{"id":5198,"date":"2023-08-28T14:23:49","date_gmt":"2023-08-28T19:23:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/?p=5198"},"modified":"2023-08-28T14:23:50","modified_gmt":"2023-08-28T19:23:50","slug":"government-overreach-virginia-amish-farmers-livelihood-on-the-line-following-government-raid-and-seizure-of-property-please-help-and-donate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/?p=5198","title":{"rendered":"Government Overreach: Virginia Amish Farmer\u2019s Livelihood on the Line Following Government Raid and Seizure of Property \u2013 Please Help and Donate"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns='http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg'%20viewBox='0%200%20370%20247'%3E%3C\/svg%3E\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-147.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"zeen-lazy-load-base zeen-lazy-load wp-image-5199\"\/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-147.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5199\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-147.png 1024w, https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-147-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-147-770x514.png 770w, https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-147-370x247.png 370w, https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-147-293x195.png 293w, https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-147-120x80.png 120w, https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-147-240x160.png 240w, https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/image-147-390x260.png 390w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/noscript><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The Fisher family farm, a source of healthy food for local consumers in Virginia, was raided by the Virginia Department of Agriculture &amp; Consumer Services (VDACS).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Samuel B. Fisher, who runs&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.goldenvalleyfarmsllc.com\/\">Golden Valley Farms<\/a>, lost his livestock and meat-processing facility as the state condemned and seized his property. The act has resulted in not just loss of income but also a crisis of trust in a community that prides itself on independence and sustainable farming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Golden Valley Farms has been serving around 500 consumers through its farm\u2019s membership program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From their&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.goldenvalleyfarmsllc.com\/\">website<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p style=\"font-size:18px\">We are a family farm located in Farmville, Virginia in Cumberland County. Although we hail from generations of dairy and cattle farmers, our program was established in 2019. Our young children help gather, wipe &amp; pack the chicken and duck eggs for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-size:18px\">We produce 100% Grassfed Raw Milk from Golden Guernsey Cows &amp; Goats. Our dairy herd comprises 100% registered and A2 Beta-Casein Guernsey Cows and LaMancha &amp; Nubian Goats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-size:18px\">Golden Valley Farms operates a herd-share program. A herd share is a contractual agreement between a farmer and an owner of livestock \u2013 the shareholder or member \u2013 through which the shareholder is able to obtain raw milk, meat, or other profits of the livestock proportionate to the shareholder\u2019s interest in the herd.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-size:18px\">All of our products are organic, non-GMO, and soy free. The farmer produces food following Weston Price principles, including rotational grazing, no antibiotics or growth hormones, and farming beyond organic standards. We belong to a limited number of milk producers that do not resort to feeding grain to our cows. We believe in providing them with fresh pasture to graze on and chemical-free hay during winter.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The ordeal began on June 14 when a VDACS\u00a0inspector made an unannounced visit to Fisher\u2019s 100-acre farm. Fisher claims he had \u201cno idea\u201d what prompted the inspection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey came with a search warrant,\u201d Fisher told Townhall, who later found himself embroiled in a legal battle for processing his meat onsite rather than using a USDA-inspected facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The next day, officials returned with a sheriff\u2019s deputy to conduct a thorough search of the farm. Fisher\u2019s meat was tagged under \u201cadministrative detention,\u201d leaving him unable to sell or even consume his produce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fisher estimates that about $10,000 worth of products were seized and dumped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Please help and donate&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.givesendgo.com\/goldenvalleyfarms\">HERE<\/a>.<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>More from&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/townhall.com\/tipsheet\/miacathell\/2023\/08\/18\/golden-valley-farms-n2627121\">Townhall<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p style=\"font-size:18px\">What was clear: The state sought to penalize Fisher for selling meat that was not processed by a USDA-inspected facility (U.S. Department of Agriculture). Fisher processes\u2014an industry euphemism for butchering\u2014his farm-raised meat on-site and sells it directly to his customers, feeding about 500 consumers and their families, who are part of a buying club. As members enrolled in the Golden Valley Farms membership program, they\u2019ve bought into Fisher\u2019s herd of 100% grass-fed golden Guernsey cows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-size:18px\">\u201cThey own part of the business. They own some of the herd,\u201d Fisher explained. \u201cMy thinking was [\u2026] We can butcher\u00a0<em>their<\/em>\u00a0cows, process it, and sell it to them. I told the state all of this, but they said, \u2018No, there\u2019s no way around that. You can\u2019t do that.\u2019 They asked permission to get in here\u201d to search the farm, a request Fisher denied. \u201cAnd, they told me, \u2018We\u2019ll be back,\u2019 and left.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"isPasted\" style=\"font-size:18px\">The next day, on June 15, the VDACS inspector did, indeed, return\u2014this time with a Cumberland County sheriff\u2019s deputy to serve Fisher a search warrant. \u201cThey went through everything, house, every building, in the barn. They just raided through everything, put their nose in everything, and wanted to know every detail of everything. They went out back, trying to find all the failure they can find on a farm, which, of course, some of their stuff, which they think is wrong, is just normal stuff on a farm,\u201d Fisher stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-size:18px\">\u201cI wasn\u2019t on the farm at the time\u201d of the full-scale raid that lasted approximately three to four hours, Fisher added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"font-size:18px\">Then, the state slapped a tag on Fisher\u2019s walk-in freezer, placing the meat under \u201cadministrative detention\u201d and declaring that he wasn\u2019t supposed to take any meat out of his own storage room. By the weekend, his kids were crying for scrapple, a mush of pork scraps and trimmings characteristic of Amish country, that sat behind the door on Fisher\u2019s property that should, otherwise, be open and easily accessible. The following Monday, Fisher \u201ceven made a special phone call,\u201d asking again, \u201cif that\u2019s the way it is.\u201d And, as Fisher recounted, the VDACS inspector replied, \u201cYes, cannot feed your family with it, cannot do anything with it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Please help and donate&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.givesendgo.com\/goldenvalleyfarms\">HERE<\/a>.<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>In July, the Commonwealth of Virginia took Fisher to court, resulting in a judge-authorized seizure of his meat products, a move that Fisher described as an immediate blow to his income. On August 3, Fisher was criminally charged and found guilty of \u201cunlawfully possessing, selling, and\/or transporting animals,\u201d a Class 3 misdemeanor, and was ordered to pay a fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The case has struck a nerve with advocates for small farms and food sovereignty. A customer survey conducted by Fisher showed that 92% prefer to have the meat processed on the farm without USDA inspection. Fisher\u2019s situation parallels that of Amos Miller in Pennsylvania, another Amish farmer targeted by authorities for similar practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Mindy Hartbecke, the farm\u2019s office manager, pointed out the irony. \u201cAmish people\u2014They don\u2019t follow the rules. That\u2019s the point. So, it shouldn\u2019t be a surprise to somebody that an Amish person is not following the rules. They opt out of everything. They don\u2019t send their kids to school. They don\u2019t have to be involved in the [military] draft. They don\u2019t pay into the Social Security system and they don\u2019t receive money from the Social Security system. Why would anybody think it\u2019d be a stretch that he wasn\u2019t getting his meat inspected by the government, too?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Supporters of Fisher argue that consumers should have the right to decide where their meat comes from. They stress that traditional, small-scale farming practices are not just a way of life but also a form of resistance against industrial food systems known for their questionable health impacts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Fisher considers his next steps, which could include legal appeals, one thing is clear: this incident has ignited a broader debate about government overreach and interference, the rights of small farmers, and the choices consumers should be allowed to make about their food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>To aid the Fisher family in their time of need while they rebuild the farm the government of Virginia destroyed, Golden Valley Farms has started a GiveSendGo fundraising campaign. Please donate&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.givesendgo.com\/goldenvalleyfarms\">HERE<\/a>.<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>You can read the full story\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/townhall.com\/tipsheet\/miacathell\/2023\/08\/18\/golden-valley-farms-n2627121\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Original Article: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thegatewaypundit.com\/2023\/08\/government-overreach-virginia-amish-farmers-livelihood-line-following\/\">https:\/\/www.thegatewaypundit.com\/2023\/08\/government-overreach-virginia-amish-farmers-livelihood-line-following\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Fisher family farm, a source of healthy food for local consumers in Virginia, was raided by the Virginia Department of Agriculture &amp; Consumer Services (VDACS). Samuel B. Fisher, who runs&nbsp;Golden Valley Farms, lost his livestock and meat-processing facility as the state condemned and seized his property. The act has resulted in not just loss of income but also a crisis of trust in a community that prides itself on independence and sustainable farming. Golden Valley Farms has been serving [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":80,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-individual-liberty"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5198","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/80"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5198"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5198\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5200,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5198\/revisions\/5200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5198"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5198"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5198"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}