On March 3, 2016, small farm and food freedom advocates rejoiced when West Virginia, one of the most anti-raw milk states in the nation, passed herd-share legislation after overriding
Judge Rules MDA Has Power to Inspect Berglund Farm
Cook County, Minnesota District Court Judge Michael J. Cuzzo has ordered that Grand Marais dairy farmer Dave Berglund must comply with an October 14, 2014 administrative inspection order Judge Cuzzo issued allowing
Major Drive to Force Out Point Reyes Ranchers Underway
On February 10 several radical environmental groups filed a lawsuit in San Francisco Federal District Court against the National Park Service (NPS), seeking a court order to set aside authorizations granted over
PRIME Act Introduced in the Senate
Washington, D.C.—March 9, 2016—Yesterday, Senators Angus King (I-ME) and Rand Paul (R-KY) introduced the PRIME (Processing Revival and Intrastate Meat Exemption) Act, lending Senate support for Representatives
West Virginia Raw Milk Bill Now Law
Falls Church, VA—March 4, 2016—Raw milk is now legal in West Virginia, the state that previously had the most anti-raw milk laws in the United States. Governor Earl Ray Tomblin signed Senate Bill 387 yesterday
Slaughterhouse Shortage in the U.S.
In 1967, at the time of the passage of the Wholesome Meat Act, there were nearly 10,000 slaughterhouses in the country. The table below from USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) on the number of livestock slaughter plants (poultry plants are not included) shows how the local
State Raw Milk Bills – 2016 Update
In the 2015 legislative session, six states passed legislation increasing raw milk access. While it doesn’t look like this year’s session will be as productive, there are several states that have a good chance of
FDA “Pauses” Testing Requirement for Raw Cheese
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has temporarily suspended its requirement that raw cheese producers test for non-toxigenic E. coli. In 2010 FDA lowered the limit from 10,000 MPN down to 10 MPN, a move that had little to do with food safety and everything to do with
Who Makes Law in Virginia? FDA
On February 1, the Virginia House Agriculture Sub-Committee quietly killed an amended version of the Virginia Food Freedom Act (HB 619) by tabling the bill during a subcommittee hearing. The amended version of HB 619 would have
Bavuso’s Fight for Local Aquaculture in Virginia Continues
Anthony Bavuso began oyster farming on his property in York County, Virginia because he wanted to be a producer and saw oysters as a way to help improve