Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund

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

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

FTCLDF Cases

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Updates and press releases on the various cases handled or funded by the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF or the "Fund") are posted below. Click on the titles below to view the full post.

If you have questions about any of the cases, you may contact us online, email us at [email protected] or call 703-208-FARM (3276).

Farmer Faces Jail for Feeding Community

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Customers and Other Supporters to Attend Court with Farmer
Food rights activists from around North America will meet at the Sauk County Courthouse in this tiny town on May 20 to support Wisconsin dairy farmer Vernon Hershberger and food sovereignty. Hershberger, whose trial begins that day, is charged with four criminal misdemeanors that could land this husband and father in

Dan Brown Hearing in Maine Food Sovereignty Case: Judge Finds Raw Milk Not a ‘Local Food’

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In an incredible decision rendered on May 1st, the Hancock County Superior Court ruled against farmer Dan Brown on his motion for summary judgment. The Court instead granted summary judgment in favor of the State of Maine and issued an injunction enjoining Mr. Brown from selling raw milk and other

Another Crack at the Ban

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In March 2012 Federal District Court Judge Mark W. Bennett dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF) and eight of its members against the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over the federal regulations banning raw milk for human consumption in interstate commerce. The judge dismissed the suit for lack

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Pennsylvania Judge Throws Out Criminal Case Against FTCLDF Member

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On March 11 Magistrate Judge Jessica Brewbaker dismissed a criminal action the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania brought against Amish farmer and Fund member Christian Zook after ruling that the Commonwealth had not proven its case at a hearing before the magistrate held in Cumberland County District Court. The Commonwealth had charged Zook

Morningland Cheese to Be Destroyed

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A two-and-a-half year battle between Morningland and the Missouri State Milk Board over cheese embargoed at the Morningland facility will be ending on January 25 when Milk Board officials will be carting some 32,000 to 35,000 pounds of cheese off to a local landfill for disposal. Morningland owners, Joe and Denise Dixon, have invited members of the public to be present for

New Trial Date for Hershberger Case

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The criminal trial for Amish dairy farmer Vernon Hershberger of Loganville, Wisconsin has been rescheduled for May 20 at the Sauk County Courthouse in Baraboo. The trial is slated to run five days; it had been scheduled to start on January 7. A pre-trial hearing in the case has been set for May 7. The reason for the postponement was

Victory in Michigan! Shady Grove Farm Protected by Right to Farm Act

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Fund members Randy and Libby Buchler of Shady Grove Farm learned today that their farming operation in Forsyth Township, Michigan can continue. Judge Thomas L. Solka of the Marquette County Circuit Court ruled that “because defendants’ farm . . . is protected from nuisance suits under the

Jury Vindicates Farmer of Criminal Charges Related to Minnesota Food Buying Coop

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A significant court victory was won for food rights on September 20, 2012 when a Minnesota jury found farmer Alvin Schlangen not guilty on all three criminal misdemeanor counts for violations of the state food and dairy code. The case was referred by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) and brought by

FDA’s Vendetta Against Estrella Family Creamery in Washington State

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Might the FDA, In Its Vendetta Against a Raw Milk Cheese Maker, Possibly Stub Its Toe By Interfering with Local Production? At first glance, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s two-year legal assault on Estrella Family Creamery in Washington state appears entirely vindictive. The FDA seems intent on using its enormous enforcement powers to cruelly

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Bechards Get Favorable Settlement with Missouri Milk Board

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Falls Church, VA (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) – Last month Armand and Teddi Bechard entered into a consent agreement with the State of Missouri, ending a case that began in 2009. On two occasions in the spring of 2009, undercover agents from the Springfield-Greene County Health Department allegedly purchased raw milk at the Bechard’s central delivery point, a health food store parking lot in Springfield.