The latest Wisconsin lawmaker to promise to introduce a bill making raw milk legal in the dairy state is Rep. David Murphy (R-Greenville). After all, U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI) rode into Congress on promises he made while a state senator to make raw milk legal. 
However, Grothman was never successful, especially after Wisconsin raw…
Wisconsin Raw Milk Dairy Farmer’s Business Improves After Prosecution
What’s Wisconsin’s “raw milk outlaw” been up to since the state appeals court upheld his misdemeanor conviction on July 17 and imposed a $1,000 fine? Well, according to a recent profile by the Wisconsin State Journal, Vernon Hershberger is back home on the farm with his 10 children building up membership in his raw…
The Annual Food Safety News Christmas Eve 'Naughty List'
Editor’s note: One of our Food Safety News Christmas traditions is to annually recognize those who have been “naughty” and those who have been “nice” – from a strictly food safety perspective, of course. This year, we’ve opted to split the lists so that we could devote all the attention that each list deserves. Check …
Wisconsin's Most Famous Raw-Milk Advocate Opposes Bill Requiring Licensing
Since a Wisconsin jury decided Vernon Hershberger did not need a license to sell raw farm products directly to consumers, he is not in a mood to support a bill to allow on-the-farm sales of raw milk but only with a license requirement. The Sauk County farmer was an early star witness Wednesday at a…
Letter From The Editor: The Baraboo Trial Lesson
Vernon Hershberger was not the first and won’t be the last of the raw milk outlaws to get off or get mostly off by a jury — his recent trial did give an economic development boost to tiny Baraboo, WI. The town was filled with food freedom celebrities and raw milk adherents for the weeklong…
Hershberger Victory Sends Message That People Can, and Will, Fight Overbearing Regulators
Make no mistake, Vernon Hershberger won a huge victory in Saturday’s early morning hours in Baraboo, WI. “It’s a beautiful day,” Hershberger told me that morning, after a few hours of sleep following the 1 a.m. jury decision that acquitted him of three of four criminal misdemeanor charges. Yes, it was a beautiful day, for …
Raw Milk Trial Ends With Split Jury Verdict
A Sauk County, Wisconsin jury, meeting until 1 a.m. Saturday, acquitted Vernon Hershberger on three charges: operating a farm store without a retail food establishment permit, operating a dairy farm without a milk producer license, and operating a dairy plant without a license. But it found him guilty on a fourth count. 
That means when…
How the Vernon Hershberger Food Licensing Trial Could Shift Views on Food Safety
On its face, the upcoming trial of Vernon Hershberger, which starts today, is about food and dairy licensing and the Wisconsin farmer’s refusal to seek out certain permits. Hershberger is accused of four criminal misdemeanors. The first three include failing to have a retail food establishment license, operating a dairy farm as a milk producer…
Wisconsin Dairy Farmer's Religious Beliefs Won't Stop Trial
Vernon Hershberger’s religious beliefs do not provide any resolution to the legal consequences he must face for operating a food establishment without a license, operating as an unlicensed milk producer, operating a dairy plant without a license and violating a product hold order. The Wisconsin raw milk dairy farmer therefore will proceed to a long-delayed…
Wisconsin Raw Milk Trial Now Won't Start Until May 28
The start date for the trial of Wisconsin raw milk dairy farmer Vernon Hershberger was moved forward to May 20 by the Sauk County Court deciding his guilty or innocence on charges of operating a food establishment without a license, operating an unlicensed milk producer, operating a dairy plant without a license and violating a…