David E. Gumpert - The raw milk revolution : behind America’s emerging battle over food rights

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR
The Raw Milk Revolution

David Gumpert employs his expertise as a professional business writer to dig deep and wide into the exploding raw milk controversy. His compelling analysis of the science, economics, politics and history of natures most perfect food opens the door to a greater understanding of the major challenges facing our food and agriculture systems today. Anyone concerned with the health of our people, our environment, and our democracy should heed his words.

DEAN FLOREZ, Majority Leader,

California State Senate

If you want to understand the vocal opposition to food safety laws, you should read Gumperts book. Thats not the only reason to read it, though. Even if you have little interest in raw milk, I think this book is a key piece in the puzzle to understanding the backwards priorities in Americas food-safety system.

JILL RICHARDSON, founder of

La Vida Locavore.org and author of Recipe for America

David Gumpert has chronicled the Raw Milk War with insight and humor. He provides an important record of systematic government bias against Natures perfect food. Must reading for raw milk fans and government officials alike.

SALLY FALLON MORELL, President,

The Weston A. Price Foundation

David Gumpert has become the official chronicler of the raw milk movement in the United States. The Raw Milk Revolution is a highly readable expos that successfully captures how the controversy over raw milk is at the center of a larger battle between the industrial food system and the local food movement. Gumpert explains how raw milk, more than any other food, threatens proponents of the germ theory, centralized food production, and the nanny state. The Raw Milk Revolution is an extremely important book because it sounds a clear warning that upholding the right to produce and consume raw milk is critical in preserving our food freedoms in general.

PETER KENNEDY, President,

Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund

The raw milk underground is one of the most contentious battlefields in the revolution to reclaim our food from industrialization, over-processing, and corporate control. In this book, David Gumpert investigates in great detail the health claims of both raw milk advocates and public health officials, as well as the legal tactics being employed by government agencies to stop the growing movement to obtain and supply raw milk. His comprehensive analysis effectively deconstructs and illuminates the many complex issues of health, safety, and freedom that are raised by this debate.

SANDOR ELLIX KATZ, author of Wild Fermentation: The Flavor,

Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods and The Revolution Will Not

Be Microwaved: Inside Americas Underground Food Movements

In this fascinating book on raw milk, journalist David Gumpert delves into the messy politics of food safety, which pits government technocrats and prosecutors against farmers, consumers, and their advocates. Its a compelling account, one that should be read by any raw milk devoteeand more importantly, by anyone concerned about the broken and arbitrary way the government regulates the food we eat.

SAMUEL FROMARTZ, author of Organic Inc:

Natural Foods and How They Grew

THE RAW MILK
REVOLUTION

THE RAW MILK
REVOLUTION

Behind Americas Emerging

Battle Over Food Rights

David E. Gumpert

Foreword by

JOEL SALATIN

CHELSEA GREEN PUBLISHING

WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, VERMONT

Copyright 2009 by David E. Gumpert
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form by any means without permission in writing from the publisher.

Project Manager: Emily Foote
Developmental Editor: Benjamin Watson
Copy Editor: Laura Jorstad
Proofreader: Emily Foote
Indexer: Shana Milkie
Designer: Peter Holm, Sterling Hill Productions

Printed in the United States of America
First printing November 2009
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 09 10 11 12 13 14

Our Commitment to Green Publishing
Chelsea Green sees publishing as a tool for cultural change and ecological stewardship. We strive to align our book manufacturing practices with our editorial mission and to reduce the impact of our business enterprise on the environment. We print our books and catalogs on chlorine-free recycled paper, using vegetable-based inks whenever possible. This book may cost slightly more because we use recycled paper, and we hope youll agree that its worth it. Chelsea Green is a member of the Green Press Initiative (www.greenpressinitiative.org), a nonprofit coalition of publishers, manufacturers, and authors working to protect the worlds endangered forests and conserve natural resources.
The Raw Milk Revolution was printed on Natures Natural, a 30-percent postconsumer recycled paper supplied by Thomson-Shore.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication
Data Gumpert, David E.
The raw milk revolution : behind Americas emerging battle over food rights / David E. Gumpert ; foreword by Joel Salatin.
p. ; cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
eBook ISBN: 978-1-60358-260-5
1. Milk--Microbiology--United States. 2. Bacterial diseases--Prevention. 3. Medical policy--United States. 4. Food law and legislation--United States. 5. Milk--Sterlization--Law and legislation--United States. I. Title.
[DNLM: 1. Milk--United States. 2. Bacterial Infections--prevention & control--United States. 3. Health Policy--United States. 4. Legislation, Food--United States. 5. Milk--microbiology--United States. 6. Sterilization-legislation & jurisprudence--United States. WA 719 G974r 2009]

QR121.G86 2009
363.1929--dc22

2009031406

Chelsea Green Publishing Company
Post Office Box 428
White River Junction, VT 05001
(802) 295-6300
www.chelseagreen.com

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to the dairy farmers across the U.S. who brave government interference and harassment to produce safe raw milk for the many consumers committed to exercising their right to consume the foods of their choice.

CONTENTS

by Joel Salatin

I drink raw milk, sold illegally on the underground black market. I grew up on raw milk from our own Guernsey cows that our family hand-milked twice a day. We made yogurt, ice cream, butter, and cottage cheese. All through high school in the early 1970s, I sold our homemade yogurt, butter, buttermilk, and cottage cheese at the Curb Market on Saturday mornings. This was a precursor to todays farmers markets.

In those days, the Virginia Department of Agriculture had a memorandum of agreement with the Curb Market that as long as vendors belonged to an Agricultural Extension organization such as Extension Homemakers Clubs or 4-H, producers could bring value-added products to market without inspection and visits from the food police. The government agents assumed that anyone participating in the extension programs would be getting the latest, greatest food science and therefore conform to the most modern procedural protocols, which created its own protection.

As the Virginia Slims commercial says, Weve come a long way, baby. These conciliatory overtures to maintain healthy and vibrant local food economies exist no more. Today I cant sell any of those things at a farmers market, and even if I take eggs some bureaucrat will come along with a pocket thermometer and, without warrant or warning, reach over and poke it through my display eggs to see if they are at the proper temperature. If they arent, no amount of pleading that those are for display only can dissuade the petulant public servant from demanding that I dump those display eggs in a trash can on the spot. I dont sell at farmers markets anymore.