Tag Archives: Weston A. Price Founation Kamloops Chapter

Raw Milk Contamination?

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mobile-milking-machines

If you have only one cow, milking by hand makes the most sense. A generation ago my father used to milk sixteen cows by hand everyday. Most modern farmers would use a portable milking machine. Big processors have a milking parlor which is a massive capital investment.

I was listening to CBC Radio today and heard a warning from the BC Center for Disease Control about raw milk contamination at Home On The Range in Chilliwack, BC. I have not been able to find a reference to any sickness caused by the contamination. Please read Raw Milk Products Contaminated for the full story. This is my response to the CBC News article:

washing-glass-jars

These are glass jars just washed and sterilized in a commercial dishwasher. The device to the left is used to filter and pour the milk into the jars.

My name is Caroline Cooper. I am the Chapter Leader for the Weston A Price Foundation in Kamloops, BC. The Weston A Price Foundation supports people trying to get nourishing traditional foods. Raw milk is one of these traditional foods that has nourished generations of farming families.

The cooperative members of Home on the Range want to have a product that they cannot get through the Industrial Food System. These members have pooled their resources to buy a herd of milking cows. They have contracted with an agister/milker and lease land so the members can get raw milk.

I would hope in a free country like Canada, a group of like minded individuals would still have the right to organize themselves and, as a group, contract for special services or products. If safety is a true concern, this closed system of commerce is very safe.

I believe the needs of the BC Center for Disease Control and the cooperative members of Home on the Range are not that far apart. Everyone wants a safe product. It would be more helpful if the BC Center for Disease Control used its excellent resources to help the cooperative to improve their safety protocols. I would hope an enlightened government would use its power to help, not penalize, its citizens.

It is important to realize that it might be great if the government used its resources to help herdshare programs improve their safety methods, but the government does not have jurisdiction regarding inspection or regulation of the products of the herdshare program. This is because the products of the herdshare are not being sold. The monetary transaction occurs between the herdshare members and the agister/milker under contractual agreement. Any products of the herd are shared between the herdshare members in proportion to the member’s shareholding. (If there are any lawyers out there that can weigh in on this point of law, I would appreciate it.)

raw-milk

Here is raw milk, raw butter and raw butter oil stored in the fridge after processing. Do citizens have the right to make a contract with a farmer for special foods? Should the government have the right to impose their rules into the voluntary transactions of citizens?

Updated January 6, 2010: This is a link to Michael Schmidt’s blog called The Bovine. There is a posting written by Gordon Watson, a herdshare member of Home on the Range, about the situation in Chilliwack, BC. This is a link to Health Authority Cracks Down On Raw Milk. It is a story about Deb Purcell’s search for better health for her child.

I still have not been able to find any proof that someone has become sick from the stated food contamination. If anyone sees any test results from the BC Center for Disease Control please forward the information to me.

Undated January 7, 2010: I contacted Sally Fallon yesterday and she had a number of questions that the BC Center for Disease Control could answer to clarify this situation:

1. How many people in the area became sick?
2. How many of these people drank raw milk?
3. Did they test the milk?
4. If so, did they find a pathogen?
5. If they found a pathogen, did it match the pathogen that made people sick?

Many of the answers are in the following email from Home on the Range. The email was written by Gordon Watson, a long term member of the Home on the Range cooperative:
On January 6, 2010, I got a copy of the lab results which was given to one of our former depots, by Vancouver Coastal Health. A ‘cfu’ means colony forming unit. The presence of colonies of bacteria is the way foods, in particular milk, are tested for pathogens. It is important to realize that we live in a world of bacteria everywhere. Colonies of bacteria may be either ‘good’ bacteria or ‘bad’ for human beings. For purposes of food safety, what matters is the sheer quantity of colonies present in a one gram sample of milk. The less the better. The FOOD QUALITY SAMPLING RESULTS for milk from our herd show that the colony forming units range between 1,300 for the butter and up to 3,000 for other products. The fluid milk was 2,400. Thus, the tests from the BC Center for Disease Control show that our milk is well under the 10,000 cfu standard for pasteurized homogenized milk retailed in BC.

I still cannot find a reference to anyone becoming sick. Therefore a tie to the strain of bacteria found in the raw milk products is irrelevant at this point.

January 14, 2010: I have just received an email from a shareholder/worker of Home on the Range. Sui Ryu has started a blog about her insider experience with the raw milk issue in Chilliwack, BC. This issue is not only about having access to a nourishing traditional food such as raw milk. It is about the individual’s basic right to choose the source and type of food the individual considers healthy.

Updated January 21, 2010: Michael Schmidt, Raw Milk Activist, Acquitted!

Weston A Price Foundation Updates Website

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The Weston A Price Foundation website has been updated. This means many of the links on eatkamloops.org will not be working for a few days until I can reset all the links. I am sorry for any inconvenience this may cause. The new Weston A Price Foundation website can be found here.

Updated December 16, 2009: I have gone through eatkamloops.org and corrected most of the links. I could not find a few of the essays on the new WAPF website, which I hope to find over the next few days. The new WAPF website is extremely well organized. It is much easier to find information about a particular subject.

Kamloops Herdshare Program

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olivia-bull

We never got a herdshare program going in Kamloops but we still think co-ownership of a herd would be a wonderful way for a small community of people to get this nourishing traditional food. It's too bad our government officials don't think you having the right to contract with a farmer.

At the Weston A Price Foundation Kamloops Chapter potluck, we had a group discussion about starting a herdshare program in Kamloops. If you would like to receive further information about starting a local herdshare program please contact me at info@eatkamloops.org. I will put you on the email list for people wanting further up-dates. We need people willing to volunteer their expertise to get this project operational. Below is a summary of the conversation:

Basic Structure
We talked about basic structure of the herdshare and how the structure must protect the landowner, agister/milker and shareholders. This means there must not be any question of who owns the herd. The herd must be jointly owned by the herdshare members. All the benefits and risks are jointly accepted by the herdshare members.

The basic structure will have three contracts. One contract is for the landowner for rights to pasture and house the cows on a given acreage of land. This would include water use for pasturing, if required. The second contract goes to the agister/milker for daily milking and care of the cows. Both contracts could be with the same person or different people. The third contract would be for shareholders. This contract would outline the member’s responsibility to pay a share price to become a member. The share price would be used for the purchase of cows, equipment, and start-up costs. A second part of the contract would be a quarterly fee for the boarding of the cows. This cost would be based on the pasture lease fee, hay, milking and processing. This cost could be increased if something unexpected occurred.

The Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund has sample contracts so we do not have to start from nothing. We have copies of Wild Thing Organics cowshare contracts and l may be able to get contracts from Home on the Range and Birdsong Farm Herdshare. We need a lawyer to look at the sample contracts and write something up for the Kamloops Herdshare Program. This can be done later if we decide to move forward with the herdshare.

Amounts of Milk
Young cows produce less milk than older cows. A cow normally goes into peak production after about three pregnancies. Cows also go through a seasonal cycle of production. Management of the cow/calf relationship also affects dairy production. We can get more milk out of the cows by milking twice a day. This happens 12 hours apart, but we must have staffing for two milkings a day. This is a very hard split shift and makes people not want to continue the work. The agister/milker needs to be well paid and have holiday relief or we will lose our agister/milker.

A young cow will produce about 3 gallons a day and a cow in peak production will produce 6 gallons a day. If we use the lower numbers for a younger herd, we are talking about 21 gallons a week per cow or 63 gallons for three cows. How many families this can service depends on individual family use. A family would buy one or more shares depending on their personal needs.

Costs
We talked about costs. From my experience with our cow Patty, milk costs over $10 per gallon to produce. This includes the cream, which is a very valuable product which can be made into raw butter or consumed fresh. This is a very specialized product and it will cost more than store bought milk. Becoming cost effective should be a goal of the herdshare.

The quarterly costs of boarding the cows will involve the lease payment for pasturing and housing. The biggest cost will be for the contract to hire the agister/milker. To milk and process the milk of three cows, would require about 2 hours of work, twice a day, seven days a week.

Holiday Relief
One of the biggest problems of dairy production is the farmer becomes married to the cows. The easiest way to solve this problem is to not milk all year round. This means not having a fresh milk supply for a number of months each year. During peak summer and fall production, individuals who want milk all year round can freeze milk for the winter. The Weston A Price Foundation recommends seasonal milk for a number of health reasons. Milk produced from cows on fresh pasture is of the highest quality. Milk from cows fed hay is of poorer quality. It is better for the cows not to be milked in later pregnancy. The cows have healthier calves and the cows will live longer.

Sources for Jersey Cows
We had a brief conversation about cows and equipment. I told the group that we have a great resource with my contacts with Home on the Range (Alice) and Birdsong Farm Herdshare (Naomi). Naomi Fournier has given me a list of six local breeders for Jersey cows:
1.? Joni DeWitt (250)836-4206
2.? Jake Konrad, (250) 546-6069
3.? Don Hendrickson (250) 838-7942
4.? Thys Haambuckers (250) 546-0346
5.? Jennifer Pretty (250) 838-0556

I have talked to the first two people on the list and both have cows for sale. Jake Konrad gave a $750 price for a pure bred Jersey cow. Assuming these are quality cows, this would mean the base cost for the herd would be $2250.

Herdshare Equipment for Milking and Processing
If we have more than three cows, hand milking is not practical. We will need milking equipment and a filterer. Equipment is expensive but we could buy it used. It would be best to have a dishwasher and refrigerator for the milk. Most herdshares use reusable 1L wide mouth Mason jars with plastic caps. This can create a return problem but glass is best for milk. Yoghurt can be simply made by putting the jars of milk and culture into a cooler with warm water for the night. If we wanted to make raw butter as a group, we would have to look at industrial kitchen equipment to do this job efficiently. Otherwise, individuals can make raw butter at home. My guess is we would need about $2500 to cover used equipment costs.

Growing the Herd
The cows will need to be artificially inseminated once a year. We do not want the cost or risk of having a Jersey bull around. We have a 50/50 chance to get a female calf which can be added to the herd. She can be breed after 16 months. The males become grassfed veal. The products from the veal calves are to be split between herdshare members. The females are added to the value of the herdshare and will require some sort of “share split” for the increase of the value to individual shares. A link to a local company that does artificial insemination is Westgen.

CFAI Funding from Interior Health
Interior Health is funding Community Food Action Initiatives. I talked to Casey Hamilton and she said there might be funding for starting a herdshare program. She was very excited about the program and suggested we apply.

Call to Action
1. We need a core group committed to the Kamloops Herdshare Program. That group would do a fair amount of research without compensation. Anyone interested in volunteering their time and expertise is needed.
2. It would be good to have a herdshare member that is a lawyer and one member that is an accountant or bookkeeper. If anyone knows someone with these skills who would want to be a member please contact me at info(a)eatkamloops.org.
3. Christine Rougeau will write a grant application for CFAI funding. Regardless of if we get government funding, we should be willing to fund the herdshare ourselves.
4. Does anyone have the expertise to pick a quality Jersey cow? Krystal Williams is a 4-H leader and will try to find people with dairy cow expertise. Chris Harder has volunteered to check out the Jersey breeders in the area and learn more about cows.
5. I will try to get sample contracts from all my sources. I will try to get more details about costs from other herdshare programs.
6. Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF) has courses on starting herdshare programs. I will look into this option.
7. We will be needing to find used milking equipment. If someone knows about dairying equipment and would be willing to help, it would be greatly appreciated.
8. We are looking for farmers or ranchers willing to take a contract for pasturing and housing our herd. We are looking for a person willing to be under contract as our agister/milker.

Updated November 17, 2009: This is an article I found on the Weston A Price Foundation Leaders Bulletin Board called The Raw Milk Revolution. Another link is to an article in The New York Times called Raw Milk Sales Could Reinvigorate US Dairy Farms. Please note the referral to the Canada listeriosis outbreak. The article is not talking about Maple Leaf Foods and how their processed meats sickened thousands and twenty people died. For more information about this issue read Slaughtering in BC: Information You Need to Know. This is a typical spin done in mainstream media about the dangers of raw milk. We don’t see people outlawing processed meats, do we.

Updated December 2, 2009: I found a source for Portable Milking Machines. Local used equipment would be cheaper. I hope everyone is on the look-out for used equipment.

Updated December 3, 2009: I have just applied for a four part seminar on Herdshare Formation put on by the Farm to Consumer Foundation.

Updated December 11, 2009: Naomi Fournier of Birdsong Farm found this essay on herdshare formation called Don’t Let Your Herd Share Agreement Land You In Court.

Updated December 19, 2009: I got an email from Interior Health about the grant application for the Community Food Action Initiatives (CFAI). Interior Health has decided not to fund the Kamloops Herdshare Program.

Updated January 21, 2010: Michael Schmidt, Raw Milk Activist, Acquitted!

Updated February 23, 2010: I have not been able to find an agister/milker. I have found some possible locations for pasture. Choice of location for pasture is tied to the location of the agister/milker. I have shelved the project for this coming spring.

Updated May 1, 2010: Here is Mark McAfee of Organic Pastures talking with Dr. Joseph Mercola about raw milk standards and testing. Here is the link to the 20 Raw USA Standards he mentions in his discussion. He discusses why raw milk is healthy to drink. This is a line to the Organic Pastures website if you would like to read more about his dairy, which may be the largest raw milk dairy in the world.

Updated May 31, 2010: Here is a very interesting set of videos about running a raw milk dairy by Tim Wightman of Farm-To-Consumer Foundation call Chore Time I and II.

Eatkamloops.org is a Distributor for Green Pasture’s: Questions and Answers

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We are no longer bring Green Pastures products into Canada. Please order directly from Green Pastures.

green-pasture-cod-liver

Fermented cod liver oil liquid is just one of the products made by Green Pastures.

Fermented Skate Liver Oil

Green Pastures fermented skate liver oil.

1. What Green Pasture’s products does eatkamloops.org carry?

Eatkamloops.org offers a limited number of basic products from Green Pasture’s. If you are looking for other products, please order directly from Green Pasture’s. These are the products we carry:
Fermented Cod Liver Liver (FCLO) 237mL (unflavored liquid): $49.00 plus HST
Fermented Skate Liver Oil (FSLO) 237mL (spicy orange liquid): $49.00 plus HST
Organic Virgin Coconut Oil (CO) 3.8L: $79.00 (No shipping; pick-up in person only.)
High Vitamin Butter Oil (BO) 237mL (unflavored liquid): NOT AVAILABLE (See comments for why we cannot bring this product into Canada.)

High Vitamin Butter Oil

Green Pastures high-vitamin butter oil.

2. Where can I pick up my Green Pasture’s products?

Email us at info@eatkamloops.org to ensure the items you want are in stock. The office is open from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Saturday. Please bring cash, VISA, Mastercard or debit for pick-up orders. Here is how to find eatkamloops.org:
GO BOX Storage (Map to home of eatkamloops.org)
2853 Bowers Place, Kamloops, BC V1S 1W5

3. What happens if I cannot come to pick up the products in Kamloops? Will you ship the products to me?

To place an order we will need your full name, email address, mailing address, telephone number, and credit card information. Please list what you would like to order. We take payment by VISA or Mastercard for mail orders. Once we have your information we will send a invoice through GO BOX Storage. You can email your VISA and Mastercard information to store@goboxstorage.ca. We have a encrypted email system for your security or you can call the office at 250.374.4646. The cost for shipping and handling within BC is $17.00 for any two bottles of Green Pasture’s product. The package is sent by Canada Post Regular Parcel service. It will have insurance for the value of your shipment and will be delivered within three days.

4. What if I want to order more than two bottles or I don’t live in BC?

We need your postal code for a shipping quote. We will need to know all the items you want to ship because the cost is based on weight and size of package. Your price will include insurance to cover the value of your products.? Shipping is by Canada Post Regular Parcel service. These rates are subject to change. Contact us for the current rate. We only ship in Canada.

5. What types of payment do you take?

If you come for pick-up in Kamloops please bring cash, VISA, Mastercard or debt. If you are getting your order by mail we can take payment by VISA or Mastercard.

6. Do you offer the volume discounts as seen on the Green Pasture’s website?

We do not offer volume discounts. Please contact Green Pasture’s directly for volume discounts.

7. How do your prices compare to ordering directly from Green Pasture’s?

Our prices are in Canadian dollars and the Green Pasture’s prices are in US dollars. If you order from Green Pasture’s, you will be responsible for the cost of shipping and any customs fees. Eatkamloops.org covers the costs of bringing Green Pasture’s products into Canada. You will be responsible to cover the costs of shipping within Canada, if necessary.

8. Will you be bringing in other Green Pasture’s products in the future?

Eatkamloops.org only carry the basic product line of liquid FCLO, FSLO and BO. If you want specialty flavors, capsules or gels, please contact Green Pasture’s directly.

9. Can I flavor my unflavored fermented cod liver oil or high vitamin butter oil?

Yes, you can. Add one teaspoon of sea salt to the FCLO to give it a “salty cod” flavor. You could add essential oils, safe for internal consumption, to either the FCLO or the BO. To test it first, use a small amount of FCLO or BO with the essential oil to find a combination that you like.

10. I find the taste intense. What should I do?

Some people like the taste of fermented oils, but others find it unusual or unpleasant. Try chasing the product with water, raw milk, apple sauce, or a small amount of juice. Some mothers use a small amount of raw honey with their children. My children like sucking on a wedge of lemon or lime after consuming fermented oils.

11. How much FCLO or FSLO should I take daily? How many servings will I get with each bottle?

Dose is adjusted by age. Children 3 months to 12 years need 1/2tsp (2.5mL) per day. This is 95 servings per bottle. Children over 12 years and adults need 1tsp (5.0mL) per day. This is 47 servings per bottle. Pregnant and nursing women need 2tsp (10mL) per day. This is 24 servings per bottle. Please go to Cod Liver Oil Basics for further information.

12. How much BO should I take each day?

Use the same amount of BO as FCLO or FSLO for your age.

Update November 11, 2009: For more information about why eatkamloops.org is carrying Green Pasture’s products read Eatkamloops.org is Now a Distributor for Green Pasture’s Products.

Updated October 13, 2012: Here is a essay by David Wetzel the owner of Green Pastures Products: Update of Cod Liver Oil Manufacture.

The Garden of Fertility

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fertility-chart

This is part of a fertility chart you can download for free from Katie Singer's website.

The Garden of Fertility by Katie Singer is a guide to help a woman chart her monthly fertility using basal body temperature, changes in vaginal secretions, and cervical texture. This book will help a woman and her partner to avoid pregnancy without the use of dangerous endocrine disrupting hormone treatments. This book will help with strategies for the couple having problems conceiving a child, a situation becoming more and more common.

For the older and younger woman alike, fertility awareness will help with assessing endocrine health. Fertility awareness will give the woman early warning of hyperthyroid or hypothyroid problems, low progesterone levels, risk of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and miscarriage. Charting gives a method to assess if changes in diet and lifestyle are successful in reversing a problem. The Garden of Fertility has a whole section on how to improve gynecological health with night-lighting techniques and nourishing traditional foods. For more information about pre-conception diet please read: Thinking about Motherhood.

The Garden of Fertility is a book I wish had been available when I was a young woman. I have found this book so useful, I will teach the method to my daughters when they reach sexual maturity. Early training in charting gives a young woman a better understanding of her changing body. Charting gives the young woman safer choices regarding methods of birth control. It is my hope that an early understanding of how their bodies work will last a lifetime.

It happened so that our family faced the problem of infertility. After many unsuccessful attempts to get pregnant, doctors diagnosed me with polycystic disease. We spent a lot of effort and money on the treatment of polycystic disease. We tried a lot of pills, folk methods of treatment, various collections of herbs that normalize the cycle. As a result, the doctor recommended trying the drug Clomid about which I learned from My Fertility Choices reviews.

Katie Singer’s has written two books called The Garden of Fertility and Honoring Your Cycles: A Natural Family Planning Workbook. Both books are available at the Kamloops Public Library. Katie Singer maintains a website where you can download fertility awareness charts at: gardenoffertility.com.

Updated August 5, 2010: If you are having trouble conceiving Dr Andrea Hansen specializes in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture. She teaches Natural Fertility Awareness Method. For more information:
130-546 St Paul St, Kamloops, BC V2C 5T1
T: 250.682.7289
E: dr.andreahansen(a)gmail.com

Updated February 25, 2011: Here is a very interesting article called How “The Pill” Can Harm Your Future Child’s Health.

Updated February 26, 2011: Here is a podcast by CBC Ideas on How to Think About Science with Dr Ruth Hubbard. The podcast covers a variety of topics including reproductive technologies, recombinant DNA and probability testing.