Could Bitcoin be a solution for the raw milk market?

[velacreations]

Raw milk is illegal to sell in most states.  But still, because the demand is high, farmers still do it.  To get around the laws, they offer ownership "shares" in a cow or similar methods (gifting).  Raw milk is often sold over state lines to avoid the laws in one state to makes the sales in a state that is legal.

Raw milk is one of the biggest black markets in the US.  In fact, it ranks right up there near drugs.  Check out some of the FDA raids on YouTube.

So, the demand is there.  The supply is there.  How do we get the two together legally (or pseudo-legally)?

I'm thinking that because bitcoin is anonymous, a farmer could sell milk online for bitcoins, people purchase it and have some sort of receipt of transaction.  Then, they go to a pick up location, get their milk, and everyone is happy.

Now, because no cash is being exchanged and because bitcoins are anonymous, it might be possible to get around the laws here.  I know that in some states, gifting milk is not illegal and the whole cow "shares" thing is legal in some areas, too (you can drink the raw milk of your own cow).

What do you guys think?  Is there a possible solution here?

[kiba]

If you guys want to die of food poisoning, that's fine with me.

[payb.tc]

here in australia you can legally buy unprocessed 'bath milk', as long as you're only using it to add to your bath water and not drinking it *wink wink*

is this not possible in the US?

[Littleshop]

Now, because no cash is being exchanged and because bitcoins are anonymous, it might be possible to get around the laws here.  I know that in some states, gifting milk is not illegal and the whole cow "shares" thing is legal in some areas, too (you can drink the raw milk of your own cow).

What do you guys think?  Is there a possible solution here?

Nothing about bitcoin changes this.  Almost all laws banning things ban the distribution AND sale so that even if you gave it away for free it would not be any different.

[misterbigg]

The "problem" of raw milk is not so much a problem of currency but a problem of violence against farmers. I don't see what Bitcoin can do to prevent that. At the end of the day, when people wearing an earpiece, and a concealed weapon poking out from underneath an ill-fitted suit show up and confiscate your property and lock you into a metal room, Bitcoin won't do a whole lot of good.

[notig]

disclaimer1: I used to own a cow share and had it for a few years. I never got sick from drinking the milk. In fact I never felt stronger. I only stopped my share because I have cut down dairy since it causes me to be congested.

disclaimer2: anyone who thinks raw milk should be illegal is an idiot.  The only thing you are doing by letting a government decree that you can't order raw milk for yourself is you are removing choice from the consumer. You are saying that the government should treat people like idiots because they are not capable of making their own decisions. That is automatically wrong because the government is an idiot already.

Ultimately you could sell raw milk on silk road I guess. But I don't think it would be a popular thing to do... despite what some may think people who drink raw milk like to research where their cows come from and sometimes even visit their farm. Plus you can already order raw milk online from places I think......... organicpastures

[foggyb]

If you guys want to die of food poisoning, that's fine with me.

Seriously? My schoolmates and I grew up on raw milk. I've never heard of anyone getting sick.

We used to have [raw] milk chugging contests in the cafeteria. I drank at least 3 glass-fulls a day in my school years, all from the local dairy.

[payb.tc]

Ultimately you could sell raw milk on silk road I guess. But I don't think it would be a popular thing to do... despite what some may think people who drink raw milk like to research where their cows come from and sometimes even visit their farm. Plus you can already order raw milk online from places I think......... organicpastures

haha next up:

Milk Road, by Dread Farmer Roberts

[Phinnaeus Gage]

Ultimately you could sell raw milk on silk road I guess. But I don't think it would be a popular thing to do... despite what some may think people who drink raw milk like to research where their cows come from and sometimes even visit their farm. Plus you can already order raw milk online from places I think......... organicpastures

haha next up:

Milk Road, by Dread Farmer Roberts

You almost beat me to the punch.

Rumor has it that the Amish use a secret internet to sell raw milk, among other things--Yoder Road.

[notig]

lol!

Shipping drugs is actually probably a lot easier than shipping milk products too.

If I ran a dairy farm though......... i'd use bitcoin anyway. because it's awesome. And I'd also probably just put a disclaimer on everything "for pets only" . as far as I know if it's for pets it isn't regulated the same you can ship it anywhere you want.

[payb.tc]

And I'd also probably just put a disclaimer on everything "for pets only" . as far as I know if it's for pets it isn't regulated the same you can ship it anywhere you want.

go all in and write "for bathing pets only"

[01BTC10]

If you guys want to die of food poisoning, that's fine with me.

This is milk cartel propaganda.

It’s also important to note that the outbreaks and illnesses associated with dairy products are generally mild compared to other foods. According to the CSPI report above, approximately 5,000 people are killed every year by foodborne illness. From 2009 − 2011, three high profile outbreaks involving peanuts, eggs and cantaloupe alone accounted for 2,729 illnesses and 39 deaths. (1) Yet there have only been a handful of deaths from pasteurized dairy products in the last decade, and there hasn’t been a single death attributed to raw fluid milk since the mid-1980s, in spite of the fact that almost 10 million people are now consuming it regularly.

http://chriskresser.com/raw-milk-reality-is-raw-milk-dangerous

[Phinnaeus Gage]

And I'd also probably just put a disclaimer on everything "for pets only" . as far as I know if it's for pets it isn't regulated the same you can ship it anywhere you want.

go all in and write "for bathing pets only"

Might as well take the marketing to the nth degree: To be used only for the soaking of alpaca socks prior to washing in the gentle cycle of a standard washing machine. For best results, don't use commercial dryers, and preferably sun drying of your precious.

[Littleshop]

If you guys want to die of food poisoning, that's fine with me.

Seriously? My schoolmates and I grew up on raw milk. I've never heard of anyone getting sick.

We used to have [raw] milk chugging contests in the cafeteria. I drank at least 3 glass-fulls a day in my school years, all from the local dairy.

Raw milk is obviously more dangerous then pasteurized.  You are 10x more likely to get sick from raw milk then from pasteurized. The nutritional value is close but raw milk is better.  Raw milk advocates say it tastes better.  I would love to try some myself.  

While raw milk is more dangerous, so is riding a bike or skydiving.  None of these things are illegal.  Raw milk should be legal and just labeled properly.  

[payb.tc]

Raw milk advocates say it tastes better.  I would love to try some myself.  

it tastes 'better' only in small quantities. like with one spoonful of cornflakes. but i'd never be able to keep down a full glass of it; i think i'd have a heart attack.

[Mike Christ]

Don't most of us consume raw milk when we're babies anyway

[01BTC10]

I've drank some when I was younger. Pasteurised milk they sale at the grocery taste like it's diluted with water. Now I'm only drinking almond milk. 

[foggyb]

Raw milk is obviously more dangerous then pasteurized.  You are 10x more likely to get sick from raw milk then from pasteurized.

All things being equal, that might be true, but they're not. Consider that store-bought milk is mixed together from many different suppliers.

How can you say its 10x more dangerous? Got any peer-reviewed studies to prove that? By what basis is it considered more dangerous? Bacteria count? What about beneficial bacteria in raw milk? The human body is a veritable petri dish, and the more variety of bacteria in your body, typically is more healthy overall. You're more resistant to infections, stomach ailments such as ulcers, and colon disorders. Its a big mistake to destroy the bacteria colonies in the human body with antibiotics, and then boil them out of milk, juice, and other healthy sources that we should be using to replenish the good bacteria count.

[velacreations]

here in australia you can legally buy unprocessed 'bath milk', as long as you're only using it to add to your bath water and not drinking it *wink wink*

is this not possible in the US?

i think it might be legal for pet food, but for human consumption, not legal.

[velacreations]

This thread wasn't meant to start a discussion about the virtues or dangers of raw milk. 

Having said that, when we had dairy goats, we drank raw milk all the time.  We weren't making any kind of health or political statement about it, we just didn't know you were supposed to pasteurize it.  We just drank it fresh, cause we never thought about it, really.  Over a decade drinking it, our neighbors drinking it, etc, no one ever got sick.  So, I guess it is possible to get sick from it, and I know it is possible to get sick from pasteurized milk, too (people do every single year), but I've never had that issue with it.

This was more of a thought experiment about an obviously huge market in the US that is currently illegal.

From what I can tell, the laws state that you can't sell the the milk (it is not against the law to purchase raw milk, from my understanding).  But, as bitcoin is not a real currency (wink, wink) and no exchange of currency happens when you exchange the milk, would that be legal?  Is gifting raw milk legal?  And if gifting is legal, is bartering legal?

I don't know.  I just know that there is a huge market out there and the current situation doesn't seem to be getting better.  To me, huge demand + huge supply = opportunity.