It costs money, lots of money, to defend these lives and livelihoods and the right of food choice.
• in the life of a farm family at the end of their rope, dealing with the government officials hassling them about minutiae, while farm chores can’t wait.
Celebrating FTCLDF’s Fifth Anniversary on the P.A. Bowen Farmstead
Despite the summer heat wave and temperatures above 106 degrees, nearly 200 supporters of the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF) celebrated the 5th Anniversary of its founding on Saturday, July 7, 2012.
NEW: Watch the event video 
The event began with a tour of Geoffrey and Sally Morell’s new farm, P.A. Bowen Farmstead in southern Maryland. Afterwards, guests
We Are At War
If everything that has been happening in recent months isn’t enough to convince you that we’re in for the fight of our lives, to protect something as basic as what we will feed our families (or the medical care they do or do not receive), then maybe the following from Elizabeth Gamsky Rich, Esq. will convince you. Elizabeth is an attorney and Vice President of the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund, and she spoke in May at a fundraiser dinner in St. Louis… “We are at war. It is a war. It’s a war to protect our right to food freedom
Michigan Swine ISO Still Threatens Heritage Breeds
On April 1, 2012, an Invasive Species Order (ISO) issued by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) went into effect despite infringing upon private property rights, criminalizing swine pet owners, depriving small hog farms of earning a livelihood from their investment in breeding heritage swine, and denying consumers the freedom to obtain the pork of their choice. Even restaurant owners and gourmet chefs are
For the love of good food, help your farmer!
We are now approaching the fifth anniversary of the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF) and I couldn’t be prouder of the work this organization has done. I believe there is no more important organization to safeguard real foods from the perils of modern day thinking (bigger is better), trumped up food safety concerns and government penchant for overregulation at the expense of
Judge Dismisses FDA Raw Milk Lawsuit
Falls Church, Virginia (April 4, 2012) – On March 30 federal district judge Mark W. Bennett issued an order dismissing a lawsuit challenging the interstate commerce ban on raw milk for human consumption filed by the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Along with six consumers, an agent for a
Michigan DNR Going Hog Wild
In a brazen power grab threatening the livelihood of hundreds of small farmers, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is using the state Invasive Species Act to expand its jurisdiction beyond hunting and fishing to farming operations. On April 1, 2012 an Invasive Species Order (ISO) that DNR issued in December 2010 prohibiting the possession of
Defending Raw Milk Against the CDC
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a study in February that the agency publicized with the headline, “Majority of dairy-related disease outbreaks linked to raw milk.” It’s not surprising, but still disappointing, to see how the agency was willing to ignore the real facts and data in order to try to discourage people from [Read full post…]
Farm Stand Forced to Close
San Juan County in Washington state did the indefensible. They closed a farm stand that had been in operation for more than two and a half years because the county recently decided that since the farm stand was “open to the public,” it had to meet commercial building requirements.
Preparing for a Raid
When an inspector from the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness showed up with a ‘cease and desist’ order and slapped a quarantine order from the Kentucky Department of Health Services on 76 half gallons of raw milk about to be picked up by members of a local buying club, the club members’ defied the orders. John Moody spoke on how to be prepared for a government raid over food.