Got Avian Influenza Anxiety?
Welcome to Raw Milk Mama, a newsletter about food freedom, our food systems, and how to create local food security in our communities. As always, I appreciate any and all paid upgrades. I am a solo writer bringing you real, sometimes difficult, news from the front lines of our food system. Sign up here for weekly posts, or keep reading…
Recently, a reader sent me a link to an article “Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Detected in South Dakota Dairy Herd” along with this comment.
Dear Liz,
Would you be so kind to weigh in?
…your experience is appreciated and welcomed.
Thank you very much!
Right. Whew….
Tackling some of the sensationalized claims these days feels like standing in front of a mountain of mulch for the garden and all I have is a teaspoon. But I’ll get to work with that teaspoon.
Remember this always:
In 1945 the American Government (DOD) by all indications completely fabricated an “outbreak” of brucellosis (undulant fever) in raw milk. They used the fictitious American town of Crossroads, America in what can only be explained as a deliberate campaign designed to instill fear in American women and change the behaviors and eating habits of the American people.
And it worked.
Never forget this background.
Now, for Avian Influenza
On an individual level, the solution is shockingly simple...
Do you want clean food?
Then, grow or produce as much of your own as you can.
Whatever you can’t produce, get from TRUSTED local farms and small processors.
As much as possible.
Yes, I know, there will always be things you can’t get locally or exceptions to this, but by KNOWING your local providers and what they offer, you will be on the right track.
Now, on the SYSTEM level, nothing is simple.
There are bigger questions lurking underneath, like things in the ocean that you can't see and wonder when they will creep up and surprise you...
“How do things like “Avian Influenza” affect our whole food system? And where does that leave us?”
It’s the biggest “open secret” that our food system, as a whole, is teetering on the brink of collapse.
And depending on what fails first, that collapse could look different in so many ways.
Dilapidated infrastructure
Loss of topsoil
Abrupt loss of chemical inputs on conventional farms
Supply chain and packaging challenges
Lack of human labor for the inhumane jobs that our ag system currently relies on
Hacking or deliberate sabotage to the conventional slaughter systems
And the list goes on….
There are so many vulnerabilities that it’s inevitable that something is going to crack and we’ll have to pick up the pieces when it does.
So how big of a deal is “Avian influenza?”
To you and me, it’s not a big deal. Yet.
In fact, as alarming as the headlines about Avian influenza have been recently, even this article admits it is “the first detection.”
The article referenced above finishes with this little gem.
“At this stage, there is no concern about the safety of the commercial milk supply or risk to consumer health.” (emphasis mine)1
You read that right, even though this is the first detection, they are calling it an “outbreak.”
Even though there is NO CONCERN or risk to human health, they are using sensationalized headlines and claims to trigger fear and concern.
“So what’s the big deal?” you ask…
It can only be economic.
100% economic.
Like foot and mouth disease.
About 20 years ago, the UK had an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in their herds. They traced it back to imported pig feed that was contaminated by the virus and the disease quickly spread.
The reaction to this outbreak DEVASTATED UK farms. There is no way to overemphasize how horrible this was for them. But not because of the virus itself. It devastated the farms because of the mandatory culling of the herds.
“Culling” is a euphemism for mass slaughter.
They killed millions of animals, burning the carcasses in the fields. Families cultivated specific genetics for generations. All wiped out in a matter of days.
By all indications, all for control.
But what is the real problem with foot and mouth disease?
This from our own USDA APHIS:
“FMD is one of the most challenging animal diseases to control. Although most infected animals survive, they're left weak and unable to produce the level of meat and milk prior to infection. FMD was first discovered in the United States in 1870 and eradicated in 1929.” (emphasis mine.)
Again, it appears economic.
Whether it’s avian influenza or foot and mouth disease, generalized anxiety about animal disease is a great way to usher in “solutions” that further centralize our food supply and centralized control over it.
Can THAT be the end goal?
So before getting alarmed about any of these “outbreaks,” take the time to understand them and the larger implications on our food system.
I believe that the only way to have true food security is to continue decentralizing and relocalizing our food supply.
And to do that, learning to grow things for yourself, supporting your local, trustworthy farms and being informed about food production and processing remain the BEST options.
If you haven’t already gotten the free guide on the best questions to ask your local farmers, download it here!
Growing Food Security
25 real ways to create a new food system:
$1-50 range
Buy seeds and plant them in your yard, a friend's yard, anywhere you have access to. Just start. Don’t worry about being perfect.
Support apps like SAGE that help people come together to grow food.
Buy locally produced food from a farmer near you (you have no idea how much that purchase means to them!)
Take a gardening workshop or class.
Donate to a local non profit that provides support to farmers.
Donate to the FOR FARMERS movement that provides private mini grants to farmers.
Get involved politically to change your state and local regs.
Support farmers taking on industrial ag and WINNING.
If you’re part of an HOA, work to change those policies to allow for chickens, goats, bees or whatever else you want to grow.
$50-300 range
Take a permaculture course and learn more about the ecosystem where you live and eat.
Host your next event at a local farm (you have no idea how much that means to them!)
Donate to or help build garden beds for a local urban farm/garden.
Learn about food forests and apply what you learn locally.
Start to stock your freezer by sourcing from a meat farm near you.
Buy a bunch of books about gardening and farming so that if our communication networks go down, you still have the information.
Purchase (or graft) 1 or more fruit or nut trees and plant them.
$300-1000 range
Help fund a local organization’s campaign to change state or local regulations around food production.
Support a case that has a chance of winning.
Invest in shared infrastructure or land with others who have the same goals.
Plant an herb garden or herb spiral.
Support legitimate small farms kickstarters.
Donate more appreciably to movements like “For Farmers” or other private grant opportunities for farmers.
Spend more of your budget locally.
Invest in a permaculture design for your land and learn how to create year-round, edible crops.
$1000+
Contact me and let’s get creative!
About Raw Milk Mama: I believe that we can reclaim our food systems through direct action. But it takes your participation whether you’re growing food, processing, or willing to support those who are. And sometimes, it takes taking direct action or calling on your state or federal elected officials.
I’m dedicated to helping people understand our food system and how we each fit into it..
Here’s how you can be part of it:
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