Author: Vanessa Fultz, Democrat Reporter
Publication Date: 2005-12-09
Local farmers are going to Representative Dwight Stansel to try to amend regulations for selling raw cow’s milk. Stansel is holding a public meeting on the issue Dec. 12 at 10:30 a.m. at Live Oak City Hall.
Owner of Full Circle Farms Dennis Stoltzfoos said dairy inspectors from each state held a national conference call about eight months ago expressing concerns about the selling of raw milk, and since then many inspectors have taken action against small farmers.
The Department of Agriculture holds to USDA and FDA regulations, saying the consumption of raw milk can transmit bacteria that can be dangerous or even fatal. The Department claims the consumption of raw milk can result in listeria, E. coli, salmonella and campylobacter pathogens, resulting in the risks of gastrointestinal illnesses.Continue Reading Local farmers to meet about raw milk regulations

By NATHAN CRABBE
Gainesville Sun staff writer
December 03. 2005
LIVE OAK – Aase Duerkes said she couldn’t get out of bed some mornings before she started drinking raw milk.
The 59-year-old Leesburg resident credits a diet of unpasteurized milk and other unprocessed foods for curing the fibromyalgia that caused her entire left side to ache. She makes a nearly three-hour trek here to buy such products, undaunted by the state’s declaration that raw milk should only be given to pets.
“I feel tons better,” she said.
She’s part of a growing movement that says pasteurization and other processing saps milk of taste and nutrition. But state regulators say unpasteurized milk threatens the health of consumers and have taken action against Live Oak farmer Dennis Stoltzfoos for touting its health benefits while selling it.
“People can be and have been sickened by raw milk,” said Terry McElroy, spokesman for the Florida Department of Agriculture of Consumer Services. “It harbors a significant volume of dangerous bacteria.”Continue Reading State finds claims of raw milk’s benefits hard to swallow

Raw milk providers who sell shares in cow don’t see themselves in the retail business
By RACHEL LA CORTE
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
VASHON ISLAND — Kelsey Kozack’s kitchen is a dairy wonderland. Fresh cheeses, yogurt and quarts of fresh raw milk abound, all compliments of Iris, a gentle, tan cow that grazes on the family’s seven-acre property.
Just 16, Kelsey has established and runs Fort Bantam Creamery from her family home on Vashon.
At first, Kelsey’s parents and sister were the main consumers of her culinary creations from Iris’ raw, unpasteurized milk. Then, neighbors got samples, and from there a small but passionate business began. Raw milk aficionados bought a “share” of Iris for a fee, and Kelsey handled the care, feeding and milking for them.
“After you’ve been drinking raw milk for a while, you can’t drink store-bought again,” she said. “It has a lot more flavor and is healthier.”Continue Reading Tiny dairies run afoul of state regulators