AK Root Cellar : Hello local food lovers

Hello local food lovers

Posted by farmfresh

Posted: February 12, 2008 - 6:04 pm

I am so glad to see that many of you have logged on and are sharing information about local foods. This is what we were hoping would happen.

The lag time from my last post is because I was away all last week in Taos, at a Tribal Food Sovereignty workshop and did not have access to the internet. I was among 30 other local and traditional food activists who are all working on food security issues in their regions. The three days were filled with great conversations about bioregional foods and how to ensure that the folks who live in specific regions of the country have access to their traditional foods first, before the foods are shipped out to specialty markets around the globe. An Alaska example would be like having wild Alaska salmon and king crab for sale in Georgia, at lower prices than we can get here. But more on this topic in a few days….let's talk about local milk.

Got local milk?

Right now the Alaska Legislature is discussing a bill to legalize the sale of raw milk in Alaska. This is an opportunity to participate in our governmental process…. To pass the bill local regional representatives need to hear that “we support the legalization of raw milk and that we want the opportunity to buy local milk, directly from local farmers.”

To me our food system is so broken the only way to ensure that Alaskans will have something to eat if the trucks ever stop running is to fight like heck right now for access to what is produced locally. For generations people have been enjoying raw milk, cream, butter and cheese processed the traditional way. When our food system was taken over by agri-business and small family farms turned mega, this all changed. Right now, we have an opportunity to participate in restoring a traditional food, raw milk, for our benefit.

What kind of food system do we want for Alaska? One that ensures equal access to locally produced foods, year-round, for all residents, right? Legalizing raw milk will be a step in the right direction and will give dairy farms another market to sell to (at this time they are just dumping their milk in their pastures, until the new creamery is opened). The “Raw Milk” Bill will soon be discussed on the floor and Representative Mark Newman of Wasilla is looking for Anchorage and Valley residents to call in and testify in support. Anchorage is the largest consumer group and has the most voting power, so it’s important, if you support the bill, that you all call or e-mail soon. Here is the link to find out who represents your district and it gives an e-mail address. Please tell them too that you support the bill. FYI raw milk is legal in 25 other states.

If you would like more information about raw milk there will be a class held in Palmer with Stella Lyn, local herbalist and the chapter leader of the Weston A. Price Foundation in Palmer. Her email address is artemis@mtaonline.net.

artemis@mtaonline.net and her phone number is 907-746-1353 if you want more information about the class. Stella can also provide you with other resources about the benefits of raw milk if you need them to help make your decision. Here is a quote from Stella “If we can legally sell cigarettes and alcohol, why not the most basic food on our planet?!” what else needs to be said.

Chew happily and wisely (32 times)

Kim

AK Root Cellar

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