Hershberger Acquitted of 3 of 4 Charges

         Vernon Hershberger, the Mennonite farmer from Loganville, Wis., was acquitted of three of four charges Saturday in the raw milk/dairy farm co-op saga that has garnered attention across the United States and Canada.

Hershberger was convicted by a jury of violating a holding order the state put on his farm store after a raid on his property back in 2010. He was acquitted of operating a dairy farm and a dairy retail outlet without a license and operating a retail store without a license.

         These acquittals are big. First, the jury found that his farm co-op was legitimate and that his store was merely a pickup point and a place of work for members. I have been a member of the co-op and can verify that it is indeed for members only. The state was vigorously trying to prosecute Hershberger to make an example of him. After the state raided his farm, they put yellow crime scene tape over his coolers. He broke the seal and said he couldn't let food go to waste, that it was against his religious beliefs. The judge ruled against his pretrial motions and the jury agreed with the defense.

         "This is a victory for the food rights movement," said one member of Hershberger's defense team, Elizabeth Rich.

         Wisconsin farmers can't sell unpasteurized milk directly to consumers and the state's daairy lobby is standing behind the state to help prosecute Hershberger. He said he was pleased with the outcome, but he has to be careful about what he says until the sentencing, which carries a maximum of a year in jail and a $10,000 fine.

         Cleary, taking down some yellow tape doesn't deserve either a stiff fine and surely not a jail sentence for a man who is trying to bring organic food to consumers who travel long distances to be part of his club. Loganville is located west of Baraboo and Hershberger delivers food weekly to Madison as a dropoff point. He consistently sells a lot of raw milk to people who have a right to drink it. How can the state punish a man who brings a product to the public that has been around a lot longer than pasteurization?

We'll see what the sentencing brings. No date has been set.

         Following the verdict, which came at 1:30 Saturday morning, May 25, Hershberger told supporters:

        

“I am extremely grateful to the almighty God that I have been acquitted from the first 3 criminal counts that were filed against me: operating a retail food establishment without a license, operating without a milk producer’s license and operating without a dairy plant license. I am very proud of the people in Sauk County who served on the jury for sending the message to the state and DATCP that it is absolute nonsense and a complete waste of tax dollars to interfere with peaceful peoples’ natural right to peacefully assemble to procure the foods of their choice from the producer of their choice. The 4th count, violating the holding order, which I was found guilty of, carries a penalty of 1 year in jail and up to $10,000 fine and to pay the state the value of all the products moved that were under the holding order. The maximum penalty is still a small price to pay compared to the price of a guilty conscience because of letting good food spoil while families with small children are in need of it. I consider it a great honor to suffer for the cause of the truth and the good of my community.”

        

The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund, of which Hershberger is a member, retained attorneys Glenn Reynolds and Elizabeth Rich to represent him at trial. Rich called the verdict "a victory for the food rights movement."

The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund defends the rights and broadens the freedoms of family farms and artisan food producers while protecting consumer access to raw milk and nutrient-dense foods. Those concerned can support the FTCLDF, a U.S. based 501(c)(4) nonprofit, by joining or donating online at www.farmtoconsumer.org or by calling 703-208-FARM (3276).

         The Wisconsin state Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection officials who raided his farm in June 2010 and intentionally destroyed 2,000 pounds of milk should have been the ones on trial.

 

 

 

The Fight Against Monsanto, GMOs, Comes To Rockford

Despite less-than-ideal weather, approximately 250 protestors gathered in downtown Rockford, Ill., on Saturday to protest the existence of Monsanto Corp. and genetically modified foods.

            This is somewhat monumental for Rockford, a city full of poverty and apathy and one not known for organics. There aren't more than five restaurants in the county that profess to be organic. There are no Trader Joe's or Whole Foods stores here. You can count nearby organic farmers on both hands.

            The rally, which was official down to the city permit and police escort. was actually covered by the local media. The was shocking for a holiday weekend.

            The protest was part of the worldwide anti-GMO protests. Only 700 people gathered in Chicago, making the Rockford turnout organized on Facebook significant.

            Monsanto, of course, claims they are trying to produce better food for us. But GMOs are filled with empty calories and weed killer. I believe GMOs and a toxic water supply are the two most significant factors in generating a world full of obesity. GMO foods force us to eat more and make us fat.

            The only solution to GMOs is to not eat them. Hard to do, but we must start somewhere.

            What was encouraging to see in the Rockford protest is that there were people under 50 years old there. Many who carried signs were young, meaning some parents are educating their children on how to live a healthy life. Nearly all the people who marched were thin in a city overrun by obesity.

            This was an encouraging sign, but the movement needs to exist on a daily basis. The many countries that demand GMO labeling and the ones that don't allow GMO planting are far ahead and far healthier than the United States.

            We must take a stand against the greedy. Feel free to join in at any time.

How Obese Rural American Women Can Lose Weight

          I took our organic beauty products and biodegradable suncare products to one of the largest outdoor flea markets in the area last weekend. I spent two days at Pec Thing in Pecatonica, Ill., to educate the public on chemical-free sunscreens and insect repellent.

          I was shocked at what I subjected myself to for 18 hours over two days.

          Rural America is profoundly fat, particularly the women.

          I spent two days trying to convince people that they should take care of themselves, only to watch them cart away junk just for decorating their front yards. The constant onslaught rolling past me was hard to stomach.

          The rural men who were still working age seemed to be fairly fit. Working in the fields, in the barns and as tradesmen keep them relatively trim.

          So how can they trim the fat? First, let's examine how they got that way. One thing common to all is that we drink water. Well water has too much nitrite runoff and therefore stores in the fat cells. Little exercise keeps it there. Also, eating GMO foods provides fewer nutrients and make people want more food instead of less. If they don't feed their cows grass, there's no CLAs and more fat, antibiotics, growth hormones and on and on and on.

That's more empty calories. Then they pollute their skin with harmful sun rays.

          Then they give up and don't care what they look like.

          The solutions are easy: grass-fed meat and free-range poultry. Organic eggs, organic veggies and filtered water. Exercise daily. And cleanse your organs with citrus to help purge the obesegens stored in your fat cells.

          For more info on how to take care of and detoxify your skin, see www.enfuegoproductions.net

Are organic plants being eliminated for the common grower?

             Went to the reliable garden store, Village Green, locally based in Rockford, Ill., to buy some organic plants today. No such luck. there weren't any. Only seed packages. Were they sold out? No. Never had any. Went to Menard's, Home Depot and another local greenhouse. Nothing. One greenhouse operation reported people were having trouble finding organic products to support growing their own.

            I found this to be disheartening. Down right disturbing.

            I have been an organic grower for years. Sometimes from seed, sometimes from plants. It's important that organic growing begins with organic seed. Yes, it takes organic soil, the proper organic nutrients and clean water. Water is where people often fail. It's hard to deliver water free of pollutants, free of volatile organic chemicals, heavy metals, prescription drugs, herbicides, pesticides, antibiotics, growth hormones, e-coli and other nasty microbes and viruses.

            The water I use in gardening comes from a whole-house water filtration system that preserves calcium and magnesium. Using purified water is using water without any useful nutrients that plants thrive on. I also use a mix of organic compost, coffee grounds, organic egg shells and other organic compost material when planting. I even went so far to build a large garden box this year to better control the soil. I never use lawn mulch that has been sprayed with herbicides or pesticides.

            But what about the plants we start out with to plant? I realize that it takes a lot to get the USDA Certified Organic stamp on a product. I know it takes a long time to certify the soil used. I also know that in Illinois, as well as other states, the GMO-based farms dominate the land and every time farmland goes on sale here that is organic, a GMO-based farmer is quick to buy it. The land is disappearing, as so are the plants it seems.

            This is also a portend of the future of organic meat. No land, no grazing room for cows, chickens, turkeys and pigs.

            I have visited many organic farms, both vegetable growers and producers of organic meats. I always hesitate to tell people where I get my organic meat because I know there isn't much of it around Illinois and Wisconsin to meet the need. When more people are wanting to buy and less of it to be had, prices will soar.

            Now the GMO machine is taking plants away. Why bother to legislate GMO food when there is no alternative in the store?

            What's are the alternatives? We could moves to Europe, Mexico, Australia. Organics are a way of life in those places. The United States is controlled by big agri-business and powerful lobby groups. The alternatives here are disappearing.

            There is only one way out if you want to live in America. Grow your own, learn how to preserve your foods in glass and stock up on organic seed.