Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Gwen Giffen" <ggiffen@1st.net>]

Yesterday, 5/10/06, there was a hearing in Columbus for House Bill 534 in
the Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee. This bill is written to
legalize the sale of raw milk in Ohio. Details of it can be found at:

http://www.wantmilk.org/forum/index.php

Several entities are supporting this bill, including to my understanding,
possibly the Ohio Farm Bureau. So it actually has a chance of passing. My
understanding is that the hearing went well, and more support showed up than
was expected. Phone trees and other communication means are being
established right now for such timely support in the future, to get this
bill passed into Ohio Law.

In recent years, the ODA (Ohio Dept. of Agriculture) has been cracking down 
on the sales of raw milk. They have entrapped and shut down several grade A 
and B dairies; they have put animal share milk co-ops (where several people 
own an animal) out of business; and recently they revoked all of the pet 
milk licenses currently held in Ohio. Many of us want to reverse the ODA's 
trends. If you know anyone in Ohio who might be interested in supporting 
this bill being passed into law, please give them the wantmilk.org website. 
Tell them to include the extra 4 digits in the zip code so the organization 
has their voting district when they register on the website.

Thanks!

Gwen