J. Ingvar Odegaard