Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund

Protecting, defending, and broadening the rights and viability of independent farmers, artisanal food producers, and their consumers.

Who's Your Farmer? SM

Protecting, defending, and broadening the rights and viability of independent farmers, artisanal food producers, and their consumers.

The Case of Embargoed Goat Milk Gelato

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Who screams for ice cream? We all scream for ice cream—especially artisan goat milk gelato, made in small batches by Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF) member Lisa Black. Lisa’s Agriculture Department inspector was screaming, too, but not in a good way. He was under…

2018 Accomplishments

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This has been quite the year for the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF). We would like to celebrate with you the many achievements we have made in the food freedom movement. It gives us great joy to continue to be involved in this movement and to fight for farmers, artisanal producers, homesteaders and consumers across the country.

Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund Seeks Executive Director

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The Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF), a growing, nationally recognized 501(c)(4) nonprofit, seeks an experienced executive to expand its legal defense, advocacy and other programs in support of America’s independent farmers and their customers. The Executive Director is…

FTCLDF Panel Answers Common Legal Questions

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Join Joel Salatin, Elizabeth Rich, and Patricia Foreman on an exciting panel as they discuss answers to common legal questions from farmers and homesteaders. The panel was video recorded live at the Mother Earth News Fair in Maryland this summer and was also edited as a podcast…

Adulterated: The Most Significant Term in Food Law

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In 1991, I entered a graduate program in veterinary pathology. I knew the pathological conditions. Recognizing them under a microscope took practice, but I got there. The same is true of the term “adulterated,” arguably the most significant term in food law…

Indiana Food Freedom

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Indiana Senator Greg Walker announced that he will propose The Indiana Freedom in Homemade Food Contracting Act, also known as The Indiana Food Freedom Act, in the upcoming session of the Indiana State Legislature. The Indiana Food Freedom Act seeks to allow small-scale producers to make foods for sale in their home…

The Devil is Always in the Details: A Member’s Question

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Understanding FSIS compliance is a challenging component of farming, and oftentimes can be confusing. Recently, an FTCLDF member had a question regarding the 20,000 exemption for poultry. Dr. Fisher provided a thoughtful, thorough response, and we thought it would be helpful….

Understanding FSIS Language

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Fall 1979. I received the book list for my first semester classes in veterinary college. Top of the list: Dorland’s Illustrated Medical Dictionary. That first year, I opened this book more than any other. Regulatory agencies, like medicine, have their own language. Unless you understand that language, you do not know what you are talking….

Thankful Thursdays

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Protecting farmers, providing guidance, and advocating for farmers’ rights are at the core of the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund’s (FTCLDF) services. We are there for our members in their most dire of circumstances—oftentimes when an inspector is already at their gate or farmers’ market…