Dear Delegate,

I recently emailed you asking you to support HB 2448 - Raw Milk Sales and HB 2449 - Herd Shares. I focused on Raw Milk Sales as that was the bill on the committee agenda. However, after listening to the live stream of the meeting I feel that the Raw Milk Sales bill as worded is too broad to pass through the legislature this year - there is simply not enough time left to fix it to everyone's satisfaction.

Instead, I ask you to focus on a Herd Shares bill. As I mentioned in my last email, the Senate Ag committee started with a raw milk sales bill and ended with a herd shares bill after spending 2 weeks in a subcommittee that discussed the options with the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Health, farmers in the state, and researched via council the laws of surrounding states. The senate has already done the leg work and research to come up with a very defined, well worded bill. The text of the senate committee substitute bill may be found here:

http://www.legis.state.wv.us/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=SB30%20SUB1.htm&yr=2015&sesstype=RS&i=30

I ask that the House Ag Committee use the same wording as SB 30 (linked above) and substitute this bill for HB 2448 which is currently on the agenda for the next House Ag Committee meeting.

Time is running out to get this bill passed this year. Herd shares is a wonderful, safe starting point in WV to allow its citizens access to raw milk. Please, give your support to the newly worded herd shares bill.

Thank you for your time and may God bless you.

Ernie Fazenbaker
Windy Ridge Dairy
2076 Gladesville Rd.
Independence, WV 26374
304-864-4844