I’ve been asked to share with you today words about food sovereignty and farming, about access to food from farms in Maine, about how communities can determine how our own food needs are met. Water is life. And, FOOD is life. We have a right to life. We have a right to food.
Search Results for: Maine
Brown Case Before Maine Supreme Court
On May 13, Blue Hill dairy farmer Dan Brown will have his case heard by the Maine Supreme Court. Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund General Counsel Gary Cox will be arguing Brown’s case before the Court. Brown is appealing a lower court ruling finding him guilty on three counts for violations of Maine’s food and dairy code. Argument is
Dan Brown Hearing in Maine Food Sovereignty Case: Judge Finds Raw Milk Not a ‘Local Food’
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
Fall 2023 Hotline Blotter: High Number of Calls Logged for Custom Slaughter, Zoning, and Raw Dairy
Our member survey consistently shows our 24-Hour Emergency Hotline is one of the services our members value most. The hotline is available 24-hours in the event of a farm raid, surprise inspection, or short-term notice regarding a member’s farm or related farm business. We always have an attorney on-call who can be on the phone […]
2023 Accomplishments Prove There’s Strength in Numbers
Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF) is so grateful to our supporters, allies and members, who work hard every day to make improvements to the U.S. food system. In 2023 we had some important successes along with some continuing challenges and frustrations with government policies that impede the viability of independent operations engaged in providing locally […]
April Hotline Blotter: Members Call in for Raw Milk, LGDs, and Backyard Poultry
Our member survey consistently shows our 24-Hour Emergency Hotline is one of the services our members value most. The hotline is available 24-hours in the event of a farm raid, surprise visit, inspection, or short-term notice regarding a member’s farm or related farm business. We always have an attorney on-call who can be on the […]
Raw Milk Nation – Interactive Map
May 22, 2023 1 Other forms of raw milk distribution may also be allowed in any particular state. 2 Some states further limit the direct-to-consumer sales to on-farm only or other location restriction. 3 There is no law either legalizing or prohibiting herd shares. State is aware herd share programs currently exist and has taken […]
Regenerating Soils By Grazing Cattle and Pigs
Grazing multiple species provides many benefits, not the least of which is enterprise stacking that allows each acre to create more than one saleable product in the same growing season. Our topic here is how to make multi-species grazing regenerative in the biological sense. We custom graze replacement heifers in front of our pigs, with 37 heifers and slightly more than 100 finisher pigs moving in a leader…
How We Regenerate Soils with Pigs
We consistently hear how pigs can’t be regenerative. We would edit that to say this: While pigs don’t fit into the regenerative equation as smoothly as ruminants, we can look for strategies to improve land, even with pigs. When it comes to regenerative grazing, it is useful to look at how pigs compare and contrast to beef…
How We’ve Used Pigs to Restore the Land
I distinctly remember my college ecology teacher telling us that it takes a thousand years to build an inch of topsoil. A thousand years! The statement succeeded in its intended goal, which was to instill in us freshmen a tremendous sense of respect toward caring…