Hundreds of people gathered under a yellow-and-white-striped tent on a windswept Christiana farm Friday afternoon to celebrate the right of all Americans to drink raw milk.

The crowd, some from as far away as California and New Mexico, also would have liked to celebrate America's independence from government regulation of the sale of unpasteurized milk.

But about half of all states ban raw milk sales, citing safety concerns. Many others impose strict limits on producers.

Those restrictions spurred the creation last year of the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund, which celebrated its first anniversary Friday with a picnic on the farm of Jake and Barbie Zook, who produce and sell raw milk.

In addition to defending farmers' rights to sell unprocessed foods directly to consumers unfettered by government regulation, the nonprofit group opposes government efforts to create a national database of farm animals.

The National Animal Identification System would force all farmers to embed microchips in their livestock so the federal Department of Agriculture can keep track of them.

Small farm owners object to the cost and government oversight of the program, and Amish farmers say participating would violate their religious beliefs.

But what united many at Friday's picnic was milk — the right to produce, sell and buy it in its natural state, straight from the cow.

The diverse crowd included Amish and "English" milk producers and other farmers, health-conscious consumers and civil libertarians.

Cyndi Green of Gaithersburg, Md., attended with her husband, John, and children, Sean and Elizabeth.

The Greens began drinking raw milk last July, Cyndi Green said, after she heard about its benefits at a support group for families with autistic children.

Sean, 13, who has the neurological disorder, had stopped drinking milk at 18 months of age because of gastrointestinal problems.

But since he started drinking raw milk, "his gut has completely healed" Cyndi Green said.

His cognitive and language skills also have improved greatly.

"His teachers at school say whatever you're doing at home, keep doing it, because his cognitive skills have improved," she said.

Proponents of raw milk claim pasteurization — the long-practiced process of heating milk to kill bacteria and pathogens such as E. coli and listeria — destroys good bacteria, enzymes and raw fats that boost the immune system, aid digestion and fight disease.

Pasteurization is an unnecessary throwback to the era before refrigeration, they say, and raw milk is completely safe when properly handled and stored.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration disagrees. It warns consumers not to drink unprocessed milk because it is a host to pathogens, including salmonella. Raw milk is especially risky for children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems, the FDA warns.

But more and more people — spurred by a desire to eat organic foods with limited processing and improve their health through holistic means — are drinking raw milk.

Because the Greens live in Maryland, where the sale of raw milk is banned, they must buy it in Pennsylvania.

The state permits direct sales to consumers on farms, but recently has cracked down on license requirements on all other sales.

Pete Kennedy, legislative director for the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund, told the crowd the organization is fighting such restrictions in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Vermont, Missouri, New Jersey, Maryland and California.

The group also seeks to overturn a "ridiculous" federal ban on transportation of raw milk across state lines, he said.

To help consumers get around state laws, the Legal Defense Fund helps them establish cow shares, in which they purchase a share of a farmer's herd and receive raw milk as part-owners.

Heather Dodge of Baltimore gets her milk through a similar cooperative arrangement with a farmer.

Her family began drinking raw milk in November for health reasons.

"We try to eat all of our food in a more natural state," she said. "I figured if I was getting it from a farm and (the cows) were grass fed, then it's going to be healthier for me."

Her husband's seasonal allergies "have totally cleared up" since the family switched to raw milk, she said.

Dodge said she supports the Legal Defense Fund's efforts to make raw milk sales legal.

"I don't see why I shouldn't have a right to get my food directly from the farmer, and a small farmer at that," she said.

"Of all the things I have a right to do, that seems a pretty basic thing."

E-mail: bwallace@lnpnews.com