Sharon Palmer of Healthy Family Farms Plead Guilty to 14 Felony Counts

The "Rawesome Three" from left to right: James Stewart, Sharon Palmer, and Victoria Bloch. Ripped from David Gumpert's apologist blog, The Complete Patient

"Sharon Palmer, 54, initially faced 38 felony charges but pleaded guilty this month to 14 counts, including theft, money laundering, securities fraud, conspiracy to commit a crime and special allegations, said prosecutor Chris Harman."

This blog has been asleep at the real foodie watch wheel, because this happened in August 2014. Read all about it here from the Ventura County Star.

Notice, James Stewart of "Rawesome" fame is still wrapped up in the courts as well.

Apparently Palmer was sentenced back in November 2014. We are following up with the Ventura Senior District D.A. Chris Harman, and are also looking into who actually owns (and more importantly who runs) Healthy Family Farms at the moment.

Healthy Family Farms still sells meat and egg products in several Los Angeles area farmer's markets including the famed Santa Monica Farmer's Market.

I'm basically outraged, and why you should be too...

From a Healthy Family Farms Facebook post: "Here's an amazing, painterly photo of a Weston A. Price Foundation chapter leader and mom elsewhere in the country."
I would warn people like I, who once had the idyllic notion of farm life as pictured above, to take heed of the lesson in the story below.

The word is out, folks. Sharon Palmer of Healthy Family Farms has today been charged with "38 felony counts, including two counts of conspiracy, multiple counts of grand theft involving several victims, two counts of elder theft, several counts of money-laundering, violations of the corporate code relating to the offer and sale of securities, and tax evasion," according to an article just released by the Ventura County Star.


Healthy Family Farms formerly and may still sell in farmer's markets from Santa Barbara down the coast to Santa Monica. They are also a vendor last I checked at one of the biggest farmer's markets in the state of California, Hollywood Sunday Farmer's Market.


"Ventura County Senior Deputy District Attorney Chris Harman said Palmer faces a significant amount of time in prison based on the amount alleged to have been stolen, which includes $1,144,542.10 from Rabobank."


At first I was shocked, and then it all came to me in a wave. I remember trying to figure out how in the world a known felon like Sharon Palmer was gifted a farm. The private investigation report on unhealthyfamilyfarms.com had an interview that I remember precisely because of the amount of money people who are devoted to good food had invested in Sharon Palmer:


"Judi Dawn von Schleifer was also interviewed in detail and a detailed statement was prepared based on the interview. Ms. von Schleifer indicated that she was introduced to Sharon Palmer by James Stewart and that when she first met Ms. Palmer in August, 2008 and asked Sharon what she needed help with. Sharon replied, "I need money." She began fundraising efforts by identify and developing contact information for investors and determining the amounts that the investors would be willing to invest in an organic farm. This information was given to Sharon Palmer who made the actual arrangement with the investors as to how much they would invest and what return was being promised them. It was Judi's understanding that each of the investors were promised a 12 percent return on their money to be paid back within three to six months. Sharon indicated that she was "on track" to get a U.S. Department of Agriculture loan between $900,000.00 and $1,000,000.00. Judi said that she never saw any paperwork pertaining to the loan. Judi's fundraising assistance permitted Sharon to raise $500,000.00 to help in purchasing the farm." 

The article states that the felony charges are between Feb. 1, 2008, and April 1, 2009. This woman met Sharon Palmer in August 2008 and Sharon moved to her new farm some time that Fall.  

From The history and Facts presented by Aajunus Vonderplanitz on his website: "In about 2008, James Stewart and a small goat’s-milk farmer Sharon Palmer entered an agreement to purchase a 62-acres farm for approximately 2 million dollars. James Stewart and several Rawesome members invested about 1 million dollars. Member Larry Otting acquired a 1-million dollars loan for the balance to secure the property and leased the property to Sharon Palmer who completely runs the farm. They called it Healthy Family Farms (HFF)." This must be where Larry Otting comes in as a new defendant as per Aajonus' account he secured the loan. There is that amount of "$1,144,542.10 from Rabobank." which may be the loan. It will all come out eventually. 

It seems James was working with Sharon from the beginning. I knew that he was her partner in crime from the testimony given to me by one of our sources. I just had no idea it went this deep. But the evidence was there, on unhealthyfamilyfarms.com all along. I am outraged. A monster describes her best, if indeed these charges are true. She was able to manipulate so many people into thinking she was a victim, a single mother of 5 children (when in actuality she had 3 living at home, now 2) and that she had good intentions of raising good food. Let's face it folks. If these charges hold true, Sharon Palmer is a great con artist.


I have a few select words for James Stewart as well. His past with raw milk is not so clean. And now it appears he using the hard earned money of his Rawesome club members to con them as well. 

It looks like Aajanus is not so crazy after all. It was because of his website that I first decided to no longer buy from Sharon Palmer. 

And this I say to you: I wish this was the only case of fraud in the real food movement that I know about. Sadly, it is not. This is a huge case of fraud that we can easily wave off as one that is an outlier...not normal. Yet, think about it this way: out of 100 people, 3 will be sociopaths who will only care about their own gain and not care about the wellbeing of the whole. To think that the good intentions of the farmers market managers, raw milk supporters, Rawesome supporters, real food people, and her customers, employees, and volunteers were so badly manipulated... It is disgusting and despicable, if the charges are indeed true. 


Caveat Emptor definitely applies to the real food movement and to farmer's markets. 


Further Reading: My investigation into Healthy Family Farms in Three Parts: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Letting go...for real this time.

The Complete Patient Blog coverage
Food Safety News Coverage
In depth analysis by Food Laywer Bill Marler who sued McAfee on behalf of the Martins in the first e.coli 0157:H7 outbreak in 2006. The WAPF crowd largely dismissed that case as being due to spinach, the official story created by Mark McAfee at the time and continually promulgated by Sally Fallon.

After hearing that e.coli 0157:H7 has been officially linked to OPDC yesterday I saw red. I was that mom who listened to WAPF nutritional guidelines and made raw milk kefir from OPDC milk when I was pregnant with my son. I gave it to my daughter who is under 5 years old.

Sure I had my doubts. But I decided that well, if so many other WAPF mothers are doing it, and if it will give better nutrition to my child and growing baby, then fear be damned.

The problem is that E.coli 0157:H7 is in our food supply. Other scary bugs like Campylobater and Listeria are also in our food supply and have been linked with OPDC. If E.coli 0157:H7can outlast the acidity of our stomaches, then raw milk is no match for it nor is the beneficial bacteria in kefir.

Do not take ANYONE'S nutritional guidelines without doing your homework first. Ask questions and seek multiple sources. It says right there on the bottle, for a reason, that raw milk is a risk for pregnant women, infants, the elderly and anyone with a compromised immune system. Heed those words.

Otherwise, you could end up in the hospital, or worse, both of your children who you made raw milk kefir for can end up in the hospital with HUS. That's where both of your children's kidney's start to fail and you watch your baby barely escape death because modern medicine has learned how to keep them alive. You start living day to day, hour to hour, minute to minute. You don't know if their kidneys will recover or if they do recover, if they'll need new kidneys down the road.

The aftermath is just as messy. If you do bring your children home, the medical bills pile up as well as the medicines you have to give your children to keep their kidney's functioning properly. You might start having terrible dreams or flashbacks, and then you need therapy so you can start working through the feelings of guilt of putting both of your children through near death experiences when the warning was right there on the bottle. You eventually move out of guilt and realize you are very, very, angry. And then, if you are to move on with your life effectively, you learn what to do with that anger and where to direct it.

I watched the part of Food, Inc. where the mom talks about how e.coli 0157:H7 took her little sons life. I cry every time I see that part. It kills me.

We can't have it both ways, real food lovers. We can't on the one hand say, "Look at those huge industrial meat producers, or now spinach, tomato etc. producers and shame on them, they are killing little children." And then, in the same breath, recommend that mother's feed their children raw milk so as to give them enhanced immunity or cure their asthma or allergies or IBS or lactose intolerance or some other such chronic illness that CAN BE REMEDIED WITHOUT RAW MILK.

Stop promulgating the lies and hogwash.

This is my way of explaining why I have taken the story of OPDC and Mark McAfee so personally. He was MY dairyman. His milk is in MY local farmer's market. And he has manipulated too many people too many times for me not to care.

Laura Avery, Farmer's market manager of the Santa Monica Farmer's Market, thinks I am off base and doesn't want to discuss the issue with me any further, just as she doesn't want to do anything about Healthy Family Farms.

I feel my work is done. For now my family needs my full spirit back.

Adieu,
Kristen

A New Year

Hello dear readers.

UPDATE: I wrote this this morning without reading the news coming out about the OPDC November 2011 recall in the comments section of The Complete Patient blog or Organic Pastures news release on Facebook. Boy, is OPDC ever in damage control mode. The full report about the recall will be coming out from the CDFA on Friday. I went out on a blaze of infuriated mother tiger rage on The Complete Patient blog. TCP blog comments.

May the new year bring you peace and joy.

It is time to bury the proverbial hatchet. I've been seeing and hearing a lot of talk about Mark McAfee having his cart before his horse. I think it is mostly true in his case.

But when one criticizes another, one must look at oneself first.

Not to get all metaphysical on you but the people who annoy me or frustrate me the most are my greatest teachers. Am I in anyway misrepresenting myself? You betcha. And now it is time to walk the talk in my own personal life.  It's been awhile since I've been to my favorite farmer's market or patroned my favorite farmers.

I will still be watching the Rawesome case closely as well as Organic Pastures, and posting any relevant updates here.

For now, I will leave you with this audio, and my simple explaination is that I no longer trust the leadership of Laura Avery at the Santa Monica farmer's market. Yes, it is one of the oldest and strongest markets in the state. But so is the San Francisco Ferry Buiding Market and several others who will have nothing to do with Mark McAfee in their markets. She needs to pay more attention to the integrity of the farms who sell in her markets. For now, so as not to throw the baby out with the bathwater, I will just avoid said farmers, and patronize those farmers and businesses who do it right and are honest and forthright.

Laura Avery's radio interview with Mark McAfee about the November 2011 raw milk recall.

Best,
Kristen

Farmers Market Consumers: Buyer Beware. Part 3 of 3.

Buyer Beware at Farmer's Markets

Part 3 of 3. Part One and Part Two

I've spoken with the market manager for the farmer's market where I work and shop. Diana Rodgers runs the Sunday Mar Vista Farmer's market. Here is what she says about the issue of consumer protection in the ever growing direct to consumer farmer's markets: 

"You may be experiencing seeming reticence or apathy because farmers' market managers are concerned for the livelihood of the real, true dedicated farmers so one wants to be sure.   Also, a big expose would hurt the whole business including the farmers -- and there are still a lot of them-- that work earnestly to do things right.  The big supermarkets would like nothing better than to see farmers' markets go away.  At the same time, many are very concerned about fraud and looking for new ways to enforce thoroughly.  This takes a lot of research and diligence so it appears sometimes that nothing is being done.

Part of the problem is that the formal Agricultural inspection system is severely underfunded and we're having trouble getting the legislation passed to up the budget for agricultural inspectors.  A huge part of the issue.  There were 300+ farmers' markets in the State of CA in 2000 there are now over 700 so this is daunting and a lot is falling on market managers alone who don't have the resources to do everything by themselves.  Not to mention properly along with all of the other demands of the job.

Another problem is that there are a lot of people opening up farmers markets who know nothing about the system, farming etc.  So, they see markets as moneymakers but do not have the education to open and manage them properly.  A lot of this is the result of grass roots become industry and demand outweighing supply (small, family farmed produce).  An industry growing too fast without the proper checks and balances in place for the current system.

Big improvements have been made in the last year on the local level despite it not appearing so. A sincere and concerned group of LA Managers have gotten together to form a consortium around these very issues.  We  work on questionable farmer investigations as a team but we're having to learn a lot as we go.  We are doing inspections and sharing information and trying to do calculations based upon how many markets one farm goes to but there's a lot of other things to factor in.   I think we are all blinking in the horror of all of this and trying to gather ourselves a) to make sure our markets are quality and b) to join forces in our small way to work together to investigate and to enforce -- something, historically the job did not require to the huge degree it does now.

It is important to protect the small farmer in this work -- as it would be a terrible thing to ruin the very people we want to support, at the same time, more needs to be done to help work on a solution to the growing problem and to create a strong message to the cheaters that it will not be tolerated.

I think all the managers in my circle would be very interested in the information you have gathered -- many of them have HFF in their markets. Especially if it is evidential for them to use in enforcement.   They just have to be sure, clear and measured about how they use it.  If there is something tangible to enforce, I suspect they'd want to do so.

I so appreciate your concern.

Best,

Diana Rodgers

Manager

Mar Vista Farmers' Market"

What ARE the markets doing to investigate Healthy Family Farms in order to keep them in their markets as a vendor? 
 
Certain farmer's markets where Healthy Family Farms sells their products have lawyers on retainer watching the Healthy Family Farms saga closely. Or are they protecting their own interests, the interest of the small farms they host, and the cities that host the markets? "Farmer's markets have been sued by farmers that they've kicked out before," says Greta Dunlap, market manager for both South Pasadena and Beverly Hills farmer's markets. She said that her market's lawyer has been watching the "Healthy Family Farms issue" for about a year. Operations Manager Aaron Young confirmed that the Board of Directors for the Santa Barbara Farmer's market where Healthy Family Farms sells on Saturday had met recently to discuss the situation. Other farmers/ranchers in that market told this citizen and former Healthy Family Farms customer that they were surprised when Healthy Family Farms showed up the Saturday following the board meeting. When pressed as to why they are still selling in Santa Barbara, Young responded that they, too, have a lawyer on retainer and that "they [the board] are waiting to see what comes down the pipe [presumably from the current investigation and trial]." Dunlap echoed a similar sentiment, "We're waiting to see what comes down the pipe."

The manager of Hollywood's Sunday farmers market responded to my question about what they are doing to protect their consumers from fraud by basically stating that Cal Ag in Ventura counts what Sharon Palmer produces and Cal Ag Los Angeles keeps track of what she sells. According to Laura Avery, head manager of the Santa Monica farmer's markets where Healthy Family Farms sells on Saturday, Ventura Ag checks Healthy Family Farms egg layers and the last count, done in April, recorded that Palmer had 2,000 egg layers. But they don't count meat birds, Avery said. She also said that her market is trying to count what Healthy Family Farms sells against what Ventura Ag reports is actually on Palmer's land. This is a step in the right direction, but is it enough?

Recently, I inquired as to how the investigation into Healthy Family Farms is going at the Santa Monica Farmer's Markets, where I used to buy from Healthy Family Farms at the Saturday market. It is my earnest belief that Laura Avery is doing everything within her power to investigate Healthy Family Farms. Unfortunately, it seems as though the information I have gathered is from the past and the more current picture evidence does not provide anything that is "tangible to enforce" in the words of Diana Rodgers, above.  It is my sincere hope that Sharon Palmer is producing her own meat and eggs at this time.

So what do watch dog farmer's market managers do to investigate fraud themselves? According to Mar Vista market manager Diana Rodgers, where Healthy Family Farms is not a vendor, they are doing the best they can with limited resources. From an article by David Karp for the Los Angeles Times Farmers Market column:

"Rodgers meets regularly with other local managers in a group, recently incorporated in a chapter of the California State Grange, to discuss a broad range of issues such as street closures, regulatory requirements and quarantines. And in January she was appointed as an alternate to the Certified Farmers Market Advisory Committee, which helps guide the state program.

Market integrity, always a concern for Rodgers, has become a priority since media reports last fall about vendors who sold produce they'd bought from the wholesale market rather than what they'd grown themselves. She evaluates farmers who apply to sell at her market by checking that they haven't been cited for peddling by agricultural authorities, by asking which other markets they sell at, by vetting them with other managers whose opinions she respects and by visiting the farms.

Verifying integrity can be tricky. Brief farm visits like the ones she recently did are enough to catch blatant cheaters, Rodgers says, but won't nail those who grow a plausible amount for show and then buy the rest. The new mantra for integrity-conscious managers is "do the math": check records of farmers market sales against estimates of production on the farmer's certificate, issued by county agricultural inspectors. But the variables, such as crops, growing areas, seasons and sales to wholesale outlets are so complex that it's difficult for even a determined manager to catch cheaters, who have grown increasingly creative in exploiting the loopholes in market rules, Rodgers said.

The problem is that farmers markets have proliferated, but agricultural commissioners have scant resources for inspections. Rogers recently took a lead role in rallying support for a plan, proposed by a committee appointed by the California Department of Food and Agriculture, to increase the stall fees paid by farmers in order to fund enforcement and manager training. If this plan fails to gain authorization from the state Legislature, as now seems likely, local managers may need to band together to hire professional investigators if they are to protect customers against fraud, Rodgers said.

Like many good managers, she provides customers with information to guide their choices, by posting on the website a map with descriptions of growing practices for each of her farmers. She also forbids vendors from displaying signs with misleading or meaningless phrases, such as "naturally grown" or 'no spray'."

Demand is Growing 

"Demand for local food is expected to reach $7 billion by 2012, nearly doubling since 2002, according to the Agriculture Department. And with more than 6,000 farmers markets currently operating in the United States — a 40 percent jump in the past five years — they are an easy place for consumers to go to get their fresh-food fix." states an article on MSNBC's food safety column. That article is concerned about food safety in the rapidly grossing and growing markets.

But as this current trial with Healthy Family Farms shows, maybe we should be worried that to "know your farmer" is not enough to put your full confidence in their products. A discerning consumer will visit the farm themselves, and know the tough questions to ask.

Part 3 of 3. Part One and Part Two