The underground raw milk railroad

I used to read a book about Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad to my fifth graders. It was a strange concept for them at the beginning of the book since kids think of a railroad as a set of tracks with a train running on the metal rails.

We discussed the willingness of these people to sleep in the barns and haystacks of helpers to finally gain what we know so much about — freedom. The Freedom Trail was a long journey during a scary time in our history but worth the risks for those who chose the trip.

I co-sponsored and carried the raw milk bill (House Bill 245) for Rep. Nancy Ballance, R-Hamilton, on the floor of the Senate last week because I believe in the freedom to consume raw milk.

It’s had its own underground network for years, of which I was a part. We bought it as “pet milk” knowing that our pets were named Ryan and Dedee. We believed that fresh milk was better for them than the pasteurized products available in the store.

Fond memories of drinking milk fresh from a cow come from trips to the Weaver cousins’ farm on Lake Blaine. The “city kids” would run to the barn and watch Wayne and Jack milk the cows. One shot in the bucket, one shot to the cats lined up behind them and one shot in the mouths of the city kids. And guess what? We never got sick.

The closest we got to actually owning a dairy cow came during a tragedy when our beef calf was lost to a spring bear attack. Steve went to a local dairy, purchased a day-old calf and wrapped it in the hide of our dead one. The Hereford accepted it, though it looked a bit strange later when the large Holstein steer suckled the short, broad mama.

Getting back to the land and consuming organic products is a growing movement across the nation. It is also alive and well in Montana. HB 245 is part of the growing wish by Montanans to take their own risks and make their own choices about what they ingest.

There are only five states that don’t allow the sale of raw milk. Have you heard of widespread sickness and death across the countryside? The opponents to the bill described all kinds of disease and death though they never mentioned you have a greater risk of sickness and death from leafy vegetables, chicken and beef.

The bill did not pass this session, but the underground railroad of raw milk will continue in Montana. Government should not control everything we do, nor should we have to consume what I call “white water on steroids” when they heat raw milk to kill everything, then throw vitamins back into it to make it “healthy.”

When it comes to a vote for allowing consumers to make decisions for themselves and their families, I will always vote for your freedom. The milk pails of Montana may be underground for another two years, but I anticipate another run for personal choice in the 2017 session. I hope to be there and make another vote with my green button.

Dee Brown, R-Hungry Horse, represents Montana Senate District 2.