The Amish farmer who won MAGA fame with his raw milk
By Bethany Rodgers, USA TODAY NETWORK
As a follower of the carnivore diet, holistic skincare specialist Danny Neifert largely avoids grains and veggies and subsists almost entirely on meat, which she says makes her feel sated and healthy.
To round out her meals, though, she supplements with dairy — or, more specifically, with unpasteurized milk, cheese and ice cream that she’s carefully sourced from an Amish farm more than 1,500 miles away. A styrofoam box loaded with these raw milk products arrives on her Colorado doorstep most months, each package costing her more than $100 in shipping fees. More:
It’s worth the price, she says.
Like many customers of Pennsylvania farmer Amos Miller, she believes his dairy is so wholesome that it’s a kind of medicine, bearing little resemblance to the nutrient-poor, lifeless foods that dominate American grocery stores.
And it’s delicious, she says. She talks about the “notes” she tastes in Miller’s raw milk, as if describing a fine wine.
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Like many customers of Pennsylvania farmer Amos Miller, she believes his dairy is so wholesome that it’s a kind of medicine, bearing little resemblance to the nutrient-poor, lifeless foods that dominate American grocery stores.
And it’s delicious, she says. She talks about the “notes” she tastes in Miller’s raw milk, as if describing a fine wine.
“You just feel like there’s this symphony going on,” said Neifert, who said she learned of the Amish farm through her acupuncturist.
Last year, she was worried she’d lose access to these products after state regulators descended on Miller’s farm in Bird-and-Hand. Though the Amish man sells unpasteurized dairy — or dairy that hasn’t been heated to kill off dangerous bacteria — he’s refused to get a Pennsylvania raw milk permit and has clashed with federal and state food safety officials repeatedly over the years.
Authorities lost patience after tracing two cases of E. coli back to Miller’s operation. Early last year, they descended on his farm, then asked a judge to stop him from illegally selling food through a buyers club that distributes products to thousands of people across the nation.
The move provoked outrage from Miller’s devoted customers, including Neifert, who views the farmer’s lifestyle as an art form passed down across generations and says, “there has to be a way that that can exist in America.”
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