On Monday, there were two bills before the Agricultural Subcommittee. One was the Virginia Food Freedom Act and the other was a three cow raw milk bill. In spite of the common sense and data filled arguments for the bills, the feudal lords of the agricultural subcommittee voted both down. They will not have their serfs producing and selling food on their fiefs. (We have video coming soon)
The agricultural industrial complex (Farm Bureau, Virginia Dairyman's Association, Virginia Agribusiness Council, et. al.) gave very weak rebuttals to the arguments we made. One even went as far as to say that milk was not milk until it was pasteurized. What is bad is the guy who said this, Dr. Thomas Massie, is a vet (don't let him work on your animals).
Sadly, but not surprisingly, they were not above lies. Eric Paulson, from the Virginia Dairyman's Association, flat out lied when he stood and said, "Hot off the press, the CDC has 3 confirmed deaths to raw milk". That is not true. Though the CDC still maintains that there is inherent risk of illness from drinking raw milk, they have no confirmed deaths, in 26 states, attributed to raw milk. So any of my friends that are members of the Va Dairyman's Association that is what they are doing with your money. They are paying Eric Paulson, the treasurer of the organization, to be a liar.
This isn't the end. And I'm sure they think we are a bunch of ignorant, backwoods hillbilly, bib overall-wearing, inbred morons but they are sadly mistaken (except maybe on the hillbilly part). I think one of them made that assumption last year. He thinks otherwise now. We will be back next year. We shall see whether all those delegates on the subcommittee make it back or if they will be watching the action from home.
Times are changing. Information does not have to go through gatekeepers anymore. I have the ability to make life difficult for delegates in Danville or Virginia Beach or Martinsville or Fredericksburg from my living room. Farmers may not be wealthy, but we have a work ethic and a will that cannot be stopped by men in soft suits and shiny shoes in Richmond.
The Votes to table (kill) the bill:
Yea - Marshall (R), Poindexter (R), Knight (R), James (D), Keam (D), Orrock (R)
Nay - Morefield (R)
I have had my differences with Will Morefield, But I am thankful to him for taking a stand and voting no to kill the bill. I hope you will write him an email expressing the same.
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