Raw Milk Monday...Countdown begins

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Please note: If you are new to my blog you can catch up on the reasons for my raw milk passion and the struggles our own farm have experienced, by reading any of the previous posts on the topic I have written over the last 3 years . To do so, simply enter "Raw Milk" in the search bar under the picture of our house, on the right.

Less than 10 days away is the May 1 mtg of The Illinois Department of Healths Dairy Work Group formerly known as the Raw Milk Steering Committee. Since my last post on raw milk...

* We've received several donations towards the cost of bus rental to take our supporters to the mtg in Bloomington. About $200  left to raise. THANK YOU EVERYONE!

* We've had another conference call with Westin A Price and Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund folk to discuss our strategy for the May 1 mtg

* We've scheduled another conference call for April 24. for those planning to attend the May 1 mtg in support of raw milk . Those of you who are planning to attend and have not yet heard from me via text or email please email me opies99@gmail.com

* Tom Kocal of Prairie Advocate News wrote an excellent article on this issue. Real investigative journalism for a change. Please read it HERE

*Ernest Rando continues to keep his website active with summaries of my posts and our currents activities. Read it HERE (Thanks again Ernest)

* IDPH has FINALLY and after many requests  posted the minutes from the Feb 22 mtg, as they were required to do by the Open Meetings Act of Illinois yet they had not done so. No minutes for the Jan meeting have shown up on their web site

*IDPH has posted their agenda for the May 1 mtg (after several requests and as they were supposed to have done via the Open Meeting Act of Illinois) and although at first it looked encouraging as they expanded it from 2 hours to 5, upon closer inspection you'll see it's filled with lots of time wasters. See For Yourself Here   Even more frustrating, the total time allocated to the public who wish to speak positively about raw milk is limited to just 30 minutes. Each individual will only be allowed to speak 3 minutes and in order to speak they must PRE-REGISTER

Funny, how at the first two mtgs (or were there three? Still no confirmation on that from IDPH) those against raw milk were not limited in any way. In fact there was not a single farmer who made their living selling raw milk, represented at those first mgs but now that we've insisted on fair representation, these individuals we have fought so hard to make aware of this "public" meeting will be in a sense...gagged after their allotted 3 minutes.

So the clock is ticking. PLEASE help us make the point with with IDPH that changes in the current raw milk laws are unnecessary, unaffordable and unrealistic. Call Molly Lamb, Division Chief at IDPH 217-785-2439 or email her at Molly.Lamb@illinois.gov.  Please write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper. Email me at opies99@gmail.com if you need help with this. Please attend the May 1 mtg with us. You can ride with us if your a local follower. The bus leaves South Pork Ranch at 07:30.

        Illinois Corn Growers Association Building
        14129  Carole Drive
        Bloomington, Illinois  61705