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Goat Tattoos
ADGA: 2018 Preferred tattoo letter is K ABGA & USBGA: 2018 Preferred tattoo letter is H KGBA: 2018 Tattoo letter is K European study finds raw milk boosts immunity, prevents colds and infections
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/047821_raw_milk_immunity_infections.html# New Legal Raw Milk Option
GREAT NEWS!! Remember how I’ve told you that over the last couple of years we’ve been working with another state agency to allow limited raw milk availability legally? We finally got our ducks in a row with this avenue (state wheels move slowly). This is not going through Department of Livestock (DOL). The herd shares you see on Craigslist are still not OK (per DOL anyway)!! However, those of you who own milk animals and wish to co-own with others in a limited manner, you have options now if you apply correctly using the right template through this state agency (via our partners at Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund). This is a very complex issue with complex wording and legal definitions and has to be done correctly to work. Again, these are not herd shares. The simplest explanation is that I have worked for the last two plus years with this state agency, our attorney at FTCLDF and one of our goat producers (who volunteered to be our guinea pig), in order to get our wording correct so we fall under the jurisdiction of this other state agency and not with a DOL tasked in their flow chart with prohibiting raw milk So, if you are a raw producer and have animals that you wish to offer to a limited number of people to co-own, please contact me, Chris Rosenau, and/or FTCLDF. We can explain further to producers wishing to participate and FTCLDF can set you up with the correct wording for your application and explain how to properly find co-owners for your animal (again, not herd shares) so that you can obtain an exemption from this agency and be left alone by DOL. Producers will then be responsible to find co-owners once they know the rules. We are not having people contact the agency itself because there are only one or two people in the agency who understand these issues. They do not have the time or resources to answer questions and deal with the inevitable confusion, as the issues are very complex. We've already done the leg work over the last couple of years and can help producers navigate this and get their exemptions. This is a start, not a finish! And we’re hoping, with this expanded access to raw milk, when there are no illnesses by next session, we will be able to expand the laws and that Montana can someday join other states with on-farm sales and retail sales. CAUTION: Please do not tell people that these are herd shares or that herd shares are now sanctioned by the state or you will be 1) misleading them and 2) potentially getting people in trouble. You can HELP this effort if you alert us (via email or our Raw Milk Montana Facebook page) to herd shares on Craigslist so we can redirect them to this avenue so we are able to move forward more easily with stronger legislation in future legislative sessions. EMAIL ISSUES: A brief heads up about receiving our emails. Some people are not receiving our emails for a couple reasons. One we can't fix, we just know it's happening. We have also discovered that when you forward an email to your friends (thank you!), sometimes a friend may inadvertently unsubscribe you from this email list. When a forwarded email is unsubscribed, it unsubs the original sender, not the person it was forwarded to. To stop this from happening, just delete the information below this message about unsubscribing before you forward! Copyright © 2017 Raw Milk Montana, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you requested updates on the Montana raw milk bill. Our mailing address is: Raw Milk Montana P.O. Box 478 Lolo, MT 59847 Raw Milk Montana Update
Just some clean-up explanations based on feedback after our news broke about how we can now have legal raw milk (not herd shares!!!): 1) We had been told about two years ago by a state attorney that this option would be risky to our producers. But we persevered and change happened under a new administration in this agency after this past election. We just found out this week (so the expletive-laced rant you may have heard about that we received from a producer blaming us for his circumstances was inappropriate and misinformed). 2) Because this option is based on Securities Law, it is unchangeable and non-negotiable in terms of how we are able to use the law. If you do not have the paperwork worded correctly that attaches to your application you will not receive approval. This is why producers need to have Farm To Consumer Legal Defense Fund help with the application and additional paperwork process. They worked alongside us with this agency to get the wording right. It took several re-writes to get it right. 3) No matter how many times we repeatedly say these are not herd shares, we still have people writing to us asking how to be part of a herd share. YOU WILL GET IN TROUBLE if you do a herd share!!! Please correct people if you hear the words "herd share." 4) Some producers have expressed concerns that should not be concerns. Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund attorneys will work with you on how to get approved. We have our one test case that passed muster after several re-writes, and there is the possibility that agreements can be tweaked and still fit under guidelines if you're not happy with something. But I’m not an attorney, so cannot get into legal matters, so producers need to talk to the attorneys at FTCLDF to get their questions answered before deciding this won't work for them. Producers with memberships in Farm to Consumer Legal Defense fund get: Unlimited consultation with attorneys, toll free hot line if you get visit from a government agency, free time with an organic dairy consultant and the possibility of legal representation if the issue falls within their mission statement. It's VERY worth the membership! Copyright © 2017 Raw Milk Montana, All rights reserved. |
News Update From ADGA
Dairy Goat Body Condition Scoring Video The ADGA Board approved project, “Dairy Goat Body Condition Scoring” , has been completed. This was a collaborative effort between ADGA, UC Davis Department of Animal Science and School of Veterinary Medicine. The Linear Appraisal committee took the lead on this, providing the script and review along with a subcommittee providing the technical information and development of the scoring range. Thanks to the ADGA Linear Committee with special thanks to Jan Carlson and Dr. Joan Dean Rowe of UCD and appraiser Betty Henning who narrates the video. The project could not have been completed without the UCD videography department and assistance from the California Extension services. We hope to expand this to other media in the future. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC0u1j06y5Y Goat Registry Tattoos Approved for Use in the Scrapie Free Flock Certification Program (SFCP)
01/06/2016
Background
The Scrapie Free Flock Certification Program (SFCP) standards allow an approved registry’s tattoos to be used by SFCP participants to identify registered goats enrolled in the program. This document describes the criteria for approving a breed registry’s tattoos for this purpose and provides a list of breed registries that have had their tattoos approved. A list of approved registries is maintained on the APHIS SFCP Web page. Criteria/Protocol for Approval of Registry Tattoos Registry tattoos may be used as official identification for goats enrolled in the SFCP if the registry has provided the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) with a letter indicating that:
Dr. Diane L. Sutton Sheep & Goat Health Team Leader Sheep, Goat, Cervid & Equine Health Center Surveillance, Preparedness and Response Services USDA, APHIS, VS 4700 River Rd., Unit 43 Riverdale, MD 20737 |