Update 5/22/09

Greetings! What a historic day. The TN Cow-Share bill is now law. The governor signed the bill into law today and it is a done deal. What this means is not that raw milk sales are legal, but it does mean that cow-shares and boarding have been fully recognized and declared as now legal. Contract law and private property rights, as outlined in our constitution, will be upheld in our state. This law SOLIDIFIES the postition that it is perfectly legal for an owner or a PARTIAL owner to drink THEIR OWN cow’s milk. PARTIAL is a very key word in this bill. In fact, without this word, the bill would not be the same and would not carry the weight and strength that it does. Partial owners are cow (or any hoofed mammal) share owners and the bill states their legal position loud and clear. Now farmers can enter into share/boarding contracts free from worry that a government agency will tell them they cannot. This bill clears the way for them.

It is truly a great day.

Shawn Dady

Here is the actual wording of the bill below. I have highlighted the important part:

Here is a copy of an article from the local newspaper, The Tennessean.

Proposal Approving Owners’ Use of Raw Milk Now Law

May 22, 2009 17:16 EDT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A proposal that supports owners’ use of raw milk for personal consumption in Tennessee is now law.

The measure was signed by Gov. Phil Bredesen on Thursday and takes effect immediately.

State agriculture officials say it was already legal for owners to drink milk from their animals, but the issue has been with purchasing it.

Supporters say the law allows people who want to drink raw milk to legally buy it from the animal’s owner by purchasing a share of the animal.

The bill was sponsored by Rep. Frank Niceley of Strawberry Plains and Sen. Mike Faulk of Kingsport. Both are Republicans.

Update 4/30/09

Hey everyone. More great news. The cow share bill has passed in the full state HOUSE. This is amazing. Let’s keep praying. It has still got a ways to go. Will keep you informed.

Update 4/24/09

Hi friends. As you may or may not know, state Representative Frank Nicely has been quietly working on a Cow-Share bill for the state of TN. This is a very good thing. He crafted the bill working with the Weston Price Foundation and the attorneys at the Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund. The bill is modeled after the cow-share bill that passed in the state of Colorado, the only other state in the union where cow-shares have actually been passed into law. The bill is very much based on farmer freedom, and he has made a point to make it not limiting. Although the concept of farmers and consumers using cow shares to sell/obtain raw milk are already legal in the United States because of contract law and our Constitution, basically what this bill would do is reiterate that these kinds of contracts are 100% legal in TN. It would declare them legal instead of letting the question hang out there, waiting for someone to challenge a farmer in court when they set one up.

Well, I have some GREAT news to report. Rep. Nicely emailed me this morning and told me that the TN Cow Share bill passed unanimously out of the house Ag. Committee. This is a HUGE step. Now it goes to the Calendar and Rules Committee. After that it goes to the Senate Ag. Committee, the Senate Calendar and Rules Committee, then to the Full House Floor, then to the Senate Floor, then to the governor. I hope I am right on that progression. But the point is that Rep. Nicely feels pretty good about it that it will PASS and become law!

I cannot tell you what a momentous day this is for the raw milk movement in TN. It is historic.

Rep. Nicely has asked that we not lobby, but that we pray. If you are a praying person, please pray. This is an amazing time.
I will keep everyone updated as things progress,
Shawn Dady
www.tennesseansforrawmilk.com

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Rep. Nicely has requested that on the Cow Share bill, we stay low for now. As far as lobbying, he says that it may not be needed for now. He says the bill will likely just quietly pass. If it does, then we all need to call them and thank them for passing it.

Rep. Frank Nicely (R) is a HUGE supporter of the sale of raw milk and is now trying to garner support from the Farm Bureau. If you are a member of the Farm Bureau, please make your voice heard to them.

This is on the Cow Share bill, BUT on the other bills that will allow farmers to sell their products directly off the farm WITHOUT taking the meats to a processor….these we DO need to lobby for.The reason it is important for farmers not to have to use USDA processors is because the processors charge the farmers a LOT of money to process each animal. Any chicken farmer knows how to process their own chickens, and don’t need to pay a processor $2 per bird for it. When the farmers have to pay the processors they pass the cost onto the customers, making our meat products way more expensive than they should be. If you trust the farmer and trust that his methods are clean, then you should be able to purchase meat without a processor cost added to it.

Contact the 2009 House Agricultural Committee Members at home and at their Nashville offices and tell them you support the Farm Gate Bills that will be re-introduced in the Spring session and the small farmer’s right to sell clean, organic, grassfed, meats right off his own farm AFFORDABLY without being required to take the meats to a processor. For now, let’s not mention the Cow Share Bill. You could write, call, fax, or best of all, visit with them. That makes the biggest impression. Believe me, they listen to you.

THANKS! We need everyone’s involvement. We cannot give up. Check this website regularly to get updates.

Click here to see the listing for the Representatives on the House Agricultural Committee.

Click here to see a sample letter to write to the legislator.

***Special Note*** If you live in any of the districts where there is an House Agricultural Committee member, it is EXTRA important that you take action. The Farm Gate bill has to get out of committee and if these men and women do not hear from you, it will not get out of committee.

For a listing of your representatives in general, click http://www.legislature.state.tn.us. This will take you to the TN General Assembly web site where you can choose District Maps. Once you do that, you can click on House or Senate and then on your county to see who is your representative.