(Ohio) Raw milk can be healthier than current American staple mountvernonnews.com

[Guest guest]

http://www.mountvernonnews.com/local/040205/raw.milk.html

Raw milk can be healthier than current American staple Published: Friday, April

01, 2005 03:20 PM

By STEPHANY JONES

News Sports Writer

JOHNSTOWN - It's cereal's backdrop, chocolate's companion and a mustache waiting

to happen. It's milk, and Ralph Schlatter wants to see it redeemed, as does the

choir he was preaching to recently at the Ohio Ecological Food & Farm

Association conference during his seminar on raw milk.

Rather than the pasteurized, homogenized, skim and low-fat American staple, the

Defiance farmer and organic dairy advocate dreams of tables graced with

full-fat, farm-fresh milk from pasture-raised cows. Schlatter believes this is

the way milk is meant to be consumed and that it is far healthier than the milk

that is widely available. He's not alone.

" People are questioning it, " Schlatter said.

The doubts on the wholesomeness of modern milk are linked mostly to the

pasteurization process - a method of heating milk in order to rid it of certain

bacteria and to extend the milk's shelf-life. Named after it's creator, Louis

Pasteur, the process was originally developed to overcome a fermenting problem

in the wine industry.

As Schlatter explained, pasteurization was first used for milk in the late 1800s

and early 1900s as a method of cleaning up " dirty " milk that was being produced

by dairies near large cities. Motivated by convenience and low cost, the dairies

were feeding their cows swill left over from local distilleries rather than

grass and water. The improper feed resulted in low-quality, pathogen and

bacteria-laden milk.

Pasteurization, then, became a method of making unclean milk able to be sold.

The solution, Schlatter explained, was not in masking the " symptom " of poor

quality milk, but in fixing the root of the problem by producing clean milk in

the first place.

Although modern dairies may not feed their cows swill, Schlatter believes that

conventional farming methods are still producing unclean milk. The use of

hormones to control milk production, wide-spread antibiotic use, grain-based

feed and tie-stalls which give the cows little room to turn or walk have become

somewhat " normal " farming procedures at many dairies.

" When the cows are turned loose they tumble and slide around, " explained

Schlatter.

With such a lifestyle, cows often live only 42 to 44 months, never making it to

their third lactation or reaching full maturity. Schlatter believes that this,

in addition to increasing fuel costs, has contributed to the increase in dairy

prices.

" The cows are getting burned out quicker than they can be replaced, " said

Schlatter. " Milk production can't be kept high enough and it's catching up to

them. "

Even with some farmers turning to an all-day schedule, including three milking

sessions, a number of conventional dairies still struggle to make ends meet,

said Schlatter.

While Schlatter was once such a farmer, a switch from feeding grain to grazing

allowed him to give the cattle a healthy environment and diet which produced

clean milk, while at the same time putting his farm back in the black.

When farmers allow the cows to eat a diet of grass and water, which is what

Schlatter believes is the feed they were made to live on, and when they are kept

in proper living conditions, the milk produced is healthy and clean, making the

pasteurization process unnecessary.

But even if the milk was clean, isn't the pasteurization process still helpful

by creating a longer shelf-life? Schlatter and proponents of raw milk say no. In

fact, they believe the process does much more harm than good. According to

Schlatter, pasteurization alters proteins and destroys most of the enzymes in

the milk that enable the consumer to assimilate calcium and breakdown and absorb

nutrients.

From his extensive research, Schlatter believes that the lack of these important

enzymes, many of which are found in the cream of the milk, lead to many health

problems experienced in the country today.

" We've seen an increase in degenerative diseases, " said Schlatter, touting

culprits from heart disease and cancer to acid-reflux and obesity. " 'Typically

American' now includes asthma, arthritis, allergies and taking prescription

medicine. "

According to Schlatter, what he calls a " national health crisis " is simply

masked by turning to drugs and medications when the answer lies in the quality

of the food.

For proof and inspiration, Schlatter and other raw-milk advocates look to the

work of Cleveland dentist Dr. Weston A. Price. Appalled by the tooth crowding,

misalignment and decay among Americans, Price took off in the 1930s to travel

the world studying the dental health of indigenous people who consumed no

modern, processed foods.

As Schlatter explained, Price was shocked to find straight, healthy teeth in

mouths with plenty of room to house all 32 of them - and all from people who did

not know what a toothbrush was. The civilizations that were supported by

dairies, where the people ate mostly raw milk and cheese and the athletes often

consumed straight cream, were the ones that really thrived.

" This was truly the land of milk and honey, " said Schlatter. " It wasn't the land

of refined flour and sugar. "

To many, Price's discoveries are noted as evidence for the health benefits of

raw, unpasteurized milk. Many consumers and authorities, however, are concerned

about the safety of unprocessed milk.

" There are always 101 what ifs, " said Schlatter. " And they could happen. Every

time we put something in our mouths we take the chance of consuming something

that will make us sick. Should we just stop eating? "

Although the possibility of a problem is always there, Schlatter noted that

studies of well-run dairies have been found to possess low to nonexistent

pathogens, while many conventional dairies have been found to have up to

30-percent pathogen contamination.

Schlatter simply believes that consumers should be given the choice of buying

clean, unpasteurized, raw milk if they choose to do so.

" We can consume tobacco and alcohol, and we can drive cars knowing the risks

involved, " said Schlatter, " but we can't sell or buy raw milk. "

Though raw milk can be bought and sold under various constrictions in 29 states,

Ohio is not one of them. A list of raw milk laws on the Web site realmilk.com

explains that the sale of raw milk in Ohio is illegal unless an active farm is

grandfathered under the law by being in possession of a raw-milk license before

1965. There are no longer any farms in the state that qualify.

" The market is out there, " said Schlatter, " but the production is not. "

Though the road is uphill, Schlatter still encourages those who wish to reap the

benefits of raw milk to make their voice heard.

" I think we've got some serious problems here and we just have to stick our neck

out and keep going, " said Schlatter.

With a postcard campaign to legislators and Web-based groups in support of raw

milk legalization, movements are being made by concerned consumers. According to

Schlatter, consumers, rather than the farmers, are the ones who will be able to

make changes.

" When the consumers talk, they're going to start listening, " said Schlatter.

[Guest guest]

> Raw milk can be healthier than current American staple

> Published: Friday, April 01, 2005 03:20 PM

>

> By STEPHANY JONES

> News Sports Writer

Sally Fallon needs to be hiring Stephany to work for the WAPF. That

was the clearest, most concise and best written article on raw milk and the

issues surrounding it that I have ever read. It takes a lot of skill to

write that well. Great stuff.

Do we know who Stephany is or is she just a regular reporter who has a great

deal of talent?

Ron

> JOHNSTOWN - It's cereal's backdrop, chocolate's companion and

> a mustache waiting to happen. It's milk, and Ralph Schlatter

> wants to see it redeemed, as does the choir he was preaching

> to recently at the Ohio Ecological Food & Farm Association

> conference during his seminar on raw milk.

>

> Rather than the pasteurized, homogenized, skim and low-fat

[Guest guest]

At 9:02 PM +0000 4/3/05, wrote:

>Message: 7

> Date: Sun, 3 Apr 2005 09:44:59 -0400

> From: " RBJR " <rbjr@...>

>Subject: RE: (Ohio) Raw milk can be healthier than current American

>staple mountvernonnews.com

>

>Sally Fallon needs to be hiring Stephany to work for the WAPF. That

>was the clearest, most concise and best written article on raw milk and the

>issues surrounding it that I have ever read. It takes a lot of skill to

>write that well. Great stuff.

>

>Do we know who Stephany is or is she just a regular reporter who has a great

>deal of talent?

She's somebody who should be writing for a bigger market than Mt. Vernon OH.

--

Quick, USUM (ret.)

www.en.com/users/jaquick

Term limits: one term in office, one term in jail.-- Wolfe.