Rural Vt. Will Push To Legalize Raw Milk
Ice Cream Social
By Sara Nelson

One of Rural Vermont's summer ice cream socials was held last week at Lisa McCrory and Carl Russell's Earthwise Farm and Forest in Bethel.

The event, one of several scheduled at small farms across the state, was intended to connect farmers with consumers and highlight Rural Vermont's "Farm Fresh Milk" campaign, according to organizer Shelby Hammond.

The more than thirty people at Tuesday's event were treated to ice cream made from local raw milk, accompanied by berries and maple syrup donated by farmers. Between bites, attendees also learned about Rural Vermont's current initiatives, and heard Russell and McCrory discuss the philosophy behind their selfsufficient farm and forestry operation.

Russell said he had always been interested in conservation of the property, which has been in his family since the 1930s. Russell logs the land with the help of steers he has trained. He and McCrory also grow flowers and herbs, raise meat chickens and pigs, and have laying chickens and two milk cows.

Emphasizing the "intimacy" he fosters with the animals and the land, Russell read one of his own poems about the slaughter of a steer, entitled "Respect." He said that "relationships with the earth, animals, and the community" are the "first reward" of his work.

McCrory noted that she and Russell are in the process of building a storefront to sell their products, and that she's starting a chapter of the Weston Price Foundation, an organization that advocates nutrition based on traditional foods, including raw milk.

Hammond told the crowd that passing legislation to allow farmers to sell and advertise raw or "farm fresh" milk is one of Rural Vermont's priorities this year. The organization, sees unprocessed milk as a boon to rural economies, she said..

Rural Vermont is also working on a "farm fresh meat" campaign to allow small farmers to slaughter their own meat and sell directly to customers, as well as a campaign to legalize industrial hemp.

The organization was founded in 1985 by farmers who "realized that one reason farmers get squashed is because they're isolated," said Amy Shollenberger, Rural Vermont's director of 4 years. She said Rural Vermont's role is to "keep reminding people to work together, and think through policy."

More information can be found at Rural Vermont's website, www.ruralvermont.org.