October 23, 2009
· Filed under General
Dear Ohio Friends of Snowville Creamery,
Please vote on Tuesday, November 3 to make your voice heard on Issue 2. You can vote earlier by going to your board of elections and voting “absentee” in-person or by mail. To see if you are registered to vote or for more information visit: http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/AvoidLine.aspx
I believe that the principles of democracy imply that citizen consumers have a right and even a responsibility to know and influence how their food is produced, processed, labeled, inspected, regulated, and subsidized. I see a “yes” vote on Issue 2 as relinquishing that right and abdicating that responsibility. It is on this basis that I will work to defeat Issue 2.
I strongly believe in free and open markets, and consumer choice. I believe this is sufficient to guide our agriculture and its production methods. My own experience with government intervention and standards as well as political appointees not responsible to the electorate, is that they are promptly swayed and influenced by powerful corporate forces. Those forces tend to control the market place and limit consumer choices. This is fundamentally undemocratic.
I have been conflicted about Snowville Creamery taking a stand on Issue 2. I do not believe in restricting farmers’ choice to confine dairy cows. That should be their choice in practicing the dairy model they prefer. I do believe in consumer’s right to choose to purchase their food based on the production method(s) used by farmers.
Rather than establish the Livestock Care Standards Board proposed in Issue 2, I believe having real truth in labeling that would permit consumer to differentiate how their food is produced and processed. This is a better way to make the livestock production methods transparent to consumers while giving them clear choices.
I am concerned the Board would further agribusiness policy, without public discussion or recourse. For instance, I expect the Board would have the authority and inclination to require statewide implementation of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) which small farmers generally abhor.
Having seen a photo in the Farm Bureau’s Our Ohio magazine of a Holstein cow with a sign around its neck saying “I live in a comfortable, well-ventilated barn which protects me from weather and disease,” I wonder if Snowville Creamery is being criticized for promoting farm fresh milk from outdoor pasture-grazing cows “exposed to weather and disease”. Perhaps the Issue 2 Livestock Care Standards Board would require us to confine our cows?
We at Snowville Creamery believe that a “no” vote on Issue 2 will allow Ohio citizens to maintain their right to choose how their food is produced.
Respectfully,
Warren Taylor
Please visit the following websites for more information in opposition to issue 2:
Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association (OEFFA) www.oeffa.org
Ohio Environmental Council (OEC) www.theoec.org
OHIOact No on 2 www.ohioact.org
The following websites offer information in support of issue 2
Ohio Farm Bureau: www.ofbf.org
Ohioans for Livestock Care: www.safelocalohiofood.org
September 11, 2009
· Filed under General
September 2, 2009
· Filed under FMMOS, General
Dear Milk Lovers—
Thank you for your continuing support of Snowville Creamery fresh, local minimally-processed milk from pasture grazed cows. It has been a busy summer—spreading the good news of farm fresh milk is no small task! We thank you for investing your time and energies to promote “milk the way it used to be.”
Our efforts together have raised sales of Snowville Creamery milk to double last summer’s. Unfortunately, we are still not quite profitable. As a small, new start-up business, we have had to make the difficult choice to cut costs by no longer delivering some smaller outlets.
Delivery costs have been very high as we have tried to make our good milk available to all. Realizing that a third of our deliveries supported only 10% of sales, we have discontinued delivery to some lower selling stores and may need to discontinue a few more. Profitability was pushed further away when we surpassed the 150,000 lbs/milk per month FMMOS Exempt Plant Limit in July. (For more information click here.) We must now pay thousands per month to subsidize our competitors.
Snowville Creamery’s fresh milk standards involve putting a 14 day use-by date on the cartons and taking back from stores unsold milk with less than 5 days left. We are pleased to donate this returned (still usable) milk to non-profits and food banks. What is discouraging is the fact that the quantity of milk we donated to food banks in July is the amount that caused our distribution totals to be above the exempt plant limit. NOTE: If we had dumped the returned milk rather than give it to food banks, we would still be below the Exempt Plant Limit for July. These USDA rules need to change!
We are sorry if you cannot find Snowville Creamery milk at your local store, particularly those in Lancaster who are the furthest from other Snowville retailers. Please don’t be hard on the folks at the stores we no longer serve. It’s not their fault. We look forward to returning to those stores and serving more locations once we have grown to be a sustainable, profitable business.
Warren Taylor, Dairy Evangelist
August 21, 2009
· Filed under FMMOS
August 21, 2009
Independent Farmers Feel Squeezed By Milk Cartel
“On Thursday’s All Things Considered, John Burnett reports on a dairy farming crisis. With the price of raw milk at historic lows, farms are going under across the country. Many blame two dairy giants they say are trying to monopolize the industry, to the detriment of independent farmers and consumers.”
Click here to hear this NPR segment.
* Help us get our message heard! Read and recommend Warren’s comment.
Also of interest:
August 20, 2009’s Morning Edition’s
August 20, 2009
· Filed under FMMOS
News regarding FMMOS exempt plant limit coming soon.
