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   Sarah Taber (sarahtaber@mastodon.online)'s status on Wednesday, 21-May-2025 03:20:04 JST Sarah Taber

   RAW MILK TIME

   I was surprised to find most of the "raw milk cures ___" talking points from the last 20+ years come from one (1) raw milk dairy farmer in California.

   Let's get to know him!

   Mark McAfee, 5th generation dairy & almond farmer in CA, complains "the government is out to get him." Just because he's been accused of starting multiple outbreaks!

   But he's a good guy! He visits those sick kids in the hospital in his private plane.

   (source: https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2025/01/raw-farm-raw-milk-mark-mcafee/)

   • Embed this notice
     Sarah Taber (sarahtaber@mastodon.online)'s status on Wednesday, 21-May-2025 03:20:02 JST Sarah Taber

     in reply to

     BTW this is a great case study to talk media literacy for farms.

     If someone says "the guvmint is out to get them," sometime's that's bc they keep getting themselves in legal trouble!

     Don't take claims at face value. Fact check!

     https://www.marlerblog.com/case-news/raw-milk-llc-a-k-a-organic-pastures-linked-again-to-an-e-coli-outbreak/

     Steve's Place repeated this.
   • Embed this notice
     Sarah Taber (sarahtaber@mastodon.online)'s status on Wednesday, 21-May-2025 03:20:02 JST Sarah Taber

     in reply to

     If you can, get a look at their farm.

     I looked up Mark McAfee's farm on Google Maps & was surprised to see that his "grass-fed dairy" is a bog standard, feedlot-style large commercial dairy.

     With over 1,000 cows standing & lying around on what we call a "dry manure pack" in the biz.

   • Embed this notice
     Sarah Taber (sarahtaber@mastodon.online)'s status on Wednesday, 21-May-2025 03:20:03 JST Sarah Taber

     in reply to

     Mark McAfee's gotten over $800,000 in federal subsidies.

     $118,407 under his own name, and $682,255 under the LLC "Organic Pastures Dairy."

     https://farm.ewg.org/persondetail.php?custnumber=A11886121

     https://farm.ewg.org/persondetail.php?custnumber=A13139155

     If that's "government oppression," hook me up!

   • Embed this notice
     Sarah Taber (sarahtaber@mastodon.online)'s status on Wednesday, 21-May-2025 03:20:03 JST Sarah Taber

     in reply to

     Mark McAfee also got a $10M USDA-backed loan to build a brand new factory for raw milk dairy products in 2022.

     https://thebusinessjournal.com/arson-destroyed-its-creamery-fresno-county-raw-milk-dairy-rebuilding-with-10m-usda-backed-loan/

     We're gonna come back to this later, because it involves his old cheese facility burning down in an arson case some would describe as "suspicious."