Earlier this month, Lisa Kahn reported that the Obama administrations five-year investigation into alleged anti-trust practices by agri-giant Monsanto fizzled, and were quietly closed last fall. She characterizes one former DOJ lawyer’s opinion, saying the administration “may have been reluctant to wage a close fight given Monsanto’s political connections.” The result: Monsanto retains “almost total [...]
Posts under ‘Government’
Photos of the Canada Tar Sands Suggest a Failed Economic Model
At Jackrabbit Ranch, we feel strongly about operating a sustainable company. We pre-heat our water with solar, heat it to temperature with wood, and compost our manure for use in the garden. This is just common sense to us: in the conservative place where I grew up, “waste not, want not” was a way of [...]
Maine license plate supports local agriculture
While driving through Maine, we noticed an unusual license plate that bore the slogan,. “Support Local Agriculture.” Intrigued, I looked it up online. Begun in 2007, the program funds agriculture education is schools. One supporter of the program said, “Maine schoolchildren need to be given the opportunity to learn where the food they eat comes [...]
Wisconsin recommends waiving storage temp requirements for hard cheese
When we make hard cheese, we process the curds at about 95 degrees, then we handle and press them at room temperature. Cheddar (shown above during the Cheddaring process) spends 24-48 hours at room temperature before it goes to the cave. The law requires our cave to be above 35 degrees – most caves are [...]
…And I Rebut
Dear Commissioner Blackham: Thank you for your response to my email to Gov. Herbert regarding HB 187. While I appreciate your time, I disagree with your position on several points. First, I have seen videos of animal mistreatment taken by workers that that have been used to expose the owners of dairies and other animal [...]
HB 187: The Commissioner Responds
Dear Mr. Mitchell Thank you for the recent email regarding HB 187. Governor Herbert is aware of the bill and asked me, the State’s Commissioner of Agriculture and Food to directly respond to you. I see that you are a small dairy operator who works with animal agriculture too. I’ve been raising turkeys all my [...]
On Criminalizing Documentation of Animal Abuse
Today I sent the following message to my Governor and State Legislators regarding HB 187, the “Agricultural Operation Interference Act”: Dear Sir, I am writing to ask you to oppose HB 187. I run a small dairy outside Paragonah, and we are proud of how we treat our animals. We always welcome visitors – with [...]
The Oddities of Food Labeling
A few months ago, one of our customers asked why we use rennet that contains the preservative sodium benzoate. The answer, as we posted then, was that we couldn’t find rennet that didn’t have it. Our cheese contains so little of the preservative that you would have to eat 3,000 pounds of it to ingest [...]
More on the FDA Crackdown on Cheesemakers
“I’ve got long-aged cheeses, and they never tested positive [for bacteria]. To make us throw it all away, without any valid proof at all, without any illnesses, is just wrong.” –Kelli Estrella of the Estrella Family Creamery in Montesano, WA. The Washington Post details more FDA crackdowns, some legitimate and some extreme.
Raw Milk Cheese in Jeopardy?
The New York Times reports that in the wake of several outbreaks of E. coli in gourmet cheeses, and at least nine recalls, the FDA is exploring new rules to try to improve food safety. The article notes that the “6o Day Rule” – that cheese is safe if it is aged for 60 days [...]
