Newbie

[Guest guest]

Hi, my e-mail program has somehow lost the original intro letter I wrote.

You know what they say, to err is human but to really mess things up you

need a computer! So I will try to include the pertinant info that was in my

original. My name is Garinger and I live in La Grande Oregon which

is in Eastern Oregon. I have 2 goats currently milking, one Apline and one

Nubian. I have milked goats for 11+ years. (Actually " I " haven't milked in

a couple of years as my 10 and 11 year old girls enjoy that job and I

injured my right hand in a car accident.) I owned a Jersey Cow about 7

years ago but we live in town now and I barely manage to keep the goats. I

got hooked on raw milk when my first baby was weaned from breastmilk due to

lack of supply, I was very uncomfortable with formula in general and when

they put her on Soy formula I really felt uneasy. Also it was so expensive.

While looking in the newspaper I saw an add for a couple of fresh goats.

I knew goats milk was good for babies because of an article I read in an old

Countryside magazine. Each goat cost less than a case of soy formula, so I

cleaned out the storage shed and bought the goats. I taught myself to milk

those two goats the next morning, good thing they were patient goats!! I

have had goats every since and all 6 of my babies have been raised on it.

They have never been immunized and have only required antibiotics once or

twice in their lives (the two younger ones never have) and mostly it was

because of surgery. I have an autistic son who does not have the milk

allergy problems of most other autistic children and I believe it is due at

least in part to getting healthy raw milk. I am a homeschool mom, I have 6

bio children and two step children. My understanding of the raw milk rules

here in Oregon are that I cannot transport or advertise the milk in any way,

I have to label it as raw and may contain dangerous pathogens and all that

stupid stuff, and I can only have a few goats or cows, I don't remember how

many. I cannot sell cheese or anything like that. I resent what I feel is

over intrusion of the government in what should amount to consumer choice.

I tried to buy milk from the lady who bought my cow (she feeds calves with

it) and she refused because she is afraid of getting in trouble. I even

told her I would sign a statement saying it was for animals. I have had

some interesting raw milk adventures over the years, including calling the

dept of agriculture to inquire about the rules only to have the lady FREAK

OUT when she discovered I was feeding my children raw milk (gasp). I took

raw milk to the hospital one time for a child who had pneumonia (for her

bottle) and the hospital staff had a melt down, you would have thought it

was weapons grade plutonium or something. On the positive side my

pediatrician says I have totally sold him on raw goats milk for children

because my children are so healthy. He even assured a young mother who had

been told she was endangering her children by feeding them raw milk and farm

fresh eggs, that what she was doing was good for her kids and he knew a

woman (me) with a whole lot of kids who were really healthy from drinking

raw milk. Anyway I really want to find out how to change the laws in my

state so I can sell milk and cheese at the local farmers market. It is now

required to be pasturized (yuck) and even to pasturize it, the rules are so

steep that it automatically excludes small farmstead operations. I am also

interested in getting a milking sheep and making sheeps milk cheese. (I got

that idea from countryside as well!!) Anyone out there milking sheep??

Anyway I look foreward to getting to know all of you. Thanks,

Garinger