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CHESTER — Farmers and consumers will celebrate Vermont’s new law that eases the restrictions on raw milk processing classes at an all-day session and party Wednesday.
Between 1 and 4 p.m. Rural Vermont will hold a workshop on how to make ice cream out of raw milk at the Jersey Girls Dairy in Chester.
Then at 7 p.m. the organization will hold a free ice cream social at the farm to recognize the new law, which Rural Vermont Executive Director Jared Carter said will help small farmers increase sales of raw milk directly from their farms.
“The raw dairy processing classes are an important part of educating consumers and connecting farmers to their local communities in a way that promotes a vibrant local agricultural economy,” Carter said. “This legislation represents a significant victory for farmers and a step forward in growing a self-reliant food system in Vermont.”
In 2009 the Vermont Legislature passed a law that set up a two-tier system for farmers who wanted to sell raw milk.
Smaller farms were allowed to sell up to 50 quarts per day, but some unclear wording in the law prevented the farmers from hosting any processing classes.
Jon Wright, owner of Taylor Farm in Londonderry, saw raw milk sales take off after the 2009 law allowed more sales from small farms.
He said it was important to educate the public about the safety and quality of raw milk, and said the new law should further strengthen the bonds between the farmer and consumer.
“There is so much interest in local food and raw milk has been getting an incredible amount of support,” said Wright. “Anything we can do to educate people is terrific and very important.”
The 2009 law also could have put the farm at risk if the farmer knew the raw milk was being used for anything other than drinking.
This year, after the Vermont Agency of Agriculture forced Rural Vermont to suspend its processing classes, the Legislature addressed the issue.
The wording in the law was changed to allow farms to sell the raw milk for any “personnel consumption” compared to the “fluid consumption” allowed in the 2009 law.
Gov. Peter Shumlin signed the bill into law on May 19 and since then, Rural Vermont has been holding a series of raw milk processing classes across the state.
Along with the ice cream class in Chester, Rural Vermont will be leading classes on butter and yogurt-making in Barnard in July, and on kefir and ricotta-making later that month in Randolph.
Small farm advocates have been pushing for greater flexibility in raw milk regulations because farmers receive every penny of profit from sales that don’t involve haulers and processors.
Educational classes allow the public to learn more about raw milk, Carter said, and the new law also protects farmers from talking about uses of their product.
Under the old law, if a farmer was asked how to make yogurt with raw milk, that farmer could have faced law suits for violating the raw milk law.
Now farmers and organizations like Rural Vermont can continue educating the public on alternative sues of raw milk, which Carter said ultimately will lead to more sales.
“Farmers are already faced with enormous pressures from the commodity milk market. This legislation supports the overall objective of economic prosperity,” said Carter. “By coming together as an agricultural community on this and future legislation, Vermont can continue to be a leader and show that farmers are the backbone of vibrant rural economies.”
Howard Weiss-Tisman can be reached at 802-254-2311 ext. 279 or hwtisman@reformer.com.