Turn Pro with Tim Wightman

This comes to us from the Oregon Raw Milk Producers Association.  They may already be full, but contact Charlotte if you want more info:

Hi!!

This is just a quick reminder that Tim Wightman is headed out here the weekend of September 7th and 8th..

Same seminar each day, so you only need to attend one.

Also – please forward this to anyone you think might be interested – consumer, producer, or someone who wants to get a cow in the future.

Registration is limited to the first 25 to sign up.  Click on this link to register: http://www.rawmilkpro.com/products-page

After clicking on the link above, select either date and click on “Add to Cart” then check out.  Be sure to add dinner if you want to participate in the open forum.

Tim Wightman Seminar

9/7 at Deck Family Farms $55 – 10AM-3PM

9/8 at Champoeg Creamery $55 – 10AM-3PM

Each event followed by a Master Mind Q and A dinner with Tim, $25

Space is limited to the first 25 people to sign up at each event to maximize learning.

  • First 1.5 hours will be reviewing proper milking and cleaning procedures and equipment

Even if you attended the March session at Champoeg Creamery you will still learn from this review.  I have heard from many of you (and me) since then clarifying and trying to remember what Tim presented.  Studies show we need to hear things as many as 5-7 times for it to sink in, this review will be well worth your time.  I know I am still learning MANY new things at each event!

We will discuss how to prepare your dairy animals to transition to winter feed and manage your pastures through the winter and how to properly prepare them for next spring.  Walk the pastures with Tim explaining the various grasses and heights and nutritional values as the season changes

  • Discussion of fertilizers and soil amendments for animal health and quality milk.
  • If anyone wants to conduct a forage and soil test and bring your results, Tim will analyze them with the group.
  •  Learn the proper nutrition and minerals for your cows and goats.
  • Understand what a standard plate count & coliform count is, where to collect them and how to read them.
  • Your questions and concerns as the discussion develops.

Time: 10 AM-3 PM Bring Your Lunch

Mastermind Q&A dinner with Tim $25 4-6 PM after each event.

I’m looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new producers! We always learn tons from each other!!

xx

Charlotte

Charlotte Smith
President

Oregon Raw Milk Producers Association (ORMPA)

7798 Champoeg Rd NE
St. Paul, OR 97137
503-860-6286

www.champoegcreamery.com

Raw Milk A Low-Risk Food

This comes to us from The Weston A. Price Foundation:

Dear Members:

We are delighted to share the new science on raw milk safety outlined in the press release below. Please send to your local media and share with your email lists.

Thank you!

Sally

Sally Fallon Morell, President
The Weston A. Price Foundation

New Studies Confirm: Raw Milk A Low-Risk Food

See: http://www.westonaprice.org/press/new-studies-confirm-raw-milk-a-low-risk-food

(WASHINGTON, DC, June 11, 2013)-Three quantitative microbial risk assessments (QMRAs) recently published in the Journal of Food Protection have demonstrated that unpasteurized milk is a low-risk food, contrary to previous, inappropriately-evidenced claims suggesting a high-risk profile. These scholarly papers, along with dozens of others, were reviewed on May 16, 2013 at the Centre for Disease Control in Vancouver, BC (Canada), during a special scientific Grand Rounds presentation entitled “Unpasteurized milk: myths and evidence.”

The reviewer, Nadine Ijaz, MSc, demonstrated how inappropriate evidence has long been mistakenly used to affirm the “myth” that raw milk is a high-risk food, as it was in the 1930s. Today, green leafy vegetables are the most frequent cause of food-borne illness in the United States. British Columbia CDC’s Medical Director of Environmental Health Services, Dr. Tom Kosatsky, who is also Scientific Director of Canada’s National Collaborating Centre for Environmental Health, welcomed Ms. Ijaz’s invited presentation as “up-to-date” and “a very good example of knowledge synthesis and risk communication.”

Quantitative microbial risk assessment is considered the gold-standard in food safety evidence, a standard recommended by the United Nations body Codex Alimentarius, and affirmed as an important evidencing tool by both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada. The scientific papers cited at the BC Centre for Disease Control presentation demonstrated a low risk of illness from unpasteurized milk consumption for each of the pathogens Campylobacter, Shiga-toxin inducing E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus. This low risk profile applied to healthy adults as well as members of immunologically-susceptible groups: pregnant women, children and the elderly.

Given that these QMRAs appear to contradict a long-held scientific view that raw milk is a high-risk food, Ms. Ijaz noted (in line with United Nations standards) that it is important to confirm their accuracy using food-borne outbreak data . The accuracy of recent QMRA findings was scientifically demonstrated using a combination of peer-reviewed data and Ijaz’s own recent scholarly working paper, which analysed U.S. outbreak data for raw milk using accepted methodologies.

Peer-reviewed outbreak data confirming a negligible risk of illness from Listeria monocytogenes in raw milk was particularly notable, and demonstrates the inaccuracy of a high-risk designation given to raw milk in an older U.S. government risk assessment for Listeria. The forty-year worldwide absence of listeriosis cases from raw milk presented in a 2013 scholarly review, and affirmed in the QMRA results published in 2011, is attributed by European reviewers to the protective action of non-harmful bacteria found in raw milk.

“While it is clear that there remains some appreciable risk of food-borne illness from raw milk consumption, public health bodies should now update their policies and informational materials to reflect the most high-quality evidence, which characterizes this risk as low,” said Ijaz. “Raw milk producers should continue to use rigorous management practices to minimize any possible remaining risk.”

Ms. Ijaz used extensive high-quality evidence to further deconstruct various scientific myths from both raw milk advocates and detractors. As Ijaz pointed out, increasing evidence of raw farm milk’s unique health benefits to young children, as well as the possible detriments of industrial milk production practices, will need to be carefully considered in future risk analyses. She recommended an honest, evidence-informed dialogue on raw milk issues between producers, consumers, advocates, legislators and public health officials.

“The BC CDC should be commended for recognizing this important research on raw milk safety,” said Sally Fallon Morell, president of the Weston A. Price Foundation, a non-profit nutrition education foundation that provides information on the health benefits of raw, whole milk from pastured cows. “I look forward to productive discussion with the US CDC and Food and Drug Administration in light of this new scientific evidence.”

Contact: Liz Reitzig, Hartke Communications
Lizreitzig@gmail.com 301-807-5063
References and interviews available upon request.

To view the May 16, 2013 Grand Rounds presentation from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, visit: http://www.bccdc.ca/util/about/UBCCDC/GrandRounds/default.htm

Direct presentation link: http://phsa.mediasite.com/mediasite/Play/b54b4be24bab4f4581ef0fdd8023d38d1d

March 17: Tim Wightman Seminar

This is not a Eugene Chapter event, but we post the information here as a service to our local members.  For additional information, please contact Charlotte Smith.

Recommended by the Eugene Chapter Leader:
“I have heard Tim Wightman speak several times at Wise Traditions Conferences, and I went to one of these trainings last November. I can say that it is a wonderful opportunity to go listen to such an experienced dairy person. I highly recommend it to farmers, and I recommend it to consumers so that you know what to look for in your milk producer.  Tim Wightman covers the practical aspects of what it takes to make healthy, delicious, nutrient-dense milk.  Healthy cows don’t happen by accident, and just because milk is “raw” doesn’t mean that it is full of all the nutrients that could be available to us.  Please urge your farmer to attend!”

Scholarships:
In order to support our local raw milk producers attending this event, the Eugene Chapter is offering scholarships. Please contact us (email Lisa at: info@krautpounder.com) if you are interested in attending but cannot afford the (very reasonable) cost.

Tim Wightman Seminar
Sunday, March 17th, 2013, 10 AM – 3 PM
$35/person & $10/12-17 yrs.
Checks payable to ORMPA

The training will include all of the following:

  • Introduction of ORMPA’s common standards, phase 1, and detailed explanation of how to meet those standards to be assured you are properly producing safe/healthy raw milk.
  • Understanding what the milk quality tests are that are recommended by ORMPA including
    1. how to properly handle a milk sample for the test
    2. Understand what a standard plate count & coliform count is and how to read it
  • Tim will give a detailed demonstration on a cow about how to properly prep a cow and udder for milking, then post milking care
  • Learn how to prepare the equipment for milking
  • See how to properly clean and sanitize the milking equipment post-milking including the proper solutions for cleaning/sanitizing
  • Hear how to deal with a chronically messy cow
  • Gain more knowledge on animal behavior so we understand and can predict their actions and be better prepared
  • Learn how to best handle milking during our rainy, muddy winters/springs in Oregon
  • Tim will instruct on how to best transition the cow back onto pasture in early spring
  • And of course, answer the myriad questions that arise
  • This training is appropriate for all cow/goat producers currently milking or thinking about getting into raw milk production either to sell or just to supply your own family

These trainings have been popular and well attended and the feedback afterwards on advancements made is wonderful to hear!!

Please send payment by March 9th so we have an idea of attendance – we have space for about 40 max. Hope to see you March 17th!

Charlotte Smith
President

Oregon Raw Milk Producers Association (ORMPA)

7798 Champoeg Rd NE
St. Paul, OR 97137
503-860-6286

www.champoegcreamery.com

For more information see: http://www.champoegcreamery.com/p/oregon-raw-milk-producers.html

Raw Milk Seminar – Nov 19

I had the opportunity to meet and have lunch with Charlotte Smith, the organizer of this event, at the Wise Traditions Conference last week.  She also spoke at the Chapter Leaders meeting, addressing the reasons for her creating the Oregon Raw Milk Producers Association.  It was very moving and inspiring.  I would like to encourage everyone to attend one of these events.

The Oregon Raw Milk Producers Association and the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund are presenting two seminars on raw milk in Oregon, one right here locally in Junction City!

The Principles of Raw Milk Production FARM WALK

Saturday, November 17; 10am-4:30pm
CHAMPOEG CREAMERY
7798 Champoeg Road NE, St. Paul, OR 97137

Monday, November 19; 10am-4:30pm
DECK FAMILY FARM
25362 High Pass Road, Junction City, OR 97448

For more info on both events, contact Charlotte Smith: champoegcreamery@gmail.com • (503) 860-6286

Download the flier: Champoeg flyer(3)
(right click and “save as”)

Please print this flier and take it to your farmers!
The Eugene Chapter would like to offer sponsorship to farmers and others wishing to attend this seminar. Contact us for more information.

Wise Traditions Conference 2012 – Thursday

Wise Traditions Conference 2012:

Thursday:

Sally Fallon Morell at the Chapter Leader Meeting

Thursday morning the conference started with the Chapter Leader meeting. This had up until this year been held on the Monday following the conference, but they moved it this year.

The Chapter Leader’s meeting, where you might think we learn the secret handshakes and other mysterious stuff, was actually taken up with presentations of information for us to take back to our chapters.

Sally Fallon Morell:

Our first speaker was Sally Fallon Morell (president of the Weston A. Price Foundation and author of Nourishing Traditions). We learned that there are now 15,700 members in WAPF! There are 580 chapter leaders worldwide.  Ten percent of them are overseas with New Zealand having the highest number of members per capita of any country.  Sally keeps saying; This is truly an international organization now.

Pete Kennedy:

Our next presenter was Pete Kennedy, is a lawyer and president of the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund (http://www.farmtoconsumer.org/). The Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund was created by Weston Price people to “Protect the constitutional right of the nation’s family farms and artisan food producers to provide processed and unprocessed farm foods directly to consumers through any legal means.” (read the FTCLDF mission statement)

Pete spoke about membership in the FTCLDF. There are 4 membership categories:

  • Farmer – $125/yr
  • Consumer – $50/yr
  • Associates – $250/yr
  • Artisan Producers – $125/yr

The memberships include free legal advice, and the possibility of legal representation (see http://www.farmtoconsumer.org/benefits.html for more info). They provide a 24-hour 1-800 number for members to call in the case of situations such as the health department coming to your door. We highly recommend everyone join this organization.

Chapter Leader group photo

Pete also gave us updates on some recent cases they had taken on. You may have heard about one in particular that resulted in a statement by the FDA that made the rounds on the internet. The FDA went on record as saying that (in their opinion) we have no fundamental right to consume or feed our children the foods of our choice! (see more: http://farmtoconsumer.org/litigation-FDA-status.htm) Wow, and who gave them that power? I say its time to take that power back into our own hands.

Chapter Leader Photo:

Next we took a break for our Chapter Leader group photo.

Elisa vander-Hout-Schmidt:

Next we heard from Elisa vander-Hout-Schmidt, who is the wife of Michael Schmidt. Michael is a raw milk farmer in Canada where it is illegal to sell raw milk. Michael has gone to jail and on a hunger strike in order to forward the raw milk movement in Canada.

Gary Cox:

Gary Cox

What to do during a raid

Gary Cox from the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund gave a wonderful presentation on what you should do in case of a farm raid (We also had in the audience Victoria Bloch, a chapter leader from Los Angeles, who went to jail in the raid on Rawsome Foods. She said she was going to have a T-Shirt made that said “I’ve been strip-searched for Raw Milk!”)

None of us like to think of the possibility of a raid happening to our farmer, but the presentation was very good. I am going to try to get a hold of the PowerPoint to show locally. Contact me if you would like more info.

In case you can’t read the points on the What to do during a raid photo, they are (you can also click on any of the photos to view them larger):

  • Read the warrant
    • Specificity of places to be searched
    • Specificity of items to be seized
    • Demand copy of inventory
  • Notify all members
  • Bring Camera/video recorder / take notes
  • Follow course of inspection
  • Do not hinder, thwart, obstruct or delay the inspection
  • Do not make any statements

And of course, if you are a member in the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund, the very first thing to do is call the 1-800 hotline and get some legal advice! Gary talked about situations where the health inspector was in the process of telling the farmer to dump all their food in the trash, when the FTCLDF discovered that the warrant didn’t give them the right to do this at all.

Beef Stew, Herb Roasted Acorn Squash, Winter Greens with Shaved Fennel and Celeriac, Sauerkraut and Butter

Lunch:

Lunch was provided by New Trends Publishing (publishers of Nourishing Traditions and many other great books). We had the first of our wonderful meals at this conference.

We had Beef Stew, Herb Roasted Acorn Squash, Winter Greens with Shaved Fennel and Celeriac, Sauerkraut and Butter.  The Herb Roasted Acorn Squash was my favorite! Makes my mouth water just to think about it. For desert we had roasted bananas with coconut. It was way too sweet for my tastes, and I wished I’d finished with a second helping of the squash.

Charlotte Smith:

After lunch we had a presentation from Charlotte Smith of Champoeg Creamery (right here in Oregon!). Champoeg Creamery is the first farm to be certified by the Raw Milk Institute (RAWMI). The Raw Milk Institute was launched last year. Mark McAfee of Organic Pastures Dairy in California was one of the founders.

Charlotte Smith

She gave a touching account of the situation that lead to her creating the Oregon Raw Milk Producers Association. Charlotte told the story of a farm in her area that had a recent serious outbreak of disease. She had heard that this farm wasn’t clean. She felt so helpless to watch this terrible thing happen, and wanted to do something to prevent future outbreaks. So she got the idea of founding the Oregon Raw Milk Producers Association in order to provide safety, structure and education to raw milk in Oregon. Mark McAfee joined her on stage and she and Mark talked about their common goal of responsible and safe raw milk production. We saw photos of her farm, and heard about her experiences with becoming certified with RAWMI. I was very pleased to hear about the work that Charlotte is doing with raw milk producers. She is also the organizer of the Raw Milk Seminar in Junction City (at Deck Family Farm on November 19th).

Sara Pope:

Sarah Pope

Sara Pope is a chapter leader in Florida, and has contributed many videos on the Weston A. Price website. She talked about introducing raw milk to moms. She started off saying that she was from the South, and they have a saying:

“If Momma ain’t happy… Noooooooobody happy”

She said that the mommas she came into contact with are not happy. More moms are having to work outside the home, run single-family households, take care of their families, and their kids are getting more and more sick. The moms she sees have lost their fear of raw milk, and are desperate for anything that will help their children. She gave some strategies for introducing raw milk to moms. She said to talk one on one. Moms are getting more suspicious of “authorities” telling them what to do. Especially when so much of the info is in conflict with each other. Raw milk is helping children recover their health.

Judith McGeary:

Judith McGeary

Judith McGeary is a lawyer and organizer that has been instrumental in fighting back the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). She said that for a history of the farm bureau, etc. a great book was called “Dollar Harvest”. She also said that in the 2008 campaign Obama made a promise to label GMOs. She said there is a good YouTube video of this.

I found this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqaaB6NE1TI

We ended the Chapter Leaders meeting with a panel discussion. In years past we had breakout sessions, in which we meet in small groups around tables, and each table discusses a different subject. I was kind of disappointed not to have one this time.

Thai meal at restaurant in San Jose

After the day’s events my traveling companions and I drove into San Jose to find some dinner. We ate at a Thai restaurant. We had some roast duck, a chicken thing (that I can’t remember the name of), salad, and a couple of sauces. One side dish was a pineapple chutney-type sauce that we figured had traditionally been fermented. Jasmine rice was served in a cup made from a piece of real bamboo.

Wise Traditions Conference 2012:

Oregon Raw Milk Producers Association

This is  letter I received from a raw milk farmer in St. Paul, Oregon:

Hello Oregon WAPF Chapter Leaders –

I have founded the Oregon Raw Milk Producers Association, we are applying for non-profit status, and our main goal is to educate raw milk producers in the state of Oregon so we can insure safe raw milk for consumers.  Before this group there was no education or resources whatsoever.  We are offering quarterly educational seminars.

The reason I’m writing is this next seminar we are offering would be great for chapter leaders and all consumers of raw milk.  The presenter, Tim Wightman, wrote the Raw Milk Handbook that you may have seen before – both Weston A. Price and Farm To Consumer sell it and you can also download his “Chore Time” videos here.  He owned a raw milk dairy for 14 yrs. and is president of the Farm to Consumer Foundation.  You can read more about him and the topics for the day on the attached flyer.  The topics he covers – soil health, how to identify failing soil and what to do, herd health, proper milking practices and milk handling – and more – are all crucial to raw milk businesses as well as it’s great info for you chapter leaders to know in your quest and promotion of raw milk dairies.  Education of consumers will also help raise the bar for raw milk producer’s standards, as consumers will start to demand safer practices as they learn.

There is an attached flyer to give you more info.  Feel free to forward the flyer to lists you may have of interested parties.  Also, I do not know all the producers out there – if you know a producer, milk or goat, please encourage them to contact me to get on our mailing list for future educational opportunities.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Charlotte Smith

Champoeg Creamery
7798 Champoeg Rd NE
St. Paul, OR 97137

www.champoegcreamery.com
follow us on twitter: @champoegcreamry
Milking Video

I was very excited to read about the Oregon Raw Milk  Producers Association, and would like to encourage everyone on this list who eats to become members of both this group and the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund.

Information about the upcoming seminar is in the post: Raw Milk seminar in Junction City.


Raw Milk seminar in Junction City

This sounds like a great event!  The Oregon Raw Milk Producers Association and the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund are presenting two seminars on raw milk in Oregon, one right here locally in Junction City!

The Principles of Raw Milk Production FARM WALK

Saturday, November 17; 10am-4:30pm
CHAMPOEG CREAMERY
7798 Champoeg Road NE, St. Paul, OR 97137

Monday, November 19; 10am-4:30pm
DECK FAMILY FARM
25362 High Pass Road, Junction City, OR 97448

For more info on both events, contact Charlotte Smith: champoegcreamery@gmail.com • (503) 860-6286

Download the flier: Champoeg flyer(3)
(right click and “save as”)

Please print this flier and take it to your farmers!
 
The Eugene Chapter would like to offer sponsorship to farmers and others wishing to attend this seminar.  Contact us for more information.

Raw Milk in Victorian Times

This comes to us from a local Eugene Chapter member:

Dear Lisa,

I thought you might be interested in this illustration and passage from a book I have just finished reading, called The Victorian House, by Judith Flanders. It is amusing to read how differently raw milk was regarded by our ancestors 150 years ago! (I don’t know if you can see this, but in the background, just to the right of the tree, stands a mother and child, and behind them against the fence is a tethered cow ready for milking.)

Sara R.


Eight o'clock in St. James's Park, London, 1859


“Sometimes a milkman drove a cow through the suburbs, drawing milk at the door, right into the customers’ jug, to prove that no adulteration was taking place – although this did not prevent the less scrupulous dairymen from ensuring that their cows drank huge quantities of water before setting out. Until the 1880s there was a cow in St. James Park to supply milk on demand for nurses and children out for their daily walks.”

Article – Raw Milk Debate

A local Eugene Chapter member sent me this article about milk:

Hi Lisa,  Here is a good article on raw milk versus pasteurized. At the bottom of the article it tells you how to find raw milk and what questions to ask of the farmer.  Thought you might be interested.

http://www.oregonlive.com/mix/index.ssf/food-trends/the_raw_milk_debate_complicated_choices_and_rich_r.html

The Raw Milk Debate: Complicated Choices and Rich Rewards

This is not the conversation where we try to persuade you to drink more milk, nor are we telling you to avoid it at all costs. Enough people out there reduce this ancient food to either a shortcut to intestinal troubles or a jug of beneficial wonder-enzymes. The truth about milk is probably somewhere in between, and the real truth about milk is that it is one of many complicated food choices we face every day.

At the grocery store, there are more choices than ever before — organic, local, rBST-free, pasteurized, ultra-pasteurized, even lactose-free. Each of these comes with pluses and minuses. But there’s another choice out there, one you can’t get at grocery stores (at least not in this state), and the debates surrounding it are growing louder and, quite frankly, more confusing, every year. We’re talking about raw milk.

Next time you reach for a carton, picture this: a big, sterile facility with the constant hum of heated pipes carrying hundreds of gallons of milk from dozens of grain-fed herds to humongous vats. The milk gets superheated, separated and centrifuged. In a world that increasingly cares about the source of its food supply, a world where it’s becoming more and more common to buy meat and vegetables directly from the farmer, milk still resides in the industrialized shadows. Many say this is a necessary evil, since raw milk can carry bacteria that can cause food-borne illnesses, which are especially dangerous for those with compromised immune systems. But a growing contingent of people — millions in the United States alone — would argue the benefits far outweigh the risks. Taya Lindley, a licensed acupuncturist in Portland, is one of them. She researched different types of diets for her family and found herself leaning more toward small-scale, unprocessed foods. The switch to buying raw milk from grass-fed cows was a natural progression, she says, with the added bonus that her family would be getting “good fat, enzymes and proteins that aren’t in pasteurized milk from grain-fed cows.”

To the people who say there is too much risk involved, she insists that if you get milk from the best possible source, the risk is minimal. “At some point we have to base our food choices on instinct,” she says. “Yes. There is a small risk of contamination, but I make informed decisions about a lot of the things my family eats.”

Milk is rich in calcium, protein, vitamins, minerals and beneficial bacteria that produce important enzymes. Proponents of raw milk — like advocates of other raw foods — say the unheated stuff has more of these nutrients because they haven’t been destroyed or diminished in the heating process. They also say raw milk is easier to digest because the enzymes needed to digest lactose and casein haven’t been killed in the pasteurization process.

Also very important, say proponents, is that raw milk usually comes from cows that graze on grass, which gives the milk more omega-3s and three times the amount of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) than that from grain-fed animals. Early but promising evidence shows natural forms of CLA can reduce cancer risks.

There’s also a subjective side as to why raw milk has a growing fan base. First, there’s the taste. Many people seek out raw milk because it’s creamier, sweeter and has a better texture — especially milk from Jersey cows. It adds far more depth to cheese, yogurt and dairy-based desserts than traditional milk.

They also appreciate its tradition as a wholesome, unadulterated food humans have relied on since at least 6000 B.C., and it makes them feel connected to their local farmers.

“There is a lot of trust that goes on between you and the farmer,” says Tressa Yellig, chef and owner of Salt, Fire & Time in Northwest Portland. “Buying this milk puts us back in the food system by participating in the life cycle. You are actually connected to the food itself, where it comes from, how much goes into making it.”

Yellig has long been dedicated to whole, natural foods, opening her self-described “traditional foods general store” three years ago. She says if she were legally permitted, she would sell only raw milk. She has been drinking it for six years and says the benefits far outweigh the risks, which she says are minimal when the milk comes from healthy, well-managed cows.

Read the whole article >>>

Food Freedom and Jury Nullification

Do you know about “Jury Nullification”?

This is from the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund:

The Hershberger Trial and Jury Nullification
By Pete Kennedy, Esq. | February 24, 2012

Sometime later this year Loganville, Wisconsin dairy farmer Vernon Hershberger will be tried before a jury in Sauk County Circuit Court on four criminal misdemeanor counts accusing him of violating the state Food and Dairy Code. The case has drawn widespread attention in Wisconsin, with Hershberger’s supporters rallying to his cause.

A question that has been raised about the trial is: can the jury hearing the case legally engage in jury nullification and return a verdict of not guilty on the charges no matter what the facts and the law of the case are? The answer is yes.

Read more >