A battle is being fought for your freedom. No, this isn’t a war on terror or bombs dropping in some faraway country. I’m talking about right here, in our own backyard.
This battle is about food. It’s about your right to choose what food you eat.
It’s not about health – although of course your health will be directly affected by the outcomes. It’s not even about money – okay, it’s about money, but then it’s always about the money.
It’s about choice and freedom. The freedom to choose what you feed yourself and your loved ones.
Last night I had dinner at a beautiful family farm nestled in Wheeler Canyon in Ventura County. It was a farm representative of the kind of place we all like to think our food comes from: small, family-run, kids out playing at sunset. Cows grazing on rolling green hills, mama goats and their kids scuttling about, chickens outside pecking at bugs in the dirt, piglets playing. Idyllic. Peaceful. Magical.
Certainly not the stage for three armed police raids, the owner handcuffed in front of her own children for an offense yet to be named.
The family raises chickens, pigs, goats, cows, and sheep, all using small-scale, traditional farming practices that treat the animals, the environment, and our health with deep respect. They sell eggs and pastured meat at farmers markets from LA to Santa Barbara. Their crime? None has been officially named. They’ve not been charged with anything, ever.
Similar raids have been going on all over the country. The target: small, independent family farmers and local real food buying groups. Raw milk producers are at the top of the hit list, even here in California, where the sale of raw milk is legal. Yes, raw milk is a hot topic. But whether you love it or loathe it, what’s missing is your right to choose to drink it or not.
Farmageddon is a new movie by Director Kristin Canty, mother of four who resolved her son’s allergies and asthma by switching to raw milk from grass fed cows. Horrified at the challenges both the farmers and consumers are having getting access to this nutrient-dense food, she made a compelling documentary about their fight. Check out the trailer:
What can you do?
If you’re in Los Angeles, San Diego, Chico, or New York, go see the movie. Check the Farmageddon site for screening dates over the next couple of weeks.
Support your local farmers. Make a commitment to shop at the Farmers Market this summer. Farmers Markets are the best places to get naked foods and you’ll get a chance to actually meet the people who grow your food.
Wow. I almost can’t believe that kind of thing is happening. And it makes me so sad. Definitely just gives me more incentive to continue buying local, encouraging others to do the same, and urging people to read books like Eat Naked where you bring light to these issues. Thanks for posting!
Just last week I was talking with some farmer friends of mine here in the little town on the Mississippi where we live in the summer. They sell eggs, veggies, jams, pickles, sour kraut etc. at the farmers markets. They have a couple of cows and would love to sell their amazingly delicious dairy products at the market, but don’t dare for fear they would go to jail. I thought they were exaggerating, but apparently not. My friend and I convinced them to let us donate to the feeding of their cows in exchange for some of the milk. The following week, they appeared with a cooler FULL of 2 gallons of raw milk, tubs of homemade yogurt, cottage cheese, cream, mozzarella cheese and butter. This was about $70 worth of dairy products which they gave, saying that a $25 donation was plenty. It was like Christmas! I have NEVER tasted anything so sweet and creamy in my life. It was all delicious. Even the milk, which I usually hate. It always tasted sour to me. It’s so sad that sharing this bounty and making a living doing it is a crime punishable by jail! So crazy and sad. Thanks for spreading the word. What else can we do?
Hi Leslie and Wendy,
It is a crime that this is happening. Wendy – it sounds like you hit the jackpot! This is some of the most nutrient-dense food on the planet and that it is illegal in so many states, and still getting so much scrutiny even in those states where it’s legal, is horrible. If you can get to this movie when it’s nearer to you, I highly recommend it. Supporting your local farmer’s market is a huge thing, too. You can also join the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense fund which works in this area and/or the Weston A Price Foundation which is also doing great work in this area. And Share the word with your friends who are in the cities where this important movie is playing! LA, San Diego, New York… Super important that people who are in these places see the movie.