Nevada Health Dept. Raids Local 'Farm To Fork' Picnic Dinner

[meredith]

From David Sunfellow's wonderful New Heaven New Earth list:

Watch two videos about this unfortunate event on Pulse:

http://nhne-pulse.org/nevada-health-...picnic-dinner/

.......................

*HEALTH DEPARTMENT TYRANTS RAID LOCAL 'FARM TO FORK' PICNIC DINNER,
ORDERS ALL FOOD TO BE DESTROYED WITH BLEACH*
By Ethan A. Huff
NaturalNews
November 11, 2011

Original Link <http://www.naturalnews.com/034125_food_freedom_picnic.html>

It is the latest case of extreme government food tyranny, and one that
is sure to have you reeling in anger and disgust. Health department
officials recently conducted a raid of Quail Hollow Farm, an organic
community supported agriculture (CSA) farm in southern Nevada, during
its special "farm to fork" picnic dinner put on for guests -- and the
agent who arrived on the scene ordered that all the fresh, local produce
and pasture-based meat that was intended for the meal be destroyed with
bleach.

For about five years now, Quail Hollow Farm has been growing organic
produce and raising healthy, pasture-based animals which it provides to
members as part of a CSA program. And it recently held its first annual
"Farm to Fork Dinner Event," which offered guests an opportunity to tour
the farm, meet those responsible for growing and raising the food, and
of course partake in sharing a meal composed of the delicious bounty
with others.

But when the Southern Nevada Health District (SNHD) got word of the
event and decided to get involved, this simple gathering of friends and
neighbors around a giant, family-style picnic table quickly became a
convenient target for the heavy hand of an out-of-control government
agency. And Monte and Laura Bledsoe, the owners and operators of Quail
Hollow Farm, were unprepared for what would happen next.

Laura Bledsoe explains in a letter to her guests written after the fact
that two days prior to the event, SNHD contacted the farm to say that,
because the picnic was technically a "public" event, the couple would
have to obtain a "special use permit," or else face a very steep fine.
Not wanting to risk having the event disrupted, the Bledsoes agreed to
jump through all the demanded legal hoops even though their gathering
was really just a backyard picnic.

But the day of the event, an inspector from SNHD, Mary Oaks, showed up
and declared that all the food the Bledsoes would be serving was "unfit
for consumption," and that it would have to be destroyed. Though there
was no logical or lawful reasoning behind this declaration, and the
Bledsoes had complied with all the requirements, Oaks insisted that the
food be discarded and destroyed using a bleach solution.

One of the so-called reasons for this action included the fact that some
of the food packaging did not contain labels, even though labels are not
necessary if the food is eaten within 72 hours. Oaks also cited the fact
that some of the meat was not US Department of Agriculture (USDA)
certified, that the vegetables had already been cut and were thus a
"bio-hazard," and that there were no receipts for the food (which was
all grown on the farm, not purchased from a grocery store).

You can view pictures of the event, as well as video footage of
Inspector Oaks raiding the party,here
<http://www.reallyvegasphoto.com/Events/CSA-Farm-Government-Inspection/19707296_v2zFML>.

Unaware of their rights, the Bledsoes initially complied with Oaks'
unlawful demands and destroyed the food. But shortly thereafter, Laura's
husband Monte remembered that they had an emergency contact number for
the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF) on their refrigerator.

Shocked that they even had to resort to this desperate measure, the
Bledsoes called FTCLDF for advice and spoke with General Counsel Gary
Cox, who instructed them to ask Oaks for a search and arrest warrant,
which of course she did not have. The Bledsoes then asked Oaks to leave
the property, upon which she allegedly stormed off in anger and screamed
that she was going to call the police.

Police eventually arrived, but unaware of why they had been called and
what the alleged crime was, they, too, left and offered their apologies
to the Bledsoes. Fortunately, the Bledsoes were able to improvise with
the chef to create a whole new meal for their guests, which ended up
turning out to be a type of blessing in disguise, according to Laura.

The entire shocking incident serves as a reminder to know your rights
when it comes to food and health freedom. Without a proper search or
arrest warrant, so-called health inspectors or law enforcement officials
have no business on your property. And if they ever try to pull a stunt
like what happened at Quail Hollow Farm at your gathering, you have
every right to demand that they vacate your property as well.

.......................

*Letter written to our dinner guests and our CSA Shareholders after the
"Health Department inspection" incident, October 21, 2011*

>From Monte and Laura Bledsoe
Quail Hollow Farm
October 24, 2011

Original Link <http://www.quailhollowfarmcsa.com/30.html>

Dearest Guests, (You have all become dear to us!)

What an evening we had this last Friday night! It had all the makings of
a really great novel: drama, suspense, anticipation, crisis, heroic
efforts, villains and victors, resolution and a happy ending.

The evening was everything I had dreamed and hoped it would be. The
weather was perfect, the farm was filled with friends and guests roaming
around talking about organic, sustainable farming practices. Our young
interns were teaching and sharing their passion for farming and their
role in it. (A high hope for our future!) The pig didn't get loose. Our
guests were excited to spend an evening together. The food was prepared
exquisitely. The long dinner table, under the direction of dear friends,
was absolutely stunningly beautiful. The music was superb. The stars
were bright and life was really good. And then, ...

for a few moments, it felt like the rug was pulled out from underneath
us and my wonderful world came crashing down. As guests were mingling,
finishing tours of the farm, and while the first course of the meal was
being prepared and ready to be sent out, a Southern Nevada Health
District employee came for an inspection.

Because this was a gathering of people invited to our farm for dinner, I
had no idea that the Health Department would become involved. I received
a phone call from them two days before the event informing me that
because this was a "public event" (I would like to know what is the
definition of "public" and "private") we would be required to apply for
a "special use permit". If we did not do so immediately, we would be
charged a ridiculous fine. Stunned, we immediately complied.

We were in the middle of our harvest day for our CSA shares, a very busy
time for us, but Monte immediately left to comply with the demand and
filled out the required paper work and paid for the fee. (Did I mention
that we live in Overton, nowhere near a Health Department office?) Paper
work now in order, he was informed that we would not actually be given
the permit until an inspector came to check it all out. She came
literally while our guests were arriving!

In order to overcome any trouble with the Health Department of cooking
on the premises, most of the food was prepared in a certified kitchen in
Las Vegas; and to further remove any doubt, we rented a certified
kitchen trailer to be here on the farm for the preparation of the meals.
The inspector, Mary Oaks, clearly not the one in charge of the
inspection as she was constantly on the phone with her superior Susan
somebody who was calling all the shots from who knows where.

Susan deemed our food unfit for consumption and demanded that we call
off the event because: 1. Some of the prepared food packages did not
have labels on them. (The code actually allows for this if it is to be
consumed within 72 hours.) 2. Some of the meat was not USDA certified.
(Did I mention that this was a farm to fork meal?) 3. Some of the food
that was prepared in advance was not up to temperature at the time of
inspection. (It was being prepared to be brought to proper temperature
for serving when the inspection occurred.) 4. Even the vegetables
prepared in advance had to be thrown out because they were cut and were
then considered a "bio-hazard". 5. We did not have receipts for our
food. (Reminder! This food came from farms not from the supermarket! I
have talked with several chefs who have said that in all their years
cooking they have never been asked for receipts.)

At this time Monte, trying to reason with Susan to find a possible
solution for the problem, suggested turning this event from a "public"
event to a "private" event by allowing the guests to become part of our
farm club, thus eliminating any jurisdiction or responsibility on their
part. This idea infuriated Susan and threatened that if we did not
comply the police would be called and personally escort our guests off
the property. This is not the vision of the evening we had in mind! So
regretfully, again we complied.

The only way to keep our guests on the property was to destroy the food.
I can't tell you how sick to my stomach I was watching that first dish
of Mint Lamb Meatballs hit the bottom of the unsanitized trash can. Here
we were with guests who had paid in advance and had come from long
distances away anticipating a wonderful dining experience, waiting for
dinner while we were behind the kitchen curtain throwing it away! I know
of the hours and labor that went into the preparation of that food.

We asked the inspector if we could save the food for a private family
event that we were having the next day. (A personal family choice to use
our own food.) We were denied and she was insulted that we would even
consider endangering our families health. I assured her that I had
complete faith and trust in Giovanni our chef and the food that was
prepared, (obviously, or I wouldn't be wanting to serve it to our guests).

I then asked if we couldn't feed the food to our "public guests" or even
to our private family, then at least let us feed it to our pigs. (I
think it should be a criminal action to waste any resource of the land.
Being dedicated to our organic farm, we are forever looking for good
inputs into our compost and soil and good food that can be fed to our
animals. The animals and compost pile always get our left over garden
surplus and food. We truly are trying to be as sustainable as possible.)
Again, a call to Susan and another negative response.

Okay, so let me get this right. So the food that was raised here on our
farm and selected and gathered from familiar local sources, cooked and
prepared with skill and love was even unfit to feed to my pigs!?!

Who gave them the right to tell me what I feed my animals? Not only were
we denied the use of the food for any purpose, to ensure that it truly
was unfit for feed of any kind we were again threatened with police
action if we did not only throw the food in the trash, but then to add
insult to injury, we were ordered to pour bleach on it.

Now the food is also unfit for compost as I would be negligent to allow
any little critters to nibble on it while it was composting and ingest
that bleach resulting in a horrible death. Literally hundreds of pounds
of food was good for nothing but adding to our ever increasing land fill!

At some point in all of this turmoil Monte reminded me that I had the
emergency phone number for the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund
(FTCLDF) on our refrigerator. I put it there never really believing that
I would ever have to use it. We became members of the Farm-to-Consumer
Legal Defense Fund several years ago as a protection for us, but mostly
to add support to other farmers battling against the oppressive legal
actions taken against the small farmers trying to produce good wholesome
food without government intrusion.

The local, sustainable food battle is being waged all across America!
May I mention that not one battle has been brought on because of any
illness to the patrons of these farms! The battles are started by
government officials swooping down on farms and farmers like SWAT teams
confiscating not only the wholesome food items produced but even their
farm equipment! Some of them actually wearing HAZMAT suits as if they
were walking into a nuclear meltdown! I have personally listened to some
of their heart wrenching stories and have continued to follow them
through the FTCLDF's updates.

Well, I made the call, told my story and within a short period of time
received a phone call back from the FTCLDF's General Counsel, Gary Cox.
When told the story, he simply suggested that we apply our fundamental
constitutional right to be protected against "unlawful search and
seizure." I simply had to ask Mary two questions. "Do you have a search
warrant?" "Do you have an arrest warrant?"

With the answers being "No", I politely and very simply asked her to
leave our property. As simple as that! She had no alternative, no higher
power, no choice whatsoever but to now comply with my desire. She left
in a huff making a scene shouting that she was calling the police. She
left no paperwork, no Cease and Desist order, no record of any kind that
implicated us for one thing, (we had complied to all their orders) only
empty threats and a couple of trash cans full of defiled food. I will
get back to "the inspector" and her threats shortly.

Let's get to where it really gets good. While I am on the verge of a
literal breakdown, Monte and Gio get creative. All right, we have just
thrown all of this food away, we can't do this, we can't do that, what
CAN we do? Well, we have a vegetable farm and we do have fresh
vegetables. (By the way, we were denied even using our fresh vegetables
until I informed our inspector that I do have a Producers Certificate
from the Nevada Department of Agriculture allowing us to sell our
vegetables and other farm products at the Farmers Market. Much of our
produce has gone to some of the very finest restaurants in Las Vegas and
St. George.)

The wind taken out of the inspector's sails, Gio and his crew got
cookin'. It just so happened that we had a cooled trailer full of
vegetables ready to be taken to market the following day. Monte hooked
on to the trailer and backed it up right next to the kitchen. Our
interns who were there to greet and serve now got to work with lamp oil
and began harvesting anew. Knives were chopping, pots of pasta and rice
from our food storage were steaming, our bonfire was now turned into a
grill and literal miracles were happening before our eyes!

In the meantime, Monte and I had to break the news to our guests. Rather
than go into the details here, you can see the video footage on Mark
Bowers and Kiki Kalor's (our friends and guests) website at:
http://www.reallyvegasphoto.com/Even...717636_dJJDZjw

We explained the situation, offered anyone interested a full refund, and
told them that if they chose to stay their dinner was now literally
being prepared fresh, as just now being harvested. The reaction of our
guests was the most sobering and inspirational experience of the
evening. In an instant we were bonded together.

They were, of course, out-raged at the lack of choice they were given in
their meal. Out-raged at the arrogance of coming to a farm dinner and
being required to use only USDA (government inspected) meats. Outraged
at the heavy handedness of the Health Department into their lives. Then
there was the most tremendous outpouring of love and support.

One of our guests, Marty Keach, informed us that he was an attorney and
as appalled as everyone else offered his support and counsel if need be,
even if it be to the Supreme Court. He was a great comfort in a tense time.

With their approval, Giovanni and crew got cooking and the evening then
truly began. The atmosphere turned from tense and angry to loving and
supportive. As soon as I heard my brother Steve sit down and begin
strumming his guitar, I knew something special was happening. Paid
guests volunteered their services. Chef Shawn Wallace, a guest, joined
Gio and his team his knife flying through the eggplant and squash. Wendy
and Thierry Pressyler and so many that I am not even aware of, were
helping to grill and transport dishes. Jason and Chrissy Doolen offered
to run quick errands. Jeanne Frost, a server for the Wynn hotel, didn't
take a seat and began serving her fellow guests.

Before long we were seated at the beautiful table and the most
incredible dishes began coming forth. It was literally "loaves and
fishes" appearing before our very eyes! We broke bread together, we
laughed, we talked, we shared stories, we came together in the most
marvelous way.

Now this is what I had dreamed, only more marvelous than I could have
ever imagined! The sky being bright with glittering stars, we had the
telescopes out and invited any guests who desired to look into our
starry heaven. While we were looking into the heavens, heaven was
looking down upon us! I can't tell you the number of times I have felt
the hand of providence helping us in the work of this farm.

As hard and demanding as this work is, I KNOW that this is what we are
meant to do.

I KNOW that it is imperative that we stand up for our food choices.

I KNOW that local, organic, sustainable food produced by ourselves or by
small family, local farms is indispensible to the health and well-being
of our families and our communities now and in the future!

If this work were not so vitally important, the "evil forces" would not
be working so hard to pull it down. We were victorious, we will be
victorious, we must be! Our grandchildren's future is at stake!

Back to the inspector. She did call the police. You must remember that
we live in a small town. We know these officers. They responded to the
call dutifully but were desperately trying to figure out why they had
been called. Never in all of their experience had they ever received a
call like this.

Mary, the inspector, demanded that they give us a citation. The officer
in charge said that she was to give us the citation, she responded that
no, they were to give us the citation, which they then asked her for
what violation. Even with the help of her superior on the phone she
could not give them a reason. They asked her to leave which she did. The
police were very kind and apologetic for the intrusion. All of this was
done without fanfare and out of sight of our guests. The police officers
are commended for their professionalism!

Now that we have come to the last chapter of our novel, I realize that
it ends with a cliff-hanger. As happy as the ending was, it isn't
"happily ever after" yet. This will remain to be seen in the ensuing
days, weeks and even years ahead.

Tom Collins, our County Commissioner, furious by the events that took
place, having formerly been a board member for the Southern Nevada
Health District is putting together a meeting with himself, the current
board members and ourselves to make sense of all this mess.

As so many of you have related verbally and through emails your desire
to help and be involved, we will keep you informed as events take place.
I feel that we have been compelled to truly become active participants
in the ongoing battle over our food choices. This is just one small
incident that brings to our awareness how fragile our freedoms are. We
are now ready to join the fight!

We would encourage all of you who can to contribute and to become a
member of the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund. They are not only
fighting for the farmers, they are fighting for the consumers to have
the right to choose. You can find them at farmtoconsumer.org

As I close, I am reminded of the passage written so forcefully by Thomas
Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence:

"He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of
Officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance."

The same battle continues. I pray the result of the battle will be the
same, that we have been "endowed by our Creator with ... life and liberty".

We love you all, and thank you with all our souls for your continued
love and support! We will stay in touch.

With warmest wishes for you and your families,
Monte and Laura Bledsoe Written from Quail Hollow Farm October 24, 2011

........................

*RELATED LINKS:*

*. *<http://www.ftcldf.org/>Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund
<http://www.ftcldf.org/>(FTCLDF)
.Organize & Declare 'Food Sovereignty' Like Sedgwick, Maine
<http://nhne-pulse.org/organize-declare-food-sovereignty-like-sedgwick-maine/>
.Join The Social Media Revolt Against Government Raids On Raw Milk
<http://nhne-pulse.org/join-the-social-media-revolt-against-government-raids-on-raw-milk/>
.Documentary: Farmageddon <http://nhne-pulse.org/documentary-farmageddon/>

[Lord Sidious]

I just wish they thought to arrest her and hold her for the police.
Then of course, they should take her for a trip.
A one way ticket to litigation city and cause a huge ruckus for her, on her own personal liability and for her employers.
I have never been able to do this, as every time I threaten people, they leave.