Page 91 - Winter2017

A Campaign for Real Milk

RAW MILK IN CALIFORNIA’S HUMBOLDT COUNTY, PART 3
By Cindy Ashy

After almost two years of trying, the citi- low the state regulations. Local food artisans,
zens of Humboldt County, California finally get in most counties, can use certified raw milk to
their way! The local ban on raw milk sales, produce local raw milk products to sell in the
local ordinance 512, is back on the Humboldt same county. Humboldt County citizens just
County Board of Supervisors’ agenda for Janu- want these same rights.
ary 23, 2018, with a strong request to repeal Bill Schaser has been selected to make the
it. At the persistance of constituents, Virginia formal presentation to the board on behalf of all
Bass, County Supervisor of the 4th District, has raw milk advocates in Humboldt County. Bill
agreed to put the issue back on the agenda for is well known in the community, having been
discussion and possibly rescinding the raw milk a popular high school science teacher for thirty
ban. Ryan Sundberg, County Supervisor of the years, most of it at Eureka High School. Bill is
5th District, will be the chair running the meet- also a local hero to many for his substantial role
ing. The fate of this very unpopular ordinance in getting a GMO ban to “prohibit the propaga-
now rests with the five Humboldt supervisors. tion, cultivation, raising, or growing of geneti-
cally modified organisms in Humboldt County,” A Campaign
CHANGE IN THE SITUATION which passed with 61 percent of the vote in 2014. for Real Milk
This is not the first time the citizens of When asked about the raw milk ban in is a project of
Humboldt have banded together demanding Humboldt, Bill had this to say: “I believe raw the Weston A.
that their supervisors lift this unpopular and milk is a very healthy food but mainly I think
outdated ban on raw milk. The same issue was Humboldt County is getting in the way of Price
formally brought before the board across two freedom of choice and a food movement that is Foundation.
meetings in 2010 and 2011. However, the cir- growing rapidly. As organic foods have become To obtain
cumstances in the dairy industry have changed more popular, there has been a renaissance of some of our
since then, and citizens have become even more traditional artisan foods such as raw milk cheese informative
tenacious in their resolve to have this ban per- and raw milk kefir. The increasing industrializa-
manently removed. Please see Part 1 and Part 2 tion of highly processed foods, such as pasteur- Real Milk
(posted at realmilk.com) for more on the history ized milk products, has undermined our health brochures,
of the raw milk ban in Humboldt County. for decades. People in Humboldt are demanding contact the
The citizens of Humboldt are really only raw milk and they should have the freedom to Foundation at
asking to have the same freedom as the rest choose raw milk just like the other thirty-nine (202)
of California. Both the sale and production of million people who live in California.” 363-4394.
raw milk is already legal in the entire state of If the raw milk ban is lifted, the first raw
California and has been for a long time, except milk to be sold in Humboldt stores will be Check out our
for three rural counties: Humboldt, Trinity and Mark McAfee’s Organic Pastures certified raw website,
Kings. Together, the population of these three organic milk. Mark and his team are known for RealMilk.com
counties makes up less than one percent of the their community outreach programs. They host for additional
total California population. So, more than 99 school groups, sleepovers, bike tours and other information
percent of all Californians already have the legal special events on their lush green farm. It’s the
opportunity to purchase certified raw milk at kind of idyllic place that raw milk advocates and sources
their local food stores. They also have the right dream about, with truly happy cows who pro- of Real Milk
to set up a raw milk dairy, as long as they fol- duce rich delicious milk! Some believe that these products.

WINTER 2017 Wise Traditions 91