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).

Vernon Hershberger Trial Verdict: Acquitted on Three of Four Charges

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In what Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund vice president Elizabeth Rich called a victory for the food rights movement, a Sauk County jury acquitted dairy farmer Vernon Hershberger on three of four criminal charges for violations of the Wisconsin food and dairy code after

The Vernon Hershberger Trial Begins Today

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After months of contentious wrangling between attorneys for the state and the defense, the trial of the Loganville dairy farmer for four criminal misdemeanor violations of the Wisconsin food and dairy code begins today at the Sauk County courthouse in Baraboo with the selection of of the jury. Circuit Court Judge Guy Reynolds has

Episode 9: Farmer Vernon Hershberger’s Upcoming Trial

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Episode 9 of the Food Rights Hour podcast is about the case of Amish dairy farmer, Vernon Hershberger. During this episode, host Kimberly Hartke talks to several of Vernon’s club members, folks who know firsthand the value of the farm-to-consumer relationship. We also hear from FTCLDF President, Pete Kennedy, about the case and from Co-Founder of Farm Food Freedom Coalition, Liz Reitzig, about the events surrounding the upcoming trial that begins on May 20th.

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