I am passionate about helping people learn more about their food, but I'm also passionate about caring for my farm and family. I find that right now, I can't do both justice, as far as this blog is concerned. I'm sorry, but I'm going to have stop posting here, though I wish I didn't have to.
Between farmers markets, goat health, and the demands of family, I'm just having to focus more on those issues. I'm sorry. Please, if you read this regularly, seek out other information, such as lavidalocavore or other Foodie blogs, and keep on learning. Sorry.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Stopping NAIS in its Tracks
Well, the USDA is getting its "ear full," of we object to NAIS. The listening sessions have been very clear in their objections to the program. USDA set out to try and find a "consensus" where "we could all agree" to implement the program. They are finding consensus within their audience, but not in the direction they wanted. Farmers, ranchers and consumers have come out of their fields in the planting/harvesting season, driven to remote areas during work days, and sat in stuffy rooms to say "No, This program is not in my best interest because....."
Recently the USDA's budget for NAIS was cut in the HOuse Appropriations committee. A move that could mean the end of the program, except the explanation given is basically until the USDA can fully implement a successful mandatory NAIS we will not fund it.(That's my paraphrase,not a quote.) How do we make legislators understand the real world of small farms? These are living creatures, not boxes on a warehouse shelf. They have free will, open mouths, and they do not reproduce by mass assembly line. NAIS is completely counter-intuitive to the growing "buy local" movement, sustainable community, "green economy," and "support small business," business ethics. It is in no one's best interest except industrial ag, who at this point is looking for any edge it can get against the growing consumer awakening that safe food is not anonymous. The safest food is that purchased from the farmer, on a small to medium scale, being raised with humane treatment and sustainable methods.
One thing we need to do is to stop speaking to the choir and find a way to reach out to the "congregation." Suggestions?
Recently the USDA's budget for NAIS was cut in the HOuse Appropriations committee. A move that could mean the end of the program, except the explanation given is basically until the USDA can fully implement a successful mandatory NAIS we will not fund it.(That's my paraphrase,not a quote.) How do we make legislators understand the real world of small farms? These are living creatures, not boxes on a warehouse shelf. They have free will, open mouths, and they do not reproduce by mass assembly line. NAIS is completely counter-intuitive to the growing "buy local" movement, sustainable community, "green economy," and "support small business," business ethics. It is in no one's best interest except industrial ag, who at this point is looking for any edge it can get against the growing consumer awakening that safe food is not anonymous. The safest food is that purchased from the farmer, on a small to medium scale, being raised with humane treatment and sustainable methods.
One thing we need to do is to stop speaking to the choir and find a way to reach out to the "congregation." Suggestions?
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Pheww!
It's been a busy few weeks since I last posted. Mostly personal stuff, but I attended the NAIS listening Session in CT, got some testimony mailed off to the State for SB376, the MA Anti-NAIS legislation. I couldn't attend because of one of my dog's getting injured, but hopefully we can get more people to send in their opinions. (HINT!)
I've also asked Senator Stephen Brewer, author of SB376 to help develop "farmstead levels" of production for dairy products. He forwarded me the letter he wrote to the Sec. of Ag, Scott Soares, but the more comments to legislators, and MDAR, the better.
The fight against NAIS is building. With the new movie, Food, Inc. coming out, perhaps even more people will take notice. The listening sessions have been very vocal in their opposition, and the new Food Safety Act that is traveling through D.C. has an exemption for direct from farm sales. Maybe that means they're hearing us. Only one way to know for sure - keep saying it!
I'll try to get back more often. Between kiddings, dog problems, family issues, goat shows and farmers markets, it's going to be a crazy summer. If you want me to write more, let me know. I didn't intend this to be a one way conversation. Thanks,
Pat
I've also asked Senator Stephen Brewer, author of SB376 to help develop "farmstead levels" of production for dairy products. He forwarded me the letter he wrote to the Sec. of Ag, Scott Soares, but the more comments to legislators, and MDAR, the better.
The fight against NAIS is building. With the new movie, Food, Inc. coming out, perhaps even more people will take notice. The listening sessions have been very vocal in their opposition, and the new Food Safety Act that is traveling through D.C. has an exemption for direct from farm sales. Maybe that means they're hearing us. Only one way to know for sure - keep saying it!
I'll try to get back more often. Between kiddings, dog problems, family issues, goat shows and farmers markets, it's going to be a crazy summer. If you want me to write more, let me know. I didn't intend this to be a one way conversation. Thanks,
Pat
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Consumers Speak Too, Please!
Do You Care About Serving and Eating the Freshest, Safest Food Possible?
If you do, then please show your support for local farmers by attending the upcoming USDA NAIS Listening Session, to be held on Wednesday, May 27, 2009 at One Bishop Circle, U-Conn, Storr, CT.
What is NAIS and why is of concern?
NAIS stands for National Animal Identification System, and it has three aspects to it:
Premises: Register every location where animals are housed or visit, ie. farms, stables,
Tagging: Identify every individual farm animal, including horses, with a permanent
id marker, preferably an RFID chip eartag.
Tracking: Notify the government or database every time a tag is replaced, an animal leaves its home farm,
meets an animal from a different farm, visits a different location.
Why does the USDA want to do this? – Answers have ranged from “agro-terrorism,” to food safety, Mad Cow to animal disease. The program was created by corporate entities who represent industrial agriculture and electronic identification businesses.
How does it endanger small farms? - The cost of the program is unknown, both financially and constitutionally. There are privacy concerns and individual freedom concerns, but there are also real costs associated with numerous tags, applicators, readers, and costs of report. Failure to report is punishable by fine or incarceration. Some species which are included cannot be identified in the ways that the USDA is instructing. Babies outgrow tags. Eartags get ripped out. Injuries associated with tag removal endangers milk and causes medical expenses that cannot be foreseen. Most small farms will not be able to survive the expenses associated with NAIS. The reports for this program require high speed internet hookups, which many farms do not enjoy. Other farmers do not even have electricity, by choice, or by availability, yet they will be required to comply as well.
What food is involved? – Anyone who consumes meat, dairy, or eggs will see immediate loss of local supply. Those using “Ark of Taste” meats will see their supplies dwindle, as those species do not do well under industrial conditions. For those who do not consume animal protein, there will be a loss of organic and natural fertilizers, as the source farms will disappear as well. There are non-food species involved as well such as llamas and alpacas. How are they a threat to our food?
I do want safe food, isn’t this a good thing? – Everyone wants safe food, but the only farms exempt from the full reach of NAIS are the industrial farms that raise poultry and pork products. They are allowed to “tag and track” by “lot number,” rather than individual animal, though the small farmer raising the same species, must comply with all aspects of the NAIS.
NAIS will not keep food any safer, not animals. Encouraging people to raise animals humanely, on small sustainable farms, produces the best outcome – high quality, safe food raised by conscientious, sustainable farmers. The best “traceback” that the USDA can do is 48 hours, yet growing the food locally, and buying directly from the farmer gives you instantaneous “traceback.” Avoiding disease is far more preferable that chasing it, yet the USDA and other governments do little to educate and support small farmers to keep up on threats and procedures that might benefit them.
For more information about the Listening Session at Storrs, or to comment by Internet to the USDA and the Federal Registry, please visit www.smallholdersalliance.com or www.farmandranchfreedom.org. Or you can call me, Pat Stewart, at 978-827-1305. Thank you, and I hope you can attend.
Pat Stewart
SmallHolders Alliance
Hames & Axle Farm
Ashburnham, MA
If you do, then please show your support for local farmers by attending the upcoming USDA NAIS Listening Session, to be held on Wednesday, May 27, 2009 at One Bishop Circle, U-Conn, Storr, CT.
What is NAIS and why is of concern?
NAIS stands for National Animal Identification System, and it has three aspects to it:
Premises: Register every location where animals are housed or visit, ie. farms, stables,
Tagging: Identify every individual farm animal, including horses, with a permanent
id marker, preferably an RFID chip eartag.
Tracking: Notify the government or database every time a tag is replaced, an animal leaves its home farm,
meets an animal from a different farm, visits a different location.
Why does the USDA want to do this? – Answers have ranged from “agro-terrorism,” to food safety, Mad Cow to animal disease. The program was created by corporate entities who represent industrial agriculture and electronic identification businesses.
How does it endanger small farms? - The cost of the program is unknown, both financially and constitutionally. There are privacy concerns and individual freedom concerns, but there are also real costs associated with numerous tags, applicators, readers, and costs of report. Failure to report is punishable by fine or incarceration. Some species which are included cannot be identified in the ways that the USDA is instructing. Babies outgrow tags. Eartags get ripped out. Injuries associated with tag removal endangers milk and causes medical expenses that cannot be foreseen. Most small farms will not be able to survive the expenses associated with NAIS. The reports for this program require high speed internet hookups, which many farms do not enjoy. Other farmers do not even have electricity, by choice, or by availability, yet they will be required to comply as well.
What food is involved? – Anyone who consumes meat, dairy, or eggs will see immediate loss of local supply. Those using “Ark of Taste” meats will see their supplies dwindle, as those species do not do well under industrial conditions. For those who do not consume animal protein, there will be a loss of organic and natural fertilizers, as the source farms will disappear as well. There are non-food species involved as well such as llamas and alpacas. How are they a threat to our food?
I do want safe food, isn’t this a good thing? – Everyone wants safe food, but the only farms exempt from the full reach of NAIS are the industrial farms that raise poultry and pork products. They are allowed to “tag and track” by “lot number,” rather than individual animal, though the small farmer raising the same species, must comply with all aspects of the NAIS.
NAIS will not keep food any safer, not animals. Encouraging people to raise animals humanely, on small sustainable farms, produces the best outcome – high quality, safe food raised by conscientious, sustainable farmers. The best “traceback” that the USDA can do is 48 hours, yet growing the food locally, and buying directly from the farmer gives you instantaneous “traceback.” Avoiding disease is far more preferable that chasing it, yet the USDA and other governments do little to educate and support small farmers to keep up on threats and procedures that might benefit them.
For more information about the Listening Session at Storrs, or to comment by Internet to the USDA and the Federal Registry, please visit www.smallholdersalliance.com or www.farmandranchfreedom.org. Or you can call me, Pat Stewart, at 978-827-1305. Thank you, and I hope you can attend.
Pat Stewart
SmallHolders Alliance
Hames & Axle Farm
Ashburnham, MA
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Giving Up and Fighting Back
I Give Up:
Life is conspiring against me. I really want to do this educational piece, but it's not going to happen right now. We're coming into show season, market season, and the fight against NAIS is heating up. So, maybe by Christmas I can put something together. I'm sorry. There just aren' t enough hours in the day right now.
Fighting Back:
Speaking of Fighting NAIS, there are some really important dates coming up. The USDA has said that it intends to host listening sessions from those who are against NAIS. That's great, in that we've been heard through the agri-giants "din," but not clearly enough that Sec. Vilsack fully understands our concerns. So, now's our chance to reach out. Here are the dates:
If you want to speak, or attend inside the building you need to pre-register for your best chance of getting in. There will be onsite registration, but I expect the docket will be filling up fast.
From the Liberty Ark Action Alert :
"Although preregistration is not required, participants are asked to preregister by sending APHIS an e-mail at NAISSessions@aphis.usda.gov or calling 301-734-0799.
Life is conspiring against me. I really want to do this educational piece, but it's not going to happen right now. We're coming into show season, market season, and the fight against NAIS is heating up. So, maybe by Christmas I can put something together. I'm sorry. There just aren' t enough hours in the day right now.
Fighting Back:
Speaking of Fighting NAIS, there are some really important dates coming up. The USDA has said that it intends to host listening sessions from those who are against NAIS. That's great, in that we've been heard through the agri-giants "din," but not clearly enough that Sec. Vilsack fully understands our concerns. So, now's our chance to reach out. Here are the dates:
May 14 - Harrisburg, PA
May 18 - Pasco, WA
May 20 - Austin, TX
May 21- Birmingham, AL
May 22 - Louisville, KY
May 27 - Storrs, CT
June 1 - Greeley, CO
If you want to speak, or attend inside the building you need to pre-register for your best chance of getting in. There will be onsite registration, but I expect the docket will be filling up fast.
From the Liberty Ark Action Alert :
"Although preregistration is not required, participants are asked to preregister by sending APHIS an e-mail at NAISSessions@aphis.usda.gov or calling 301-734-0799.
In the subject line of the e-mail, indicate your name (or organization name) and the location of the meeting you plan to attend. If you wish to present public comments during one of the meetings, please include your name (or organization name) and address in the body of the message. Members of the public who are not able to attend may also submit and view comments via the Federal eRulemaking Portal. "
If you can't attend, please contact your elected officials, local newspapers, add it to your blog, spread the word. We need people to come and show their feelings about NAIS and local agriculture. You can send comments through the Federal Portal, at the link above.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Don't Hang the Pigs
When I first heard Sec. Vilsack ask us to use "H1N1" as the name for this new flu virus I laughed. After hearing what's going on in Egypt, with the slaughter of all the nation's pigs in the name of "disease prevention," I'm not laughing anymore.
While I would love to know if there is a correlation between industrial swine operations, with their manure lagoons, and the spread of the disease to humans, I don't blame the pigs. I doubt the government or the industry is going to admit if such a relationship exists. But isolated pigs, feral ones, or ones being kept as pastured pigs, aren't going to attracting the scads of flies that would come to an industrial operation. Certainly the pigs play a vital role in the Egyptian society, whether as a food source or as a part of the "clean up crew." Government agents aren't even discussing how they will deal with the aftermath of such a slaughter, especially in Cairo, where pigs are used as a part of the solid waste disposal system in that city.
I understand how scary this outbreak is. But there are certain assumptions being spread, not promoted, by the Internet and the media, make no sense. Keeping pigs does not necessarily invite the disease. Eating pork, if properly cooked as always, does not invite the disease. And, avoiding pigs doesn't necessarily avoid the flu, as obviously most of the people in the US who have contracted it have had no contact with pigs. The cat is out of the bag. And nature was going to make this particular "cat" somewhere, some day. Now it's time we learned how to take care of ourselves again.
That doesn't mean medicate up to wazoo. It means being considerate when you're not feeling well. It means washing your hands well, and often. I still think good old soap and water is the best solution, not alcohol soaps all the time. "Anti-Bacterial soaps" may make you feel better for the short term, but if H1N1 or other "germs" mutate to be resistant to such scrubs, then what do we have? The practices we need to recall are the ones our ancestors practiced last century and for centuries before that: Eat well, Get lots of sleep, Avoid contact with others if you're sick and stay away from people who are sick. Is that paycheck more important than the lives of your co-workers? We can't medicate our way out of this mess. Nature and time will work it out, if we let them. Meanwhile, being safe and considerate is a better practice than blaming the pigs
While I would love to know if there is a correlation between industrial swine operations, with their manure lagoons, and the spread of the disease to humans, I don't blame the pigs. I doubt the government or the industry is going to admit if such a relationship exists. But isolated pigs, feral ones, or ones being kept as pastured pigs, aren't going to attracting the scads of flies that would come to an industrial operation. Certainly the pigs play a vital role in the Egyptian society, whether as a food source or as a part of the "clean up crew." Government agents aren't even discussing how they will deal with the aftermath of such a slaughter, especially in Cairo, where pigs are used as a part of the solid waste disposal system in that city.
I understand how scary this outbreak is. But there are certain assumptions being spread, not promoted, by the Internet and the media, make no sense. Keeping pigs does not necessarily invite the disease. Eating pork, if properly cooked as always, does not invite the disease. And, avoiding pigs doesn't necessarily avoid the flu, as obviously most of the people in the US who have contracted it have had no contact with pigs. The cat is out of the bag. And nature was going to make this particular "cat" somewhere, some day. Now it's time we learned how to take care of ourselves again.
That doesn't mean medicate up to wazoo. It means being considerate when you're not feeling well. It means washing your hands well, and often. I still think good old soap and water is the best solution, not alcohol soaps all the time. "Anti-Bacterial soaps" may make you feel better for the short term, but if H1N1 or other "germs" mutate to be resistant to such scrubs, then what do we have? The practices we need to recall are the ones our ancestors practiced last century and for centuries before that: Eat well, Get lots of sleep, Avoid contact with others if you're sick and stay away from people who are sick. Is that paycheck more important than the lives of your co-workers? We can't medicate our way out of this mess. Nature and time will work it out, if we let them. Meanwhile, being safe and considerate is a better practice than blaming the pigs
Thursday, April 23, 2009
I Blew It
Do I get any credit for planning this "educational piece" for weeks? even though I didn't get it out in time. It won't be ready for this Friday either, I'm afraid. We've had a population explosion in the barn this week, and thankfully, some sales to go with that. I haven't forgotten my pledge, I'm just having to delay it a few weeks . I'm sorry, but it's getting busy around here.
Meanwhile, Happy Earth Day to everyone. I hope that this growth in awareness of our planet and our place on it, continues beyond this event, and this year. As a long time "eco-geek," it's heartwarming to see the Earth finally getting some consideration, even if it is a little bit late.
Meanwhile, Happy Earth Day to everyone. I hope that this growth in awareness of our planet and our place on it, continues beyond this event, and this year. As a long time "eco-geek," it's heartwarming to see the Earth finally getting some consideration, even if it is a little bit late.
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