A518 NJ Raw Milk Bill

STEP ONE — SUCCESSFUL !!!
The bill got voted out of committee in the Assembly today.

The Agriculture and Natural Resources committee of the NJ State Assembly heard powerful supporting and opposing testimony for the NJ Raw Milk Bill and voted unanimously to pass the bill out of committee.

PLEASE SAY THANK YOU
The members of the committee heard alot of really negative things about raw milk today and every single one of them voted to pass the bill out of committee so it can go to the whole Assembly for a vote.   (This vote will come after the bill is amended to include additional warning information in bottle labels.)

Please contact every committee member and say thank you:
Nelson Albano (D), Chair
(609) 465-0700
AsmAlbano@njleg.org

Gilbert Wilson (D), Vice Chair
(856) 541-1251
AsmWilson@njleg.org

Marlene Caride (D), new committee member
(201) 943-0615
AswCaride@njleg.org

Robert Clifton (R), new committee member
(732) 446-3408
AsmClifton@njleg.org

Ronald Dancer (R)
(609) 758-0205
AsmDancer@njleg.org

NEXT STEP
Please contact your Assemblymen and/or Assemblywomen (you have two) to express your support of raw milk.  If your legislator needs more information to make a decision, you will be able to find PDFs at www.gardenstaterawmilk.org and can contact www.foodshedalliance.org for additional information.

FIND YOUR LEGISLATORS
- Go to www.njleg.state.nj.us
- Under MEMBERS, click Find Your Legislator
- Click Municipality, find your town and note the district number
- Then click Legislators for your district number
Look for two people under the Assembly heading.  Office phone numbers are included.  If you prefer to email, use the legislators’ emails follow this pattern — Asm or Asw followed by last name, then @njleg.org.  For example, to thank Assemblyman John DiMaio, one of the primary bill sponsors, email him at AsmDiMaio@njleg.org.

TALKING POINTS
You can tell your personal story of how raw milk has helped you and your family.  You may want to say how long you have been drinking raw milk.  If raw milk has contributed to your health, and has not made you sick, that is important to say too.

Other important points are:
- consumer right to choose
- economic opportunity for NJ farmers
- keep raw milk dollars in NJ

POWERFUL OPPOSITION
Opposing testimony today came from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the regional milk conglomerate, Cornell University Extension staff, a dairy testing lab, health officers, and many others.  These groups can apply strong pressure to our legislators, so it’s important we continue to make our voices heard.

THANK YOU TO YOU TOO
Thank you to everyone who is part of this important effort, with phone calls, emails, written testimonies, trips to Trenton — it is all so important to the success of this legislation.

MORE INFO
- Sign up at www.foodshedalliance.org
- Garden State Raw Milk on Facebook
- Go to www.gardenstaterawmilk.org
- Join www.westonaprice.org, click “get involved” at the top
- Subscribe to bill alerts for A518 at www.njleg.state.nj.us

Raw Milk Freedom Rally November 1, 2011

The Freedom Rides are organized, in part by the Farm Food Freedom Coalition.

Raw Milk Freedom Riders after crossing into Maryland. Photo, David Gumpert

On Tuesday, Nov. 1st, a caravan of moms (and a few dads, grandmas & grandpas) picked up unprocessed (raw) milk from a farm located in Pennsylvania. These folks came from all over the US and even Ontario, Canada, all to partake in a defiant act of civil disobedience. What was this terrible activity for which they risked arrest? Transporting that same milk across the state line into Maryland.

You might wonder what the big deal is, so I’ll tell you. Well, way back in 1987 a bill was passed into law which made it illegal to transport raw milk across state lines when intended for “human consumption”. This meant that for every mom out there wanting to provide the very best in nourishing foods for her family, she would either have to live in a state where raw dairy was available, own her own dairy animal(s), or become a criminal. For most, the latter is the only option.

So here we stand now faced with a real dilemma due to our government’s belief that it knows best. As well we see through almost weekly headlines, this “Big Brother” attitude and government controls have not protected the public at all judging by the number of deaths and illness caused by our industrial food supply.

Furthermore, I am not the “public”, nor are you, unless you decide to shop where thousands of others shop for their family’s food. When purchasing food in a supermarket I would expect the government to have oversight to protect the safety of the publicly accessible food. But when we choose to purchase farm-fresh foods locally and privately, we do not fall under the “public” domain.  And we do not subject ourselves to the inherent problems with an industrial food supply. Instead, we assume the risk ourselves, accepting the consequences if and when a problem should occur.

The funny thing is, in my family’s experience we have never, ever experienced any problem with our locally produced foods, but we have in fact become quite ill from eating foods purchased at a local store and a restaurant or two. How effective was “Big Brother” then?

There is also the question of the constitutionality of these laws which deny private citizens the access to not only raw milk, but also many other farm products. Furthermore, we are being denied freedom of choice in health care, education, birthing options, etc.

Our founding fathers must be rolling in their graves, for they never could have conceived of such government control of the people, or protection of corporate profits and bureaucratic charge.  Was this not a part of what they were trying to avoid-government tyranny?!

John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and many others of our early fathers were farmers. They expected to produce foods on their farms and to have the freedom, without government restraint, to earn an honest income from their product. They bought and sold freely within their communities and yet today not only is this not allowed, but our uber-intelligent governing bodies also try to control how our food is produced. But there-in lies yet another problem…

So here we are in 2011, wondering where we are headed. Like thousands, if not millions, of others like ourselves, my husband & I have decided that we must do something. Thus I write, teach, and do everything possible to educate and motivate others towards reforming our laws, reforming our government towards what it was originally intended to be: a protector of the people, and of the private citizenry.

I urge you to do the same. Consider these thoughts and, whether you wish to consume fresh milk direct from the farm or make other important decisions for yourself and your family, stay informed about what is happening within our nation and communities. Establish contact with your local politicians. Speak up at “Town Meetings” and other public forums. Let your law and policy makers know how you feel and demand to be heard, and have your concerns considered; this we must do, or we sink in apathy.

Michael Schmidt addresses the crowd. Photo courtesy Kimberly Hartke

On Tuesday our caravan of moms was met at FDA headquarters by dozens of police officers and denial of access to the bureaucrats within, but also about 150 additional protesters. Cookies and (raw) milk were served to everyone in attendance including law enforcement, and many voices were heard. Amongst those speaking to the crowd were David Gumpert, Joel Salatin, Mark McAfee, Sally Fallon Morell, Max Kane, Liz Reitzig (one of the organizers of the event), Kristin Canty, Jonas Stoltzfus, and my own personal hero, Michael Schmidt (on day 33 of his hunger fast). We all understand the importance of personal responsibility both for our families and our government, and were encouraged by the wise words of each of these passionate people. And that very day the effectiveness of our efforts was confirmed when the FDA issued a clarification of their policy, stating that they will not enforce the law when it involves an individual transporting raw milk for their own personal use. While this is encouraging, affirming that our efforts are not in vain, it is not enough. We must continue to work towards real change. Our farmers should not be raided by our government agencies, but should be free to profit from their hard work, and consumers should not be denied the right of freedom

Please don’t sit back in apathy, relying on others to fight your battles for you; each of us involved in the activities of November 1st are very busy, with many responsibilities. We have jobs, take care of our children, participate in churches and communities, etc. But we set aside a little time throughout our days and weeks to write letters, make phone calls, and show up at a rally now and then to show support for our causes. Without this we can not expect any changes for the better but can instead expect more control, more prosecution and farm raids, further loss of freedom.

Now go take charge of your and your children’s future; they depend on it!

Maureen Diaz is a homeschooling mother of 9, a WAPF chapter leader, and a certified LW Nutritionist. She also has produced 3 cooking DVD’s including her latest, Liberation Wellness Home Cooking. Check out & order her DVD’s on her website, www.nourishingtraditionalcook.com  and at FilmBaby.com

And Wednesday the 16th of this month is your chance to once again converge on the Hill and remind your Representatives and Senators that they do indeed work for us.
The Farm Food Voices Feast this year is from 12-2p.
The lobbying aspect of the day takes place before and after the mixer.

This year, the region’s best Chef’s have joined their voices with ours and our local farmers’ to present for Congress and us a catered affair that would make a Kennedy envious.

Poste Brasserie is returning, along with Coppi’s, Restaurant 3, Nora’s, Food Matters, Lavender Moon and Krishon Chocolates.  Making their debuts this year are Level Small Plates Lounge, Equinox, Ivy Inn, Maple Avenue.  Plus two of Top Chef’s finalists will be representing their kitchens—Volt and Alchemy by Carla Hall.  Main Event, just awarded Best Caterer in the Country, has graciously agreed to organize the load in, setup and load out.  Oh yeah, they’ll be roasting a whole pig from a local farm again this year.

We know how difficult it is to make time for these headaches, but most of the work has already been done.  For the rest of the year you can buy from local farms.  This is your opportunity to add your voice to the growing chorus; it is the day that your presence on the Hill and inside your elected representatives’ offices gives form to your statement.

By overcoming our differences and linking up, we become the connected links of a chain: strong, efficacious and flexible.

Please join us and lend you voice on Wednesday, March 16^th

See website for additional details.

Liz Reitzig is a certified Liberation Wellness Nutritionist and a regular contributor to Liberation Wellness (www.LiberationWellnessBlog.com) She serves as President of the Maryland Independent Consumers and Farmers Association and Secretary of the National Independent Consumers and Farmers Association.  As a champion for real foods and farm freedom, Liz is the co-founder and partner in a farm fresh buying club and raises her own family on real foods from local farms. She is also a Chapter Leader for the Weston A Price Foundation.

-Come see the Cows, Goats and Sheep!
-Meet Farmers and Sennen! (mountain farmers)
-Watch and taste modern and old-fashioned alpine cheese making!
-Speak to Organic / Biodynamic farmers and cheese makers!

-Listen and ask questions at the Research Center Agroscope Reckenholz on the importance of mycorrhizae and soil health, also clean groundwater is pure money: see Europes largest modern facility measuring groundwater drainage and nitrates. Whats farming all got to do with it? Incl. field walk!

-Learn about Raw Meat, Blood- and Sausage preservation, tasting!
-Enjoy an herbalist guided Alpine Plant walk with Salve making!
-Ancient sourdough rye bread make/bake in a historical mountain village!
-Visit the Alimentarium (historical food museum) on the beautiful lake of Geneva, take the boat ride to the famous mid-evil Castle Chillon!
-Enjoy the 1000 Sheep festival on the Gemmi Mountain!

-Ride the route of the Glacier Express! Spectacular Mountain Views!
-Visit various museums/regions, walk the Ltschental where Dr. Price walked!
-Enjoy raw milk, cheese and authentic sourdough rye!
-Make new friends with like-minded WAPF members!!

Length of trip: 15 days, beginning Thursday July 21 until Thursday August 4, 2011. Must obtain own flight and Swiss Pass.

For more info please e-mail: reversemydisease@gmail.com Subject: WAPFCH11 or for slow mail: Please send self addressed, stamped envelope to: Judith Mudrak, 58 Cranberry Run, Southampton, NJ 08088 USA. Phone: 609 859- 3828 EST

Kennedy Caucus Room--Site of the Farm Food Voices DC 2011 Legisaltive reception

It’s that time of year again…time to get those political gears working and come to DC for the National Independent Consumers and Farmers Association 5th annual small farm and ranch grassroots Lobby day and Legislative Reception.  Come sharpen your lobbying skills and add your voice to the ever increasing voices speaking out about real foods!

As always, we are planning a very special reception for our legislators where we will show them the beauty andbounty of what America’s farms have to offer with local tops chefs involved in the preparation and serving of these dishes.  It is a fabulous feast of real foods provided by local farms lovingly producing real foods!

Don’t forget to invite your Senators, Representatives and their staffers to the LOCAL FOODS reception!

Farm Food Voices DC 2011

www.NICFA.com

Liz Reitzig is a certified Liberation Wellness Nutritionist and a regular contributor to Liberation Wellness (www.LiberationWellnessBlog.com) She serves as President of the Maryland Independent Consumers and Farmers Association and Secretary of the National Independent Consumers and Farmers Association.  As a champion for real foods and farm freedom, Liz is the co-founder and partner in a farm fresh buying club and raises her own family on real foods from local farms. She is also a Chapter Leader for the Weston A Price Foundation.



Well, it’s back again for 2011 and this year it’s set to take place at the Hyatt Regency in Baltimore, Maryland on April 9-10. The entire ASBP/NMS conference actually runs April 6-10, but the lectures about low-carb science will happen over the weekend featuring a lot of familiar names and few you may not have heard of before promoting the very latest research on the subject of low-carb diets. NMS recognizes that there are indeed a variety of dietary plans that exist out there to treat obesity and weight-related diseases. But they feel it is very important that bariatric physicians and other medical professionals treating the obese clearly understand the science that is being promoted as evidence for any particular nutritional approach–especially low-carb which has far too often been ignored as a fad when the scientific evidence shows otherwise. The purpose of this annual symposium is to focus primarily on the metabolic aspects of ketone bodies and the role ketogenic diets play in fat loss and as a dietary therapy for a wide range of diseases. They specifically targeting bariatric physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants who want to learn about the latest scientific advancements into the clinical use of carbohydrate-restriction with their patients, but literally anyone interested in the subject is invited to attend. 7.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits are provided to any medical professional for attending this course.

I bet you wanna know who’s speaking this year, right? It’s quite a prestigious lineup!

Richard D. Feinman, PhD is the Founder of The Nutrition & Metabolism Society and is a professor of biochemistry at SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn, NY (listen to my May 2008 podcast interview with Dr. Feinman). He is one of the most passionate defenders of genuine science that you’ll ever meet as evidenced by this talk he gave in New York City in early 2010. There’s no better way to begin this symposium than with Dr. Richard Feinman himself!

LECTURE: “Review of Biochemistry of Ketone Bodies”
DATE/TIME: Saturday, April 9, 2011 from 1:15-2:00pm
This presentation will review the biochemical process for ketone body formation and under what nutritional circumstances they are generated.
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To be honest, I’ve never heard of Yoshiro Kashiwaya, MD, PhD and couldn’t really find anything on this person on Google. The lecture certainly looks quite intriguing, though!

LECTURE: “Ketone Body Effects on Cardiac Energetics and Glycolytic Flux”
DATE/TIME: Saturday, April 9, 2011 from 2:00-2:45pm
Ketone bodies are effective substrates for mitochondrial respiration in the heart. This presentation will cover the effects that ketone bodies have on mitochondrial NADH production and on the inhibition of glycolytic flux.
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Thomas N. Seyfried, PhD is a biology professor at Boston College who is conducting some of the most extraordinary research on the role a low-calorie ketogenic diet plays on controlling the growth of cancerous tumors. You’ll recall I had Dr. Seyfried as a guest on my podcast in November 2009 and I look forward to hearing more about what he has discovered since then. For people who think low-carb diets are only about weight loss, I think people like Dr. Seyfried would beg to differ!

LECTURE: “Ketone Bodies and Cancer”
DATE/TIME: Saturday, April 9, 2011 from 2:45-3:30pm
This presentation will explore alternative approaches to brain cancer management, specifically focusing on how a ketogenic diet and calorie restriction can exploit the metabolic inflexibility of tumor cells.
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In addition to Dr. Seyfried’s amazing work on ketogenic diets and cancer, we have some truly remarkable work coming out of Eugene J. Fine, MD, MS at the Einstein College of Medicine. His RECHARGE Trial (REduced CarboHydrates Against Resistant Growth Tumors) is examining people with cancer who have been told by mainstream medicine there’s nothing more that can be done for them and putting them on a very low-carbohydrate diet in an attempt to reduce the amount of cancer cells in their bodies. I shared this video talk with Dr. Fine on my blog in July 2010 and I am looking forward to hearing more from him about his work at the NMS symposium! He’s agreed to come on my podcast for an interview sometime this year as well.

LECTURE: “Ketone Bodies and Cancer”
DATE/TIME: Saturday, April 9, 2011 from 3:45-4:30pm
This lecture will review plausible molecular mechanisms through which ketone bodies can spare functionality in normal cells but suppress growth in cancer cells.
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Stephen D. Phinney, MD, PhD is a Professor of Medicine Emeritus at The University of California-Davis as well as on the editorial board of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. He’s certainly no stranger to the world of low-carb. He has been continuously researching carbohydrate-restriction for a quarter century–more than anyone else I’m aware of–and is convinced of the science behind this way of eating for a whole host of positive health benefits. In 2010, Dr. Phinney co-authored The New Atkins For A New You and is championing the cause for physicians to begin using carbohydrate-restriction as a therapy with their patients. He too will be making an appearance on my podcast later in 2011 to discuss an exciting new project he is working on this year to make that happen.

LECTURE: “Human Keto-adaptation: Physiology and Function”
DATE/TIME: Saturday, April 9, 2011 from 4:30-5:15pm
This presentation will focus on how humans can adapt to conditions of carbohydrate restriction, specifically how fuel sources shift from glucose and fatty acids to fatty acids and ketones, and how this shift leads to appetite reduction, weight loss, and improvement in surrogate markers of cardiovascular disease.
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Over the past decade, Jeff S. Volek, PhD, RD (listen to my March 2009 podcast interview) has worked tirelessly in his lab at The University of Connecticut leading and conducting some of the most extraordinary studies on high-fat, low-carb diets. From recognizing that all the markers of metabolic syndrome are the same ones improved on a low-carb diet to his discovery that less dietary fat consumed leads to higher levels of blood fats, his work is truly on the cutting-edge of nutritional science and should be followed closely by anyone interested in learning how and why low-carb diets work. He too was a co-author of the book The New Atkins For A New You last year and is a man whose career is far from being finished. I always enjoy Dr. Volek’s lectures at these meetings.

LECTURE: “Anti-ketogenic Effect of Insulin and Dietary Carbohydrate”
DATE/TIME: Sunday, April 10, 2011 from 8:00-9:00am
This presentation will review the role of glucose and insulin on the regulation of fatty acid metabolism and development of dyslipidemia in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular diseases.
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Just say the name Mary C. Vernon, MD, FAAFP, FASBP, CMD and you can’t help but have a big smile on your face. She’s been literally the face of low-carb to so many of her fellow physicians the past few years in creating a physician education project called Innovative Metabolic Solutions (IMS) (learn more about IMS from my June 2010 interview with Jeff Clinger) and through her leadership position at ASBP as a Past President. Dr. Vernon exudes with enthusiasm about this subject because she has seen firsthand the changes that have happened in her patients over the past decade-plus! She is one of the featured speakers on the upcoming Low-Carb Cruise in May 2011 and I always look forward to hearing her speak–it’s NEVER boring!

LECTURE: “Clinical Treatments Using Nutritional Ketosis”
DATE/TIME: Sunday, April 10, 2011 from 9:00-10:00am
This presentation will cover the clinical implementation strategies of a low-carbohydrate diet and its usefulness in treating metabolic disorders.
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One of the hottest areas of research on the therapeutic effects of low-carb diets is with seizure control for people with epilepsy. Eric H. Kossoff, MD from Johns Hopkins has been using what he describes as a “modified Atkins diet” to effectively treat and greatly reduce the number of seizures being experienced by epileptics. I highlighted his work in my June 2010 podcast interview with him (also listen to my August 2009 interview with Dr. Deborah Snyder whose son Bryce beat his epilepsy with a low-carb, ketogenic diet) and I can’t wait to hear the very latest developments in his research.

LECTURE: “The Ketogenic Diet for Epilepsy”
DATE/TIME: Sunday, April 10, 2011 from 10:15-11:15am
Dietary therapies can be beneficial for symptomatic generalized epilepsies. This presentation will explore the effects of the ketogenic diet for management of epilepsy.
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Isn’t that a fantastic roster of low-carb experts? I look forward to hearing from all of these speakers and doing what I did in 2010 conducting live tweets from my Twitter page. So many people enjoyed that so much that I’m willing to do it again…although it is exhausting tweeting from my iPhone for hours on end. See what sacrifices I make for you? HA HA HA! If you’re personally interested in being there, we’d love to meet you in person. Learn more information and sign up for the Nutrition & Metabolism Society Symposium by clicking here. And if you want to help me and Christine with travel, hotel and other expenses to attend this meeting coming up very soon, then you can make a donation to The Nutrition & Metabolism Society and designate it in the “Special Instructions” area at the bottom to go towards “Jimmy Moore NMS Trip To Baltimore.” THANK YOU in advance for your generous donations to help me bring you the very latest and greatest low-carb science information out there!

Jimmy Moore is the popular blogger, podcaster and author of Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb who lost 180 pounds on the Atkins diet in 2004 and quickly established himself as a highly influential layperson in the field of health and nutrition. His wildly successful Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Blog has been educating, encouraging and inspiring readers since 2005 and his accompanying iTunes podcast The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore is one of the most listened to health broadcasts online today featuring hundreds of enchanting interviews with the leading voices in the world of diet and healthy living! Jimmy’s latest book compiling all the knowledge he has learned along his journey is called 21 Life Lessons From Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb: How The Health Low-Carb Lifestyle Changed Everything I Thought I Knew. He lives in Spartanburg, SC with his beautiful wife Christine and their four crazy cats!

The FDA recently ordered Morningland Dairy, a small family farm in Missouri, to destroy 50,000 pounds of raw cheese.

It all started when Morningland got caught up in the Rawesome Food Club raid in California a few months ago. Morningland cheese was confiscated by FBI, FDA, California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), and Health Department agents who entered the raw food club with guns drawn.

On August 24th, 55 days after the Rawesome raid, the CDFA reported it had found dangerous Listeria and Staphylococcus bacteria in two Morningland cheeses.

Since then, Morningland Dairy has been visited by the FDA and the Missouri Milk Board, and have been ordered to destroy all their cheese stock – some 8 months of work – the value of which is approximately $250,000.

The FDA also recently announced a nationwide recall of Morningland cheese, even though no one has reported any illness from Morningland products in the dairy’s 30-year history.

Morningland asserts that the CDFA analysis and subsequent tests were illegitimate, but the dairy’s efforts to convince the Missouri Milk Board to retest its inventory have been unsuccessful.

Devotees of raw dairy are concerned that the FDA is trying to enact an outright ban on raw cheese. This idea is particularly troubling given that many of the finest cheeses in the world are made from raw milk. Want to hear the rest? Visit: http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2010/10/18/fda-orders-morningland-dairy-to-destroy-50000-pounds-of-raw-cheese/comment-page-1/

There’s a battle going on in America right now and it’s gotten really ugly very quickly. No, I’m not talking about the state of politics, the debate over religion, or any of the other usual suspects. This fight is about the rights of Americans to have access to real food. And we’re not talking about that stuff sold in grocery stores under the guise of “food” either. It’s real, whole, unadulterated foods that are grown and harvested on local farms that provide far superior nutrition and nourishment to the mass-produced versions sold in supermarkets from coast to coast.

The problem is one of access and the culprit standing in the way most of the time are the government bureaucrats who seek to destroy the very fabric of what once made this nation so great. The crux of this issue centers around the sale of raw milk which is currently illegal to purchase in stores in 40 states. One of the leading voices in support of local farmers attempting to provide healthy raw milk products to the consumer is journalist David E. Gumpert and he chronicles the travesty happening with this issue in his book The Raw Milk Revolution: Behind America’s Emerging Battle Over Food Rights.

I’m fortunate enough to live in one of the states where raw milk is legal (South Carolina) and can drive down to a local store about a mile from my house or the family farm about 10 miles away to purchase it without fear of breaking the law. Although I don’t drink a lot of milk because of the natural sugars that are in it, I do enjoy a glass of raw milk from time to time as well as consuming raw cheeses as part of my healthy low-carb lifestyle. It’s a privilege that can be taken for granted by people who have access to these foods because not everyone is so fortunate to live in an area where raw dairy is allowed to be legally sold to them.

Click here to read the rest of my review of David Gumpert’s The Raw Milk Revolution.