# Local Farmer Being Attacked by Government



## PreparedRifleman73 (Nov 2, 2012)

Check this crazy stuff out. He lives in the next county over from me, near where I used to live.

http://foodriotradio.com/2013/08/raw-milk-farmer-on-trial-for-keeping-eggs-too-cold/

After jury found him "not guilty" of illegally selling raw milk, Minnesota goes after raw dairy farmer Alvin Schlangen again

Farmer-fights-delivery-ban-on-raw-milk-G51FH92Q-x-largeThe state of Minnesota is going after a small, peaceful dairy farmer&#8230; again. Alvin Schlangen is wanted for selling raw milk and other real foods to members of a private, buying club, without retail food sales permits. The state - which generally sees local foods produced outside of the industrialized food system as "dangerous" - aims to make an example of this farmer for disobeying rules, which no one, except the high priests in government, had a problem with.

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture - still with egg on its face from an earlier court battle, which Schlangen won - has decided to press charges against him for similar infractions in another county. Charges include selling cold eggs (too cold for state officials, but just right for his customers), not having a license to "handle" his own food (while delivering it free of charge), and selling "adulterated" and/or "misbranded" food (stemming from a wild accusation that Schlangen's milk caused a man to become ill).

Control freaks

Pete Kennedy, president of the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund, which is representing Schlangen in court, chatted with Food Riot Radio recently about the trumped up charges. As to why the state would try to convict Schlangen of the same crimes he has already been acquitted of, Kennedy explained, "It's all about control. Alvin has a private buyers club and the Minnesota Department of Agriculture refuses to recognize any distinction between public and private distribution of food."

This is a recurring theme when it comes to government. Whether you're an NSA whistle blower or a farmer who dares to sell unapproved foods, when you challenge the lords of control, they meet you with force, often at the barrel of a gun, and threaten to lock you up. Lock you up for what? For selling food to other peaceful human beings who desperately want it, or for notifying a mummified nation that their01milk0520 benevolent fathers are nothing more than peeping Toms, that's what.

What's next, will the NSA be used to spy on small, organic farmers and drones used to fire heat-seeking, hell-fire missiles on these raw milk rebels?

Do state officials not have a soul? Don't they have any empathy for the consumers who are so loyal to Schlangen, who need his food for their otherwise failing health? Has our government become so corrupt, so evil, that it aims to destroy small, sustainable farmers, our last sources of real food?

Is it just coincidence that Hormel, Land O' Lakes, and General Mills happen to be headquartered in Minnesota? Is it possible they could've asked government to step in and shut down their local competition?

The farmer's hand

imagesSchlangen slapped the state in the face when he won last year's trial. Well, if the MDA thought his forehand stung, wait till he comes around with his backhand.

Even though he was acquitted of selling adulterated food in Hennepin County, the state is going to try him again for the same "crimes," committed on different occasions.

According to Kennedy, the prosecution is lacking in the evidence department though. The state is trying to argue that Schlangen's milk caused an outbreak of campylobacter, because one person in his buying club tested positive for the infection. The "evidence" is a questionnaire from the sickened man. The man said he consumed raw milk that day, but he also consumed fast food and chicken, which is the leading cause of campylobacter illness. Officials don't have a stool sample, or campylobacter-infected milk sample, or any other physical evidence that links the bacterial outbreak to Schlangen's farm, just a questionnaire.

If that doesn't seem like enough of a reach, the state is also trying to prosecute Schlangen for storing his eggs at 50 degrees fahrenheit, 5 degrees higher in temperature than the MDA requires, which, as Kennedy pointed out, normally would warrant nothing more than a citation of some sort from the inspector, not a full blown criminal trial. Schlangen says, "The co-op members like their eggs being refrigerated at 50 degrees just fine. After 25 years of egg production, I might have some insight."

Who would have ever thought providing a free community service, like driving groceries to people, would be a crime? Well, that's another misdemeanor Schlangen being charged with.

Kennedy said Schlangen's lack of a food handler's permit is where the state really has him in a stranglehold. If a small food producer can't distribute his product, it's pretty hard to sell it. He can't afford to hire a large food distribution company, like Sysco, and it's impractical given his rural location that customers are going to drive out to his farm.

This is organized crime at the highest level, where government picks and chooses the winners, especially when it concerns what we, the simpletons, eat and drink.

It's time to get pissed off

1milk092112If after reading this, your blood starts to boil, followed by the fires of liberty burning in your belly, the clenching of your fists and the gnashing of your teeth, because you're so damn frustrated at these charges, realize that it's okay to feel this way. That means you're human, and feeling these emotions toward a completely lunatic, tyrannical, out-of-control government is a good thing. It's okay the show these emotions that government schools told you to suppress, that your boss told you to suppress, that your parents told you to suppress. Well, Food Riot Radio doesn't want you to suppress them any longer. It's time to get mad as hell!

It's time to take a stand. It's time to join Alvin Schlangen at the courthouse in St. Cloud Minnesota on August 13, 14 and 15, to show government we won't be bullied any longer. We won't stand for this kind of abuse and overreach by over-zealous state agents. We will stand with our famers, just like we stood with Vernon Hershberger.

Please consider donating to the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund, whose lawyers are dedicated to preserving our food freedom, and please like Food Riot Radio on Facebook.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

Here in the part of Texas I live in I know of 2 dairies(one goat and one cow) that legally sell raw milk on a daily basis with no problems of any kind with the government. 

The goat dairy which is about a mile or so from here has TDA(Texas Department of Agriculture) inspectors come in once a month for an inspection. I dont know about the cow dairy, its about 30 miles from here and we only get milk from them occasionally through a local Health Food Store that sells it. The price for both is about $10.00 per gallon and they say its because of "Compliance" reasons it's so high(but its worth it).

Those govt types in Minnesota seem to be Raunchy A-holes, I hope ole Alvin Schlangen mops the floor with them.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

As long as people don't get to make their own informed choices and be held responsible for them the government is happy. Just let them tell us what to do and everything is gonna be alright


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## PreparedRifleman73 (Nov 2, 2012)

cowboyhermit said:


> As long as people don't get to make their own informed choices and be held responsible for them the government is happy. Just let them tell us what to do and everything is gonna be alright


Hit the nail on the head there


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

After shtf those same government hacks will most likely take over the farm and drink the milk gladly.


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## Ezmerelda (Oct 17, 2010)

here in Tennessee, a local dairy farm was hit with huge fines for selling raw milk. They paid the fines, then found a loophole that allowed for selling the raw milk products through a type of community supported agriculture plan.

I think they're still in business...but I've been out of touch...


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## cqp33 (Apr 2, 2012)

I am working in Minnesota right now but staying at a hotel in North Dakota and here is how I see it! Food is more expensive in MN than in ND, sales tax is higher in MN than ND, "luxury" taxes are high in MN (a pack of smokes is $3 higher in MN than ND, I know bad habit) income taxes, property taxes and everything else is more expensive in MN! Yet MN is broke, why is that? It is run by which party? just saying! But they are broke and insist on spending time, money and effort messing with the little guy vice making effort to balance their own budget and get their own house in order! Seems like this is becoming the norm in this country, what in the he** are we coming too? we are beyond a banana republic if you ask me!

my $0.02


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

cqp33 said:


> my $0.02


That $.02 may be worth 4 bucks across the state line!!


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## lazydaisy67 (Nov 24, 2011)

This is happening because the dairy industry has a HUGE lobby with congress. It has very little to do with any health issues. We can't possibly let consumers buy milk from anybody else other than the subsidized dairy farmers. No offense to them of course, I know they're just trying to make a buck like everybody else. The feds don't drink a drop of that raw, organic milk they confiscate, they pour it on the ground. If it was as toxic as they'd lead you to believe you'd think it'd kill the grass or something.

Our fed doesn't want anybody to choose what they put in their mouth. Why, if they let us eat healthy we might stop getting fat and sick and then what would happen to the drug industry, the medical industry and the insurance industry, and our favorite political cash cow.....Monsanto.


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## PreparedRifleman73 (Nov 2, 2012)

masterspark said:


> Anyone know how Alvin made out??


The article is here.

Ultimately, he was convicted on all counts and got a year of probation.


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