The Longevity Life Plan » raw milk

Raw Milk Update

Cliff Long — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 13:37:59 +0000

Looks like we won’t be buying raw milk in Maryland this year. HB147 was voted down in the HGO committee by a vote of 9 to 11. It was close. Many of our elected officials took the time to listen to Maryland farmers and consumers.

Take a moment to thank them for their vote. You can find a list of committee members who supported HB147 at http://www.micfa.net. Click on the “Action Alerts” link. Please thank Delegate Nic Kipke for sponsoring the bill.

There’s always next year!

While Maryland won’t be drinking a toast with raw milk, California will. On March 20, 2008, California granted a temporary restraining order against the enforcement of AB 1735, which calls for a strict coliform limit of 10 per ml or under in bottled raw milk. Coliforms are beneficial bacteria found in raw milk. This very low limit would put many raw milk dairies out of business. A preliminary injunction hearing is set for April 25th to determine whether the temporary stay should remain in effect until the parties actually go to trial, which could be later this year.

Taaron Meikle, president of the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund, said:

This is a huge win for raw dairy consumers in the State of California. With this ruling, consumers can continue to enjoy the health benefits of raw dairy. We are pleased with Judge Tobias’ ruling and hope the stay remains in effect after the April 25th hearing.

This is the latest on the raw milk front. If you have any news to add, post a comment.

Raw milk for sale in Maryland?

Cliff Long — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 12:31:31 +0000

A couple of days ago I wrote a post about raw milk and how yum, yum good it is. Presently, you are not able to purchase raw milk in Maryland. But it seems my fortune may be taking a turn for the better on this.

Lawmakers are deciding whether Maryland dairy farmers can sell directly to the public. More importantly, they are deciding if they can sell raw, unpasteurized milk. Since I live in Maryland, it’s very exciting. Maybe Maryland will become the new California! (see the clip in the comments on the Raw Milk post)

For more on this story, click here.

Raw milk

Cliff Long — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 12:30:11 +0000

“Got milk?” “Milk does a body good!” The ads say it and traditionally that has been the case. But today, many of us drink milk on a daily basis, but never really think of how it is a processed food. The milk you buy from the grocery store has gone through pasteurization and homogenization. Pasteurization is a process that exposes the milk to 161 °F for 15-20 seconds. Homogenization is a treatment which prevents a cream layer from separating out of the milk. The milk is pumped at high pressures through very narrow tubes, breaking up the fat globules through turbulence and cavitation. Through these processes the milk is converted into what is deemed “safe” and edible for human consumption. Yet, throughout thousands of years raw milk has been considered not only a staple in the diets of many cultures, but also a nearly perfect food.

Mentioning that you drink raw milk in some circles, may get a knee jerk reaction that you are literally taking your life in your hands. The media and big business have made a concerted effort to give the impression that raw milk is unsafe.

In an interview, between Dr. David Jacobson, DC and Mark McAfee, owner of Organic Pasture Dairy Company, Dr. Jacobson says,

Milk is a traditional food. It’s been eaten by traditional cultures forever. So it’s a little bit odd that now we suddenly have this great wisdom that milk is bad for us.

To hear the full interview, click here. The interview is rough, but offers some great information. To get more information about raw milk, visit A Campaign for Real (Raw) Milk.

And as always, let me know what you think about it.