HB 2138, which will open to Missourians the clear and codified right to decide what they want to eat and from whom they would like to acquire their food, needs to move through the process. You can read the bill and a little about it here.
The bill had a hearing and one of the questions from the committee was, “Don’t we already have the ability to sell directly?” They fully realized that raw milk was a serious exception to that question.
In reality we do. But in our current regulatory control paradigm, if we do we are likely to be visited by “meat detectives” claiming we’re engaged in illegal meat or poultry sales.Were that true, Morningland could have made cheese for private exchange and milked their cows for the commercial dairy industry while taking some to make smaller batches for direct trade and it would have enabled them to keep the farm operational. Were that true, I could buy 5 pounds of lamb from my neighbor without any concern. I could buy cheese from another neighbor with no issues from regulatory “authorities”. I could buy egg dishes and kefir from anyone I chose…etc, etc.
Getting this bill out of committee and into Rules then onto the floor will raise the question in the general public’s mind about if they are, or are not, smart enough to decide what they want to eat without a bureaucrat intervening. The Committee Chair, Eric Burlison and the Speaker of the House, Tim Jones, need to be called and encouraged to move this bill. Again, it is HR2138, sponsored by Rep. Mike Moon.
Truth Farmer 
Apr 08, 2014 @ 11:56:44
I am getting confused by being behind as usual–Is this different from what is being called ‘right to farm’ bill? As the ‘right to farm’ bill is being presented as a protection for the corporate farms by those opposing it.
Apr 08, 2014 @ 12:45:51
This is not at all like the proposed Constitutional amendment named “Right to Farm”. That will be on the ballot in the fall of this year, 2014. While we fought hard to stop that from going through at all, we were only successful in getting the language changed a bit. We did get them to remove “modern farming practices and technology” from the language.
HB2138, the Direct Trade bill, if passed will allow people to sell their farm produced goods directly to consumers with no regulatory interference. If someone wants to sell their heirloom vegetable medley they can. If someone wants to sell their GMO soybeans to someone, they can. It won’t stop GMO’s or factory farming, but it will allow for people who want to farm and sell directly to do so without being afoul of the bureaucratic controls. Obviously, if you intentionally sell something that is garbage and someone is harmed, then you are guilty of a crime. Being willfully negligent is not excused.
So, in short, HB2138 would open viability up to independent conscientious producers of food to be able to profit from their labor; it would open up an ability for consumers to purchase goods where they can ask questions and even see how those goods are actually made if the farmer wanted to do that. It brings personal accountability and access to market (not market access-which is defined as the ability to sell in the international marketplace) back into the equation of food procurement.
On Tue, Apr 8, 2014 at 11:56 AM, Truth Farmer wrote:
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Apr 08, 2014 @ 13:15:53
A step in the right direction, but unfortunately misguided in that we have to have government explicitly enumerate our rights or they don’t seem to exist. The entire paradigm is upside down.
Sort of like the current paradigm where you must find a right in the bill of rights or it doesn’t exist.
It’s really hard to fix stupid, especially the kind created by guberment schools.
Apr 08, 2014 @ 13:20:37
I hear you. We’ve come to expect that we must obtain permission to do what is a human right. My biggest desire in this bill is to elevate the conversation. Due to all the hoops and the general fact that “good legislation” is next to impossible to get through the process, I doubt it will get through cleanly. We have to trade amongst ourselves or die at the hands of those who we allow to control our ability to care for ourselves. Slowly or quickly…end result is the same.