Organic Valley bans raw milk sellers- Time for a boycott?

[Katy]

Quote:
Then the membership needs to vote to change the contract. We've voted to change things in our cooperative over the years.

 

[schellie69]

With all the research I have done I wish I could find some where close that I could raw milk, cheese, butter and some grass fed beef but so far no luck in finding a farm close enough to buy from

 

[freemotion]

Quote:
Then the membership needs to vote to change the contract. We've voted to change things in our cooperative over the years.

Katy, unfortunately, that won't likely work here. The vast majority of people in this country have been trained not to do their own research and to think for themselves. So I have little doubt that the majority of the members care. It is the minority of farmers and consumers, like myself, that I am fighting for. It is the minority, in most situations in life, that gets trampled on.

 

[freemotion]

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Many don't advertise because they are tired of having to deal with the "milk nazis." You may have to find one via word of mouth. A good place to start is your local farmer's market. After determining if raw milk sales are even legal in your state. If not, you can still sometimes find some "for pet use or soapmaking."

 

[1stepcloser]

Nastygram sent. They lost my business. I wish I could find a local raw supplier around here I could afford. The CSAs in my area charge $7-8 a gallon.

 

[Katy]

Quote:
Then the membership needs to vote to change the contract. We've voted to change things in our cooperative over the years.

Katy, unfortunately, that won't likely work here. The vast majority of people in this country have been trained not to do their own research and to think for themselves. So I have little doubt that the majority of the members care. It is the minority of farmers and consumers, like myself, that I am fighting for. It is the minority, in most situations in life, that gets trampled on.

I don't think you understand that the cooperative members are the dairymen......it is the dairymen themselves who are making the decisions....not random people off the street making the decision. The membership as a whole made the decision to start enforcing the contract terms.

 

[schellie69]

Quote:
Many don't advertise because they are tired of having to deal with the "milk nazis." You may have to find one via word of mouth. A good place to start is your local farmer's market. After determining if raw milk sales are even legal in your state. If not, you can still sometimes find some "for pet use or soapmaking."

yes it is legal to sell raw milk from the farm but finding a farm in my area is tough plus what i have found is like 7 bucks a gallon right now that is not in the budget so I am trying to figure out a way to make thing work.

 

[Katy]

Quote:
Many don't advertise because they are tired of having to deal with the "milk nazis." You may have to find one via word of mouth. A good place to start is your local farmer's market. After determining if raw milk sales are even legal in your state. If not, you can still sometimes find some "for pet use or soapmaking."

yes it is legal to sell raw milk from the farm but finding a farm in my area is tough plus what i have found is like 7 bucks a gallon right now that is not in the budget so I am trying to figure out a way to make thing work.

Most farmers don't want to deal with direct sales. It's a hassle and most of us don't care to deal with the legalities of protecting ourselves if someone claims they got sick from consuming our product.

 

[schellie69]

Quote:
yes it is legal to sell raw milk from the farm but finding a farm in my area is tough plus what i have found is like 7 bucks a gallon right now that is not in the budget so I am trying to figure out a way to make thing work.

Most farmers don't want to deal with direct sales. It's a hassle and most of us don't care to deal with the legalities of protecting ourselves if someone claims they got sick from consuming our product.

that is what i figured but I am trying to get back to a more natural diet, I am raising my own vegatables and have chickens for eggs I can not at this time raise meat birds but as soon as I get a farm you can bet I am going to growing and making most of our own food. I just wish I could find someone to get raw milk from I would even sign something saying I would not hold them resposiable. I know that the raw milk and grass fed beef is much better for you then the stuff you get at the store. the food the goverment is making us eat is so bad for you it is no where near what we had on my grandpa's farm I really don't like the taste of food now I know why since we have lived on farms and grew most of own food I now know why the food does not taste right to me.

 

[vfem]

I would like to know what you were paying these farmers who had to go off and sell raw milk outside OV? Honestly, in those contacts did you agree to buy a percent of milk? Like if you were only going to buy 50% of their milk and then tell them they couldn't sell to anyone else. What were they to do with that 50%? Obviously, to me, you are not buying enough to hold a contact until you agreed to buy 100% of what they produced so they could afford to live. Otherwise you are stating that these farmers were the greedy ones and they must have been rolling in the bucks to risk loosing your contract like they didn't need you.

I mean really... being on unemployment is like free money... because being short on my bills every month is a pleasure. Oh, and when someone offers to buy my eggs or flower or cookies I need to run off and report that because now with that and unemployment I'M RICH but breaking the system.

A large well to do co-op like your OV does not need to dig their heels in on such thing... personally you should review their contracts and see where you went wrong screwing them.

Just because its on paper and it worked out well years ago, doesn't mean it works forever or its the right thing to do.

I'm with others... as a co-op, those farmers are your neighbors, and I don't know about you, but if I see my neighbor's struggling and having to make extra sales to keep a business going, and customers happy.... I step in and try to help and not cut them loose in hopes they go under because you want to punish them for surviving!