Who is really perpetrating the SHAM?

[Guest guest]

I must say some of the things I've read on this list makes me wonder

if those people have ever heard Sally talk.

Cow share/farm share programs while successfully circumventing

stringent raw milk statutes are an integral part of the raw milk

movement in this country. There are many reasons for this vehicle,

even if the laws ALLOW for regular sales.

First and foremost it creates a relationship between the consumer and

the producer. Those that are buying the products KNOW the person who

is doing the producing (and their attitudes and methods). This

benefits the farmer because they receive levels of appreciation and

respect that cannot be garnered from selling into the mass

distribution system. Customers benfit by choosing their producer

based on their inherit merits, rather than some slick advertising

campaign. Devoted customers are critical when embarking on a

business adventure, and it fosters a higher level of trust that can't

be duplicated anywhere else in the market. On the other hand, farmers

KNOWING their customers, makes the importance of the job they do more

apparent. Farming is hard work, and increasing incentive for those

that toil the soil, cannot be a bad thing.

Secondly, and just as important, is that raw milk done correctly is

almost impossible to do in a large dairy farm setting. Moving

hundreds of cows from pasture to fresh pasture, and having a milking

facility close by, is a logistical nightmare. Mark has shown that it

is possible, but you need wheels. Small herds, which get more

attention and love, produce a better product. Cows that are respected

and treated as individuals, and are constantly being thanked for

their contributions, make better milk. Cows that are treated as a

commodity, make commodity milk. The sharing of responsibility by

consumer and producer allows for advantages when one must give up the

efficiency of scale. One must have a whole lotta love to get the same

thing out of a herd of hundred or two.

Those that claim cow share programs are solely used to circumvent

laws are missing one of the main points of this movement. The small

farmer, quickly becoming an endangered species, is the lynchpin of

raw milk in America. Forcing farmers into status quo methodologies

will kill much of what is good about this trend. In this day and age,

humans are as far removed from the Earth Mother as they have ever

been before. Why on earth (pun intended) would any half intelligent

person have a problem with giving city dwellers an opportunity to

have a stake in a farm? This is a win/win situation for all involved,

and society as a whole (except of course the mega dairies and the

politicians they purchase).

Raw milk is a revolution waiting to happen in this country. We know

what transpired a couple of hundred years ago when an overbearing

State sought to trample the rights of the individual.

Farm shares are the DESIRED way to approach raw milk sales in the US.

Anyone who can't see that, isn't paying attention.

fmf