Monday, December 22, 2008
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Friday, December 12, 2008
Michael Pollan & Bill Moyers
In the last version of CFA News, we published a snippet of Michael Pollan's open letter to the next "Farmer-in-Chief," who we now know is Barack Obama. In this series of videos, Pollan sits down with Bill Moyers to discuss what direction the U.S. should pursue in the often-overlooked question of food policy. The insights are incredibly relevant to the work of restoring our food system to one that preserves the health and wealth of Kentuckians that CFA members are so deeply engaged in. There's even reference to our own Wendell Berry at the end. Enjoy!
PART 1
PART 2
PART 3
PART 4
PART 5
PART 1
PART 2
PART 3
PART 4
PART 5
Thursday, December 04, 2008
CFA Holiday Party at Derby City Espresso
Community Food
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Stone Soup Community Kitchen (10/18)
What:
Meet others interested in creating a just and equitable food system in Louisville, while we prepare and dine on a feast of fresh, local food. We will hear from Dr. Vimal Patel on the causes and solutions of diet-related illnesses in the African-American community, and we hope to engage some of Louisville's corner store owners in a discussion about the barriers that they face in offering fresh, healthy food options in their stores.
When:
5-9pm, Saturday October 18th
Where:
St. Martin de Porres Church
3112 W. Broadway (map)
This event is free and open to the public.
RSVPs are appreciated. You can email Karyn Moskowitz at karyncfa[at]bellsouth.net or call CFA's Louisville office at (502) 775-4041.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Jefferson County Chapter Policy Updates!
The Jeff. County policy committee is making great progress planning the strategy and tactics for our upcoming campaigns! Our buy local ordinance has the potential to impact various county departments and will benefit our KY farmers in a great way. The CFA corner store incentive program also impacts the purchase of local food by giving corner store owners 20% back on yearly food purchases totaling up to $7,500. Both ordinances will be presented for passage in April 2009. If you want to be involved in making change in Jefferson County that positively affects both urban residents and our KY farmers, please contact the Louisville office at 502-775-4041 or email SteVon at stevoncfa@bellsouth.net. You can also make a request to view the minutes from our past meetings. The committee meets the fourth Tuesday of every month @ 6:30pm in the Louisville office. It takes each one to make it all happen!
Shop and Dine Fundraisers! Friday 10/24
5% of the store's net sales for the day will be donated to Community Farm Alliance.
II. Harvest Dinner
Mingle with local farmers and experience an unforgettable six course prix fixe meal. To allow chefs to choose fresh and local produce at its peak, the menu will be finalized closer to the time of the meal. However, the handful of certainties include heirloom tomato "carpaccio" with bourbon-smoked salt, spaghetti squash with basil and feta, and pumpkin, caramelized apple and pistachio gelato ice cream sandwiches.
Dress for the event is casual, and space heaters will be at the ready should the weather be chilly. Live Bluegrass music will be provided by the Relic Band.
To reserve your seat, call (502) 899-5545 before Oct. 17.
The cost of dinner is $35, which includes a membership, or renewal of membership, to Community Farm Alliance!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED TO STOP NAIS
PLEASE CALL SENATOR MCCONNELL TODAY!
NAIS ACTION NEEDED: CALL THE SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE!
The Senate Appropriations Committee will hear the Agriculture Appropriations bill this Thursday, July 17. With the House appropriations bill stalled, it is very important that we make sure the Senate does not put in pro-NAIS provisions to its version of the bill!
TAKE ACTION
Call Senator McConnell's office at: 202-224-2541
Ask to speak to the staffer who handles appropriations. If you get their voice mail, leave the following message, or something in your own words that makes the same points:
MESSAGE: My name is _______. I am a constituent. I am calling because I am against the National Animal Identification System, or NAIS. I urge Senator McConnell to oppose the inclusion of any provision linking NAIS to other programs, including the School Lunch Program. NAIS, which tracks live animals, will not improve food safety because most food safety problems start at the slaughterhouse and food processing facilities. Funding for NAIS, particularly any mandatory NAIS, needs to be stopped. Please call me back at ________.
When you talk to the staffer, be sure to make the same points as in the message, and expand on them with some of the talking points below. Ask that Senator McConnell keep NAIS out of the Senate Appropriations bill.
TALKING POINTS FOR CALLS AND FAXES
In addition to the message above, here are some more talking points about why NAIS should not be linked to the School Lunch Program (as was done in the House) or funded. Pick one or two to focus on, and put them in your own words!
- NAIS will not improve food safety. The massive Hallmark/Westland beef recall this past year was caused by the slaughterhouse employees' failure to follow existing regulations for handling "downer" cows. Mandating NAIS on cattle producers will not make anybody obey the laws we already have.
- The money would be better spent on measures that truly improve animal health and food safety, such as safety inspections at packing and processing plants.
- NAIS is not scientifically or economically sound.
- USDA has presented no science to back up its claims that NAIS will address livestock diseases.
- The USDA has never completed a cost/benefit analysis.
- Linking NAIS to other programs, such as the School Lunch Program, uses the government's power to economically coerce farmers into NAIS. That is not a "voluntary" program.
- Using the school lunch program to force farmers into NAIS undermines the growing farm-to-school program, which helps children get fresh, local, and sustainably raised foods. Local farmers should not be forced into an unpopular program that has nothing to do with food quality or safety in order to provide food for our children.
- NAIS has never been specifically approved by Congress. This massive program, which will impact millions of people, should be addressed through full and open debate, not snuck in through appropriations.
NAIS ACTION NEEDED: CALL THE SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE!
The Senate Appropriations Committee will hear the Agriculture Appropriations bill this Thursday, July 17. With the House appropriations bill stalled, it is very important that we make sure the Senate does not put in pro-NAIS provisions to its version of the bill!
TAKE ACTION
Call Senator McConnell's office at: 202-224-2541
Ask to speak to the staffer who handles appropriations. If you get their voice mail, leave the following message, or something in your own words that makes the same points:
MESSAGE: My name is _______. I am a constituent. I am calling because I am against the National Animal Identification System, or NAIS. I urge Senator McConnell to oppose the inclusion of any provision linking NAIS to other programs, including the School Lunch Program. NAIS, which tracks live animals, will not improve food safety because most food safety problems start at the slaughterhouse and food processing facilities. Funding for NAIS, particularly any mandatory NAIS, needs to be stopped. Please call me back at ________.
When you talk to the staffer, be sure to make the same points as in the message, and expand on them with some of the talking points below. Ask that Senator McConnell keep NAIS out of the Senate Appropriations bill.
TALKING POINTS FOR CALLS AND FAXES
In addition to the message above, here are some more talking points about why NAIS should not be linked to the School Lunch Program (as was done in the House) or funded. Pick one or two to focus on, and put them in your own words!
- NAIS will not improve food safety. The massive Hallmark/Westland beef recall this past year was caused by the slaughterhouse employees' failure to follow existing regulations for handling "downer" cows. Mandating NAIS on cattle producers will not make anybody obey the laws we already have.
- The money would be better spent on measures that truly improve animal health and food safety, such as safety inspections at packing and processing plants.
- NAIS is not scientifically or economically sound.
- USDA has presented no science to back up its claims that NAIS will address livestock diseases.
- The USDA has never completed a cost/benefit analysis.
- Linking NAIS to other programs, such as the School Lunch Program, uses the government's power to economically coerce farmers into NAIS. That is not a "voluntary" program.
- Using the school lunch program to force farmers into NAIS undermines the growing farm-to-school program, which helps children get fresh, local, and sustainably raised foods. Local farmers should not be forced into an unpopular program that has nothing to do with food quality or safety in order to provide food for our children.
- NAIS has never been specifically approved by Congress. This massive program, which will impact millions of people, should be addressed through full and open debate, not snuck in through appropriations.
Monday, April 07, 2008
Kentucky General Assembly Helps CFA, Local Farmers, Create L.I.F.E.
With the 2008 Legislative Session of the Kentucky General Assembly all wrapped up, CFA can't help but celebrate. After a long and interesting few months, we are grateful that BOTH our pieces of legislation have been signed by the presiding legislative officers and sent to Governor Beshear for his signature! Congratulations and Thank You to all those members who helped CFA lobby for these legislative victories! Your hard work and dedication as well as your emails, phone calls, and personal visits to legislators made this session a successful one for CFA and for Kentucky's family farmers, proving that Real Change Comes From the Ground Up!
Special thanks go to Representative Dwight Butler and his intern Brittany Dowell for their inspiring work on HB 484, as well as to co-sponsors Rep. Charlie Hoffman, Tom McKee, C.B. Embry and Jeff Greer.
A world of gratitude to Rep. Rick Rand, Johnny Bell, and Jeff Greer for the success of HB 495! Thank you for being true champions for Kentucky's family farmers!
HB 495: Limits the Implementation of the National Animal Identification System in Kentucky.
Sponsor: Representative Rick Rand
Co Sponsors: Representative Johnny Bell and Representative Jeff Greer
What Will House Bill 495 Do?
· HB 495 prohibits the state of Kentucky from mandating the National Animal Identification System in the absence of a federal law requiring compliance with the USDA program. In the event that NAIS does become mandatory at the federal level, HB 495 ensures that Kentucky's compliance can be no more stringent than federal policies.
· HB 495 also prevents the state from penalizing any farmer or withholding goods, services, licenses, permits, grants or other benefits based on non-participation in any phase of the National Animal Identification System.
What House Bill 495 Does NOT Do:
· HB 495 does not prevent Kentucky from establishing or participating in disease control programs specifically designed to address a known disease in a specific species of livestock.
· HB 495 does not prohibit private agricultural industry organizations from establishing voluntary source verification programs for their own members or others who elect to participate.
Why is This Necessary?
Though NAIS is currently voluntary and expected to remain voluntary at the federal level, USDA is funding state departments of agriculture that agree to implement the program. Kentucky has recently been promoting the program and requiring participation in certain phases of the system to qualify for certain services. HB 495 will stop us from going any further. Until USDA can get the program mandated, Kentucky should back away from it also, for the sake of our family farmers. The program is intrusive, costly, and burdensome to the family farmer and tilts the scales heavily in favor of corporate agribusiness. HB 495 is the necessary step to stop N.A.I.S. in Kentucky!
What Happened with HB 495?
HB 495 passed unanimously out of the House Agriculture Committee, unanimously off the House floor with a vote of 95-0. The bill passed unanimously out of the Senate Agriculture committee, and unanimously off the Senate floor. It has now been delivered to Governor Beshear where it awaits his signature.
John Logan Brent, Henry County Judge Executive and Beef Cattle Producer
"I am very appreciative of my Representive Rick Rand for sponsoring this bill and for Community Farm Alliance and all of there hard work in seeing it through. Our legislature got this one right. HB 495 is a common sense bill designed with the farmer in mind, not the corporation and that is definately refreshing in today's Agriculture."
Steve Smith, CFA member and farmer in Trimble County
"This bill is a true victory for our family farms. Special thanks go to Representatives Rick Rand and Johnny Bell, and to the people of Community Farm Alliance for all of their hard work for farmers in Kentucky on this issue."
HB 484 – Local Food for State Universities
Sponsor: Representative Dwight Butler
Primary Co Sponsor: Representative Charlie Hoffman
Other co-sponsors: Representative Tom McKee, Representative C.B. Embry, Representative Jeff Greer
What Will House Bill 484 Do?
HB 484 amends KRS 164A.575 to require state funded universities to purchase agriculture products from local producers.
Why is This Necessary?
This legislation partnered with HB 669 from the 2006 legislative session ensures that Kentucky institutions are supporting a local farm economy and secures yet another market venue for Kentucky's family farmers. Now, not only will patrons of Kentucky's state parks and institutions be eating locally grown, so will our state universities' faculty, staff, and students!
Whats Happened with HB484?
HB 484 passed unanimously out of the House Ag Committee and out of the House of Representatives. It was sent to the Senate Education Committee, rather than the Senate Agriculture Committee, where it was met by Senator Ken Winters who would not agree to hear the bill unless it was amended to be an encouragement for universities to purchase Kentucky grown agriculture products rather than a mandated requirement. The bill then passed unanimously out of the Senate Education Committee with the Committee Substitute. Though the committee substitute reduced the bill to an encouragement rather than a mandate, it still contained a requirement for all food service contracts entered into by a university with a food service distributor to contain the purchase of Kentucky grown agriculture products. After two readings on the Senate floor, one shy of passage, Senator Brett Guthrie added a Senate Floor Amendment that removed that requirement, gutting the bill to a simple encouragement.
Brittany Dowell, Legislative Intern for Rep. Butler and student at the University of Kentucky studying political science, also a member of Community Farm Alliance.
"Representative Butler and I were disappointed by the Senate floor amendment, but we have been encouraged by the Community Farm Alliance's commitment to enforcing the legislation and holding Universities accountable."
Commissioner of Agriculture Richie Farmer
“This bill will provide another market for Kentucky farmers to sell their Kentucky Proud products,” Commissioner Farmer said. “This will create economic activity in many rural Kentucky communities and help keep farmland in agriculture. "
Special thanks go to Representative Dwight Butler and his intern Brittany Dowell for their inspiring work on HB 484, as well as to co-sponsors Rep. Charlie Hoffman, Tom McKee, C.B. Embry and Jeff Greer.
A world of gratitude to Rep. Rick Rand, Johnny Bell, and Jeff Greer for the success of HB 495! Thank you for being true champions for Kentucky's family farmers!
HB 495: Limits the Implementation of the National Animal Identification System in Kentucky.
Sponsor: Representative Rick Rand
Co Sponsors: Representative Johnny Bell and Representative Jeff Greer
What Will House Bill 495 Do?
· HB 495 prohibits the state of Kentucky from mandating the National Animal Identification System in the absence of a federal law requiring compliance with the USDA program. In the event that NAIS does become mandatory at the federal level, HB 495 ensures that Kentucky's compliance can be no more stringent than federal policies.
· HB 495 also prevents the state from penalizing any farmer or withholding goods, services, licenses, permits, grants or other benefits based on non-participation in any phase of the National Animal Identification System.
What House Bill 495 Does NOT Do:
· HB 495 does not prevent Kentucky from establishing or participating in disease control programs specifically designed to address a known disease in a specific species of livestock.
· HB 495 does not prohibit private agricultural industry organizations from establishing voluntary source verification programs for their own members or others who elect to participate.
Why is This Necessary?
Though NAIS is currently voluntary and expected to remain voluntary at the federal level, USDA is funding state departments of agriculture that agree to implement the program. Kentucky has recently been promoting the program and requiring participation in certain phases of the system to qualify for certain services. HB 495 will stop us from going any further. Until USDA can get the program mandated, Kentucky should back away from it also, for the sake of our family farmers. The program is intrusive, costly, and burdensome to the family farmer and tilts the scales heavily in favor of corporate agribusiness. HB 495 is the necessary step to stop N.A.I.S. in Kentucky!
What Happened with HB 495?
HB 495 passed unanimously out of the House Agriculture Committee, unanimously off the House floor with a vote of 95-0. The bill passed unanimously out of the Senate Agriculture committee, and unanimously off the Senate floor. It has now been delivered to Governor Beshear where it awaits his signature.
John Logan Brent, Henry County Judge Executive and Beef Cattle Producer
"I am very appreciative of my Representive Rick Rand for sponsoring this bill and for Community Farm Alliance and all of there hard work in seeing it through. Our legislature got this one right. HB 495 is a common sense bill designed with the farmer in mind, not the corporation and that is definately refreshing in today's Agriculture."
Steve Smith, CFA member and farmer in Trimble County
"This bill is a true victory for our family farms. Special thanks go to Representatives Rick Rand and Johnny Bell, and to the people of Community Farm Alliance for all of their hard work for farmers in Kentucky on this issue."
HB 484 – Local Food for State Universities
Sponsor: Representative Dwight Butler
Primary Co Sponsor: Representative Charlie Hoffman
Other co-sponsors: Representative Tom McKee, Representative C.B. Embry, Representative Jeff Greer
What Will House Bill 484 Do?
HB 484 amends KRS 164A.575 to require state funded universities to purchase agriculture products from local producers.
Why is This Necessary?
This legislation partnered with HB 669 from the 2006 legislative session ensures that Kentucky institutions are supporting a local farm economy and secures yet another market venue for Kentucky's family farmers. Now, not only will patrons of Kentucky's state parks and institutions be eating locally grown, so will our state universities' faculty, staff, and students!
Whats Happened with HB484?
HB 484 passed unanimously out of the House Ag Committee and out of the House of Representatives. It was sent to the Senate Education Committee, rather than the Senate Agriculture Committee, where it was met by Senator Ken Winters who would not agree to hear the bill unless it was amended to be an encouragement for universities to purchase Kentucky grown agriculture products rather than a mandated requirement. The bill then passed unanimously out of the Senate Education Committee with the Committee Substitute. Though the committee substitute reduced the bill to an encouragement rather than a mandate, it still contained a requirement for all food service contracts entered into by a university with a food service distributor to contain the purchase of Kentucky grown agriculture products. After two readings on the Senate floor, one shy of passage, Senator Brett Guthrie added a Senate Floor Amendment that removed that requirement, gutting the bill to a simple encouragement.
Brittany Dowell, Legislative Intern for Rep. Butler and student at the University of Kentucky studying political science, also a member of Community Farm Alliance.
"Representative Butler and I were disappointed by the Senate floor amendment, but we have been encouraged by the Community Farm Alliance's commitment to enforcing the legislation and holding Universities accountable."
Commissioner of Agriculture Richie Farmer
“This bill will provide another market for Kentucky farmers to sell their Kentucky Proud products,” Commissioner Farmer said. “This will create economic activity in many rural Kentucky communities and help keep farmland in agriculture. "
Friday, March 14, 2008
Legislative Update and Call to Action
First the good news:
HB 484 Passed the Senate Education Committee yesterday with a unanimous vote and has been sent to the consent calendar for approval on the Senate Floor! Thank you to all those who called and lobbied to help us achieve this great victory for Kentucky farmers! Congratulations to Betty Bailey, CFA board member from Bath County and 4th generation family farmer, who shined like a star in her testimony in front of the committee!
We'll keep you posted on what happens on the Senate Floor!
And now the not so good news:
HB495 is in trouble in the Senate! In order to get through the Senate, the bill must be heard by the Senate Ag Committee, who has not yet agreed to put the bill on their agenda for a vote!
CFA NEEDS YOU!
WE NEED ALL THE CALLS WE CAN GET TO CHAIRMAN JENSEN! We are hoping to convince him to put it on the agenda for next Thursday's Ag Committee meeting, as after next week time will start to quickly run out on the session.
TAKE ACTION!
Senate Agriculture Committee
HB 484 Passed the Senate Education Committee yesterday with a unanimous vote and has been sent to the consent calendar for approval on the Senate Floor! Thank you to all those who called and lobbied to help us achieve this great victory for Kentucky farmers! Congratulations to Betty Bailey, CFA board member from Bath County and 4th generation family farmer, who shined like a star in her testimony in front of the committee!
We'll keep you posted on what happens on the Senate Floor!
And now the not so good news:
HB495 is in trouble in the Senate! In order to get through the Senate, the bill must be heard by the Senate Ag Committee, who has not yet agreed to put the bill on their agenda for a vote!
CFA NEEDS YOU!
WE NEED ALL THE CALLS WE CAN GET TO CHAIRMAN JENSEN! We are hoping to convince him to put it on the agenda for next Thursday's Ag Committee meeting, as after next week time will start to quickly run out on the session.
TAKE ACTION!
PLEASE CALL THE MESSAGE LINE NOW!! 1-800-372-7181
There are three ways to help:
Leave a message for the entire Senate Ag Committee
Leave a message for Senator Jensen
If your Senator is on the Ag Committee, call and personally ask them to VOTE YES and ask them to ENCOURAGE JENSEN TO PUT THE BILL ON THE AGENDA!
Leave a message for the entire Senate Ag Committee
Leave a message for Senator Jensen
If your Senator is on the Ag Committee, call and personally ask them to VOTE YES and ask them to ENCOURAGE JENSEN TO PUT THE BILL ON THE AGENDA!
Senate Agriculture Committee
Sen. Tom Jensen (R)
Estill, Jackson, Laurel, Menifee, Powell
606-878-8845
Sen. David Boswell (D)
Daviess, McLean
270-771-4921
Sen. Ernie Harris (R)
Carroll, Henry, Jefferson, Oldham, Trimble
502-241-8307
Sen. Dan Kelly (R)
Marion, Mercer, Nelson, Taylor, Washington
859-336-9048
Sen. Bob Leeper (I)
Ballard, Marshall, McCracken270-554-2771
Sen. Vernie McGaha (R)
Adair, Casey, Pulaski, Russell
270-866-3068
Sen. Joey Pendleton (D)
Christian, Logan, Todd
270-885-1639
Sen. Dorsey Ridley (D)
Caldwell, Crittenden, Henderson, Livingston, Union, Webster
270-826-5402
Sen. Richie Sanders (R)
Allen, Barren, Edmonson, Green, Metcalfe, Simpson
270-586-5473
Sen. Ernesto Scorsone (D)
Fayette
859-254-3681
Sen. Brandon Smith (R)
Bell, Harlan, Leslie, Perry
606-436-4526
Sen. Damon Thayer (R)
Grant, Kenton, Owen, Scott
859-621-6956
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF KENTUCKY'S FAMILY FARMERS!
Estill, Jackson, Laurel, Menifee, Powell
606-878-8845
Sen. David Boswell (D)
Daviess, McLean
270-771-4921
Sen. Ernie Harris (R)
Carroll, Henry, Jefferson, Oldham, Trimble
502-241-8307
Sen. Dan Kelly (R)
Marion, Mercer, Nelson, Taylor, Washington
859-336-9048
Sen. Bob Leeper (I)
Ballard, Marshall, McCracken270-554-2771
Sen. Vernie McGaha (R)
Adair, Casey, Pulaski, Russell
270-866-3068
Sen. Joey Pendleton (D)
Christian, Logan, Todd
270-885-1639
Sen. Dorsey Ridley (D)
Caldwell, Crittenden, Henderson, Livingston, Union, Webster
270-826-5402
Sen. Richie Sanders (R)
Allen, Barren, Edmonson, Green, Metcalfe, Simpson
270-586-5473
Sen. Ernesto Scorsone (D)
Fayette
859-254-3681
Sen. Brandon Smith (R)
Bell, Harlan, Leslie, Perry
606-436-4526
Sen. Damon Thayer (R)
Grant, Kenton, Owen, Scott
859-621-6956
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF KENTUCKY'S FAMILY FARMERS!
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thank You and Keep It Up!
HB 484 and HB 495 Pass House and Head to Senate!
THANK YOU to all the CFA members and friends who made calls to Representatives asking for support of HB 484 and HB 495! Both bills passed on the House Floor Wednesday!
On to the Senate!
Please make sure to call your Senators and ask them to support our bills! We should be in front of the Senate Ag Committee within 2 weeks and need to get those calls going NOW!
Ways to Help:
1. Come to Frankfort and help us lobby!
For more information contact Kaycie Len at the Frankfort office 502.223.3655
2. Call the LRC Message line and leave a message for the Senate Ag Committee asking them to VOTE YES on HB 484 and HB 495!
1-800-372-7181
3. Call your Senator and ask them personally to VOTE YES on HB 484 and HB 495!
To find your Senator's contact information visit www.lrc.ky.gov "Who's my Legislator"
THANK YOU to all the CFA members and friends who made calls to Representatives asking for support of HB 484 and HB 495! Both bills passed on the House Floor Wednesday!
On to the Senate!
Please make sure to call your Senators and ask them to support our bills! We should be in front of the Senate Ag Committee within 2 weeks and need to get those calls going NOW!
Ways to Help:
1. Come to Frankfort and help us lobby!
For more information contact Kaycie Len at the Frankfort office 502.223.3655
2. Call the LRC Message line and leave a message for the Senate Ag Committee asking them to VOTE YES on HB 484 and HB 495!
1-800-372-7181
3. Call your Senator and ask them personally to VOTE YES on HB 484 and HB 495!
To find your Senator's contact information visit www.lrc.ky.gov "Who's my Legislator"
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Premiere of CFA’s new short film, "L.I.F.E.’s Lessons," at Derby City Espresso on March 6th
Community Farm Alliance invites the public to the world premiere of L.I.F.E.’s Lessons, a new short film showcasing CFA’s work in bringing fresh, local food into Louisville’s food deserts, on Thursday, March 6th from 7-9 PM at locally-owned Derby City Espresso, located at 331 East Market Street in downtown Louisville. There is a sliding scale of $5-$30 for admission, which includes a year’s membership to CFA. CFA is a statewide grassroots membership organization working on, among other things, connecting small family farmers in Kentucky with urban markets.
“This new video is about food justice, and giving all of Louisville’s citizen’s equal access to fresh, local food,” says Bill Huston, a CFA leader and partner in Urban Fresh, a business initiative to get fresh local food to residents of West Louisville and east Downtown, two of Louisville’s food deserts. “It is the story of L.I.F.E.- a locally integrated food economy - and how CFA farmers and urban residents are working together to bring health, wealth, and safe “real” food into Kentuckians’ kitchens.”
Mr. Huston is referring to the fact that many of Louisville’s citizens live in neighborhoods where they cannot access fresh food within walking distance of their homes, and do not own vehicles to drive to other neighborhoods. Instead, they are relying on either fast food, or people who can transport them to other neighborhoods’ stores. CFA, in partnership with other organizations, has initiated a movement to change that, first, by helping create Grasshoppers Distribution, LLC, Louisville’s first farmer-owned, all local food distributor, and Urban Fresh.
Ivor Chodkowski, CFA board member and owner of Grasshoppers Distribution, LLC, continues, “This month, this country experienced one of the biggest recalls of beef ever in the history of modern agriculture. The global food system is broken. With a locally integrated food system, consumers get to know and trust the farmers who produce their food, local businesses prosper, and everyone in Kentucky wins.”
Both Mr. Huston and Mr. Chodkowski are featured in L.I.F.E.’s Lessons, a short film that allows residents of Louisville’s food deserts, and Kentucky farmers, to speak for them selves about the ill health effects experienced in the food deserts, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity. They also discuss why they see a local food system as their only chance for a positive solution.
Another person featured in the film, California neighborhood resident Dorcilla Johnson, continues, “We at CFA are firm believers that those who experience the challenges, own the solutions. The people interviewed in the film are all participants in the grassroots organizing that is needed to fix the problems in our local food system.”
Adam Barr, CFA board member, and a young farmer who participates in the Smoketown Farmers Market adds, “This is a great time for the public to get involved in helping us recreate our own food system. There are all kinds of ways to plug in: organizing the neighborhoods around our two low-income farmers markets, working on our new community kitchen project, and continued lobbying of local officials for support. CFA wants you all to come out to Derby City Espresso, enjoy the film, drink up some locally-roasted coffee drinks, and become part of an active network of great people who get things done, and have fun doing it.”
“This new video is about food justice, and giving all of Louisville’s citizen’s equal access to fresh, local food,” says Bill Huston, a CFA leader and partner in Urban Fresh, a business initiative to get fresh local food to residents of West Louisville and east Downtown, two of Louisville’s food deserts. “It is the story of L.I.F.E.- a locally integrated food economy - and how CFA farmers and urban residents are working together to bring health, wealth, and safe “real” food into Kentuckians’ kitchens.”
Mr. Huston is referring to the fact that many of Louisville’s citizens live in neighborhoods where they cannot access fresh food within walking distance of their homes, and do not own vehicles to drive to other neighborhoods. Instead, they are relying on either fast food, or people who can transport them to other neighborhoods’ stores. CFA, in partnership with other organizations, has initiated a movement to change that, first, by helping create Grasshoppers Distribution, LLC, Louisville’s first farmer-owned, all local food distributor, and Urban Fresh.
Ivor Chodkowski, CFA board member and owner of Grasshoppers Distribution, LLC, continues, “This month, this country experienced one of the biggest recalls of beef ever in the history of modern agriculture. The global food system is broken. With a locally integrated food system, consumers get to know and trust the farmers who produce their food, local businesses prosper, and everyone in Kentucky wins.”
Both Mr. Huston and Mr. Chodkowski are featured in L.I.F.E.’s Lessons, a short film that allows residents of Louisville’s food deserts, and Kentucky farmers, to speak for them selves about the ill health effects experienced in the food deserts, such as diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity. They also discuss why they see a local food system as their only chance for a positive solution.
Another person featured in the film, California neighborhood resident Dorcilla Johnson, continues, “We at CFA are firm believers that those who experience the challenges, own the solutions. The people interviewed in the film are all participants in the grassroots organizing that is needed to fix the problems in our local food system.”
Adam Barr, CFA board member, and a young farmer who participates in the Smoketown Farmers Market adds, “This is a great time for the public to get involved in helping us recreate our own food system. There are all kinds of ways to plug in: organizing the neighborhoods around our two low-income farmers markets, working on our new community kitchen project, and continued lobbying of local officials for support. CFA wants you all to come out to Derby City Espresso, enjoy the film, drink up some locally-roasted coffee drinks, and become part of an active network of great people who get things done, and have fun doing it.”
Monday, February 18, 2008
Legislative Call to Action!
CFA NEEDS YOU! COME TO FRANKFORT WEDNESDAY OR CALL YOUR LEGISLATORS TODAY!
HB 484 and HB495 will both be heard in the House Agriculture Committee Meeting this Wednesday February 20th at 8:00am in the Capitol Annex building here in Frankfort. If you would like to come and show your support by helping us fill the meeting room, please be at the CFA Office at 7:30am Wednesday morning!
If you can't make it to Frankfort on Wednesday, PLEASE CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES TODAY!
HB 484 – Local Food for State Universities
Sponsor: Representative Dwight Butler
Primary Co Sponsor: Representative Charlie Hoffman
What Will House Bill 484 Do?
HB 484 amends KRS 164A.575 to require state funded universities to purchase agriculture products from local producers.
To view a copy of the bill, go to: www.lrc.ky.gov
Why is This Necessary?
This legislation partnered with HB 669 from the 2006 legislative session ensures that Kentucky institutions are supporting a local farm economy and secures yet another market venue for Kentucky's family farmers. Now, not only will patrons of Kentucky's state parks and institutions be eating locally grown, so will our state universities' faculty, staff, and students!
HB 495: No N.A.I.S. in Kentucky!
Sponsor: Representative Rick Rand
Primary Co Sponsor: Representative Johnny Bell
To view a copy of the bill, go to: www.lrc.ky.gov
What Will House Bill 495 Do?
· HB 495 prohibits the state of Kentucky from mandating the National Animal Identification System in the absence of a federal law requiring compliance with the USDA program. In the event that NAIS does become mandatory at the federal level, HB 495 ensures that Kentucky's compliance can be no more stringent than federal policies.
· HB 495 also prevents the state from penalizing any farmer or withholding goods, services, licenses, permits, grants or other benefits based on non-participation in any phase of the National Animal Identification System.
What House Bill 495 Does NOT Do:
· HB 495 does not prevent Kentucky from establishing or participating in disease control programs specifically designed to address a known disease in a specific species of livestock.
· HB 495 does not prohibit private agricultural industry organizations from establishing voluntary source verification programs for their own members or others who elect to participate.
Why is This Necessary?
Though NAIS is currently voluntary and expected to remain voluntary at the federal level, USDA is funding state departments of agriculture that agree to implement the program. Kentucky has recently been promoting the program and requiring participation in certain phases of the system to qualify for certain services. HB 495 will stop us from going any further. Until USDA can get the program mandated, Kentucky should back away from it also, for the sake of our family farmers. The program is intrusive, costly, and burdensome to the family farmer and tilts the scales heavily in favor of corporate agribusiness. HB 495 is the necessary step to stop N.A.I.S. in Kentucky!
What Can You Do? TAKE ACTION!
Contact your legislators today! Ask them to vote yes on HB 484 and HB495!
To find your legislator’s contact information, visit the LRC website at: www.lrc.ky.gov
Call the LRC message line to leave a message of support for your legislator: 1.800.372.7181
Urge your legislators to support Kentucky’s diversifying family farmers.
HB 484 and HB495 will both be heard in the House Agriculture Committee Meeting this Wednesday February 20th at 8:00am in the Capitol Annex building here in Frankfort. If you would like to come and show your support by helping us fill the meeting room, please be at the CFA Office at 7:30am Wednesday morning!
If you can't make it to Frankfort on Wednesday, PLEASE CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES TODAY!
HB 484 – Local Food for State Universities
Sponsor: Representative Dwight Butler
Primary Co Sponsor: Representative Charlie Hoffman
What Will House Bill 484 Do?
HB 484 amends KRS 164A.575 to require state funded universities to purchase agriculture products from local producers.
To view a copy of the bill, go to: www.lrc.ky.gov
Why is This Necessary?
This legislation partnered with HB 669 from the 2006 legislative session ensures that Kentucky institutions are supporting a local farm economy and secures yet another market venue for Kentucky's family farmers. Now, not only will patrons of Kentucky's state parks and institutions be eating locally grown, so will our state universities' faculty, staff, and students!
HB 495: No N.A.I.S. in Kentucky!
Sponsor: Representative Rick Rand
Primary Co Sponsor: Representative Johnny Bell
To view a copy of the bill, go to: www.lrc.ky.gov
What Will House Bill 495 Do?
· HB 495 prohibits the state of Kentucky from mandating the National Animal Identification System in the absence of a federal law requiring compliance with the USDA program. In the event that NAIS does become mandatory at the federal level, HB 495 ensures that Kentucky's compliance can be no more stringent than federal policies.
· HB 495 also prevents the state from penalizing any farmer or withholding goods, services, licenses, permits, grants or other benefits based on non-participation in any phase of the National Animal Identification System.
What House Bill 495 Does NOT Do:
· HB 495 does not prevent Kentucky from establishing or participating in disease control programs specifically designed to address a known disease in a specific species of livestock.
· HB 495 does not prohibit private agricultural industry organizations from establishing voluntary source verification programs for their own members or others who elect to participate.
Why is This Necessary?
Though NAIS is currently voluntary and expected to remain voluntary at the federal level, USDA is funding state departments of agriculture that agree to implement the program. Kentucky has recently been promoting the program and requiring participation in certain phases of the system to qualify for certain services. HB 495 will stop us from going any further. Until USDA can get the program mandated, Kentucky should back away from it also, for the sake of our family farmers. The program is intrusive, costly, and burdensome to the family farmer and tilts the scales heavily in favor of corporate agribusiness. HB 495 is the necessary step to stop N.A.I.S. in Kentucky!
What Can You Do? TAKE ACTION!
Contact your legislators today! Ask them to vote yes on HB 484 and HB495!
To find your legislator’s contact information, visit the LRC website at: www.lrc.ky.gov
Call the LRC message line to leave a message of support for your legislator: 1.800.372.7181
Urge your legislators to support Kentucky’s diversifying family farmers.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Final Chance for Farm Bill Reform
Senator McConnell needs to hear from all of us!
The Farm Bill is undergoing a final revision before it goes to the White House. With the Bush administration’s stance against taxes and “budget gimmicks,” the Congressional Conference Committee is scrambling to secure funding for crucial environmental and nutrition programs in the Farm Bill. This moment in the process offers us a final chance to push for positive reform.
Conservation, rural development and nutrition programs are in jeopardy. To help reduce environmental degradation, strengthen rural communities, feed the hungry and address rising diet-related health concerns these programs must be fully funded. Establishing payment caps (similar to Dorgan-Grassley) of commodity subsides would provide the needed funding for these programs.
Commodity subsidies are government payments that go to a narrow list of “program crops” (wheat, corn, cotton, rice and soybeans) and are mostly awarded to the largest farms in the United States. Reforming the commodity subsidy system would benefit many small, diversified family farms here in the U.S. and also reduce the amount of “dumping” of cheap commodities on poor countries, which devastates farmers abroad. Very few farmers profit from commodity subsidies, but everyone would benefit from an increase in funding to programs that help to improve the health of the environment, rural communities and families.
Small farmers have been chronically underserved or discriminated against by U.S. farm policy, especially minority and limited-resource farmers. This is why we are asking Senator McConnell to support an increase in funding - at least $10 million a year in mandatory funding - for Section 2501 of the Farm Bill. Producers of color are essentially shut out from U.S. farm programs due to a system that favors large-scale commodity crop and livestock producers. An increase in this funding would afford minority farmers better opportunities and help to level the playing field.
Please join friends and farmers and contact Senator McConnell with this important message, your voice can make the difference!
Make a Phone Call: Sen. McConnell’s Office – (202) 224-2541
Fax a Letter: Sen. McConnell’s Fax – (202) 224-2499
Send an Email: mcconnell@senate.gov
1. Fully fund conservation, rural development and nutrition programs.
2. Establish commodity subsidy payment caps.
3. Secure $10 million annual mandatory funds for minority farmers through Section 2501.
For more information go to: www.betterfarmbill.org
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Beyond the farm bill
Progressive urban food bills could help reshape America's food future
The following is an essay by Christopher D. Cook, author of Diet for a Dead Planet: Big Business and the Coming Food Crisis. His work has appeared in The Nation, Harper's, The Economist, The Christian Science Monitor and Mother Jones.
-----
After many legislative hiccups along the way, Congress is rapidly deciding the fate of America's food supply: what's grown, how it's produced and by whom, and how that food will affect our health and the planet. The roughly $288 billion Farm Bill, covering everything from urban nutrition and food stamp programs to soil conservation and farm subsidies, will dictate much about what we eat and at what price, both at the checkout line and in long-term societal costs.
And if agribusiness lobbies keep getting their way, as they've largely done in this year's Farm Bill battles, the "food bill" we all pay will be astronomical -- not just the cost of the Farm Bill itself, but the hidden costs of a taxpayer-subsidized industrial food system that causes profound harm to public health and the environment, as well as to farmers and workers.
Despite valiant progressive efforts that may bring some change at the margins, the big picture is not pretty: increasingly centralized power over food, abetted by lax antitrust policies and farm subsidies that provide the meat industry and food-processing corporations with cheap raw ingredients; huge subsidies for corn and soy, most of which ends up as auto fuel, livestock feed, and additives for junk food, fattening America's waistlines while soiling the environment; and, despite organic food's rising popularity, a farming system that's still heavily reliant on toxic pesticides (500,000 tons per year), which pollute our waterways and bloodstreams while gobbling up millions of gallons of fossil fuel. As a nation we consume (quite literally) some 100 billion gallons of oil annually in the making and long-distance transport of our food supply.
Closer to home, despite annual crop surpluses and the dumping of cheap excess supplies onto foreign markets, residents in poor urban areas are deprived of fresh, nutritious food. These so-called "food deserts" -- whose only gastronomic oases are fast-food joints and liquor marts -- feature entire zip codes devoid of fresh produce.
Government studies show this de facto food segregation leads to serious nutritional deficits -- such as soaring obesity and diabetes rates -- among poor people. And in the countryside, taxpayer subsidies directed mostly to large-scale growers and agribusiness are plowing smaller farmers out of business at a rate of one every half an hour, creating individual misery and community-wide economic havoc.
What's to be done? Congress (particularly the Senate, where debate currently resides) needs to hear Americans -- urban and rural alike -- demand serious change, to shift our tax dollars ($20 billion to $25 billion a year in farm subsidies alone) toward organic, locally oriented, nutritious food that sustains farming communities and consumer health.
Investing our tax dollars in food isn't the problem; instead of commodity subsidies that ultimately benefit the production of meat and fattening processed foods by a handful of corporations, we need a New Deal for food that reinvests funds in sustainably grown, healthful produce grown by a diversity of farmers.
Even as the congressional Farm Bill battles grind toward a mostly disconcerting conclusion, it's not too soon to look beyond this omnivore's omnibus, and begin considering a national movement of progressive urban food bills.
Cities and states have enormous purchasing power and are slowly taking the lead: San Francisco's Department of Public Health is devising sustainable procurement policies to buy more local and organic produce; some city and state food policy councils, such as Minnesota's, are helping smaller organic farmers survive by linking them up with urban markets; and the California Assembly last year passed a pilot measure to help develop new fresh produce markets in poor neighborhoods.
Change is coming piecemeal on the local level, and needs a serious booster shot. A movement of progressive urban food bills could help galvanize and expand local efforts and create a new food infrastructure that truly sustains our health, ecologies and economies -- and could help buck the trend toward increasingly monopolistic supermarkets that eschew poor districts and shut out small farmers and food companies. For starters, such a measure could include:
But with ample pressure from urban and rural consumers, farmers, public health experts, antihunger activists, environmentalists, and others, cities can create model food bills that build a policy-driven grassroots alternative to our industrial food system. No better time than now to start showing Congress how it ought to be done.
The following is an essay by Christopher D. Cook, author of Diet for a Dead Planet: Big Business and the Coming Food Crisis. His work has appeared in The Nation, Harper's, The Economist, The Christian Science Monitor and Mother Jones.
-----
After many legislative hiccups along the way, Congress is rapidly deciding the fate of America's food supply: what's grown, how it's produced and by whom, and how that food will affect our health and the planet. The roughly $288 billion Farm Bill, covering everything from urban nutrition and food stamp programs to soil conservation and farm subsidies, will dictate much about what we eat and at what price, both at the checkout line and in long-term societal costs.
And if agribusiness lobbies keep getting their way, as they've largely done in this year's Farm Bill battles, the "food bill" we all pay will be astronomical -- not just the cost of the Farm Bill itself, but the hidden costs of a taxpayer-subsidized industrial food system that causes profound harm to public health and the environment, as well as to farmers and workers.
Despite valiant progressive efforts that may bring some change at the margins, the big picture is not pretty: increasingly centralized power over food, abetted by lax antitrust policies and farm subsidies that provide the meat industry and food-processing corporations with cheap raw ingredients; huge subsidies for corn and soy, most of which ends up as auto fuel, livestock feed, and additives for junk food, fattening America's waistlines while soiling the environment; and, despite organic food's rising popularity, a farming system that's still heavily reliant on toxic pesticides (500,000 tons per year), which pollute our waterways and bloodstreams while gobbling up millions of gallons of fossil fuel. As a nation we consume (quite literally) some 100 billion gallons of oil annually in the making and long-distance transport of our food supply.
Closer to home, despite annual crop surpluses and the dumping of cheap excess supplies onto foreign markets, residents in poor urban areas are deprived of fresh, nutritious food. These so-called "food deserts" -- whose only gastronomic oases are fast-food joints and liquor marts -- feature entire zip codes devoid of fresh produce.
Government studies show this de facto food segregation leads to serious nutritional deficits -- such as soaring obesity and diabetes rates -- among poor people. And in the countryside, taxpayer subsidies directed mostly to large-scale growers and agribusiness are plowing smaller farmers out of business at a rate of one every half an hour, creating individual misery and community-wide economic havoc.
What's to be done? Congress (particularly the Senate, where debate currently resides) needs to hear Americans -- urban and rural alike -- demand serious change, to shift our tax dollars ($20 billion to $25 billion a year in farm subsidies alone) toward organic, locally oriented, nutritious food that sustains farming communities and consumer health.
Investing our tax dollars in food isn't the problem; instead of commodity subsidies that ultimately benefit the production of meat and fattening processed foods by a handful of corporations, we need a New Deal for food that reinvests funds in sustainably grown, healthful produce grown by a diversity of farmers.
Even as the congressional Farm Bill battles grind toward a mostly disconcerting conclusion, it's not too soon to look beyond this omnivore's omnibus, and begin considering a national movement of progressive urban food bills.
Cities and states have enormous purchasing power and are slowly taking the lead: San Francisco's Department of Public Health is devising sustainable procurement policies to buy more local and organic produce; some city and state food policy councils, such as Minnesota's, are helping smaller organic farmers survive by linking them up with urban markets; and the California Assembly last year passed a pilot measure to help develop new fresh produce markets in poor neighborhoods.
Change is coming piecemeal on the local level, and needs a serious booster shot. A movement of progressive urban food bills could help galvanize and expand local efforts and create a new food infrastructure that truly sustains our health, ecologies and economies -- and could help buck the trend toward increasingly monopolistic supermarkets that eschew poor districts and shut out small farmers and food companies. For starters, such a measure could include:
- Organic and local-first food-purchasing policies requiring city agencies, local schools, and other public institutions, such as county jails and hospitals, to buy from local organic farms when possible.
- Incentives -- backed by public education, expanding markets, and consumption of local organic foods -- to encourage nonorganic farmers to transition to sustainable agriculture, while subsidizing affordable prices for consumers. Ultimately this could build momentum for national subsidies for sustainable organic farming.
- Healthy-food-zone programs with carefully targeted grants that encourage small businesses and farmers' markets to expand access to healthy foods in poor neighborhoods identified as deserts. Such measures would simultaneously boost markets for area growers while, over time, radically improving public health.
- City-sponsored education campaigns discouraging obesity-inducing fast food while promoting farmers' markets and other healthful alternatives, such as an accessible directory of stores featuring regional organic products.
- Zoning, targeted water subsidies and other incentives for small-scale urban and suburban farming. American cities have agencies and budgets for everything from trash collection and wastewater treatment, to public health and the environment -- yet few dedicate serious planning and money toward ensuring that its residents eat well.
But with ample pressure from urban and rural consumers, farmers, public health experts, antihunger activists, environmentalists, and others, cities can create model food bills that build a policy-driven grassroots alternative to our industrial food system. No better time than now to start showing Congress how it ought to be done.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Call Today for Farm Bill Reform!
URGE YOUR SENATORS TO VOTE "YES" ON THE DORGAN-GRASSLEY AMENDMENT & "NO" ON THE ROBERTS AMENDMENTS
After reaching a much-anticipated agreement over the number of amendments that can be introduced, the full Senate began debate on the next Farm Bill December 7 and is expected to start voting on December 11. THIS IS IT! The full Senate’s consideration and vote marks the farm bill’s final stages and the last chance to institute real reform before the bill moves to the Conference Committee.
An amendment introduced on the floor of the Senate by Senators Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is our last chance to reform the commodity payment system and fund sustainable agriculture priorities. The Dorgan-Grassley amendment will put a hard cap of $250,000 on commodity payments, close loopholes, and shift the savings to beginning and minority farmer, rural development, conservation, nutrition, and anti-hunger programs. It will be the major floor amendment on the Farm Bill, and the vote count is expected to be very, very close. Every single vote will count.
The $1.15 billion in savings from the Dorgan-Grassley Payment Limitation Amendment will be shifted to:
- Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program ($60 million)
- Beginning Farmer and Rancher Individual Development Account Program ($20 million)
- Pigford black farmer lawsuit settlement with USDA ($100 million)
- Rural Microenterprise Assistance Program ($40 million)
- Farmers Market Promotion Program ($15 million)
- Organic Certification Cost Share Program ($3 million)
- Community Food Grants ($50 million)
- Grasslands Reserve Program ($45 million)
- Farmland Protection Program ($52 million)
- Emergency Food Assistance Program ($315 million)
- Food Stamp Benefit Enhancements ($396 million)
The message is simple: “I am a constituent and am calling to ask that Senator_________ vote YES on the Dorgan-Grassley Amendment and NO on the 4 Roberts Amendments (#3546-#3549) during the Farm Bill deliberations. How will the Senator vote on these important amendments for the 2007 Farm Bill?”
It’s easy to call: To call your Senators’ offices, you can contact the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 or locate your Senators’ office number by going to http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/. When you call the office, ask for their legislative aide that works on agriculture. If the aide is unavailable, leave a short message, along with your name and phone number, on the aide’s voice mail or with the receptionist.
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
CFA Benefit Concert at the Pour Haus in Louisville
The mack, Teneia Sanders, and Afrykah of Queendom Come will be the headliners at a Benefit Concert for The Community Farm Alliance’s Jefferson County Chapter at the Pour Haus on Saturday December 8th at 9 PM. The Pour Haus is located at 1481 South Shelby Street in Germantown. Admission is $5. $10 will get you a membership to CFA.According to CFA member Angelique Perez, one of the organizer’s of Saturday’s event, “The mack can best be described as ‘music for the mind and soul,’ blending infectious rhythm with lyrical prose. The mack will perform original material featuring Jeff Shelton playing guitar and Pete Townsend on drums. Teneia Sanders is another local gem, and has been described by national music critics as ‘a cross between Ani DiFranco and Aretha Franklin.’ Afrykah of Queendom Come has made her mark in Louisville as a community activist working for peace and justice. She will be performing her unique mixture of Hip-hop, soul and R&B. This will be a special show for a special cause. It shouldn’t be missed.”
Angelique Perez continues, “Community Farm Alliance (CFA) works to support family farms throughout the state, and to build food security and a Locally Independent Food Economy (LIFE) in Louisville. CFA’s recent community food assessment highlights the fact that many Louisvillians face barriers that limit access to fresh healthy foods. This lack of access is most apparent in West Louisville and East Downtown neighborhoods where grocery stores and other retailers that stock fresh affordable foods are scarce and residents’ transportation is limited.”
CFA has been working to increase access to fresh, healthy, affordable foods in these areas of Louisville that need it the most. This event serves as a celebration of the work that’s been done and a gearing up for the work that lies ahead as we continue to connect farmers and urban eaters and to build more food secure neighborhoods in Metro Louisville.
Ms. Perez sums it up: “CFA is a statewide membership group with over 2000 members. Please join us at the Pour Haus for a great evening of local music as we celebrate local food and food access for everyone, and build power in our community.” For more information, please contact the CFA Louisville Office at 502-775-4041.
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Keep NAIS out of the Farm Bill
Action Needed on Animal ID!!!
Last week, the Senate Agricultural Committee voted their version of the 2007 Farm Bill out of committee. It will be debated and voted on by the full Senate next week (Nov. 5th-Nov. 9th). The National Animal Identification System (NAIS) is an issue of major concern to family farmers and rural communities and must be addressed on the Senate floor.
Please Call Today!!
Please call Senators McCaskill and Harkin on Animal ID today!
National Animal Identification System (NAIS):
In the Senate Agriculture Committee Farm Bill, Senator Harkin (IA) included Section 10305, which defines NAIS and provides exceptions from public disclosure for information collected under NAIS. Unfortunately, this section defines NAIS as any system for identifying or tracing animals that is established by the Secretary of Agriculture. Section 10305 gives legitimacy to a program that has never been authorized by Congress and which the USDA has been proceeding with despite widespread resistance among family farmers and ranchers. Already, the USDA has been very underhanded in using existing disease programs and enrolling people in NAIS databases without their consent. This is one of the most important issues facing farmers today. Without your phone calls the NAIS section will pass with no debate.
Please Call!!
Senator Claire McCaskill (202) 224-6154: ask for Nichole Distefano
Senator Tom Harkin (202) 224-3254: ask for John Ferrell
Message:
· Take Section 10305 out of the Farm Bill because it implies approval of USDA's implementation of NAIS. USDA has clearly shown that they will use underhanded, deceptive and unethical practices in order to force farmers into the program.
· Section 10305 also provides false reassurance that the information in the databases will be confidential, when experience has shown that information in databases is vulnerable to both hackers and marketing misuse.
· Tell Senator McCaskill that we need a REAL debate about Animal ID in the Senate.
NAIS will drive independent ranches and farms in the US out of business.
· NAIS creates an undue economic burden on producers, does not include identification of imported meats, does nothing to increase consumer choice or confidence and expands packers’ ability to unfairly discriminate against independent family farmers.
· Missouri’s Family Farmers believe it is extremely important to ensure consumer confidence in the safety and health of the U.S. food supply while at the same time ensuring the economic viability of independent livestock producers. However, NAIS does not meet the needs of producers or consumers.
Your Call Can Make the Difference between Congressional Approval of NAIS and a True Debate about the Negative Impacts of this Program!
Last week, the Senate Agricultural Committee voted their version of the 2007 Farm Bill out of committee. It will be debated and voted on by the full Senate next week (Nov. 5th-Nov. 9th). The National Animal Identification System (NAIS) is an issue of major concern to family farmers and rural communities and must be addressed on the Senate floor.
Please Call Today!!
Please call Senators McCaskill and Harkin on Animal ID today!
National Animal Identification System (NAIS):
In the Senate Agriculture Committee Farm Bill, Senator Harkin (IA) included Section 10305, which defines NAIS and provides exceptions from public disclosure for information collected under NAIS. Unfortunately, this section defines NAIS as any system for identifying or tracing animals that is established by the Secretary of Agriculture. Section 10305 gives legitimacy to a program that has never been authorized by Congress and which the USDA has been proceeding with despite widespread resistance among family farmers and ranchers. Already, the USDA has been very underhanded in using existing disease programs and enrolling people in NAIS databases without their consent. This is one of the most important issues facing farmers today. Without your phone calls the NAIS section will pass with no debate.
Please Call!!
Senator Claire McCaskill (202) 224-6154: ask for Nichole Distefano
Senator Tom Harkin (202) 224-3254: ask for John Ferrell
Message:
· Take Section 10305 out of the Farm Bill because it implies approval of USDA's implementation of NAIS. USDA has clearly shown that they will use underhanded, deceptive and unethical practices in order to force farmers into the program.
· Section 10305 also provides false reassurance that the information in the databases will be confidential, when experience has shown that information in databases is vulnerable to both hackers and marketing misuse.
· Tell Senator McCaskill that we need a REAL debate about Animal ID in the Senate.
NAIS will drive independent ranches and farms in the US out of business.
· NAIS creates an undue economic burden on producers, does not include identification of imported meats, does nothing to increase consumer choice or confidence and expands packers’ ability to unfairly discriminate against independent family farmers.
· Missouri’s Family Farmers believe it is extremely important to ensure consumer confidence in the safety and health of the U.S. food supply while at the same time ensuring the economic viability of independent livestock producers. However, NAIS does not meet the needs of producers or consumers.
Your Call Can Make the Difference between Congressional Approval of NAIS and a True Debate about the Negative Impacts of this Program!
Monday, November 05, 2007
Election Day is Coming!
Tomorrow is a big day in Kentucky government! Be sure to head out to the polls and excercise your right to be heard!
VOTE KENTUCKY!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Q & A with the Ag Commissioner candidates
Community Farm Alliance recently helped develop questions for Richie Farmer-(R) and David Lynn Williams-(D), the two candidates running for Commissioner of Agriculture, to be included in Kentuckians for the Commonwealth's candidate survey. Here's what they had to say...
| Please describe a major change or accomplishment you would like to make if elected. | |
| Farmer | Williams |
| There are several: A. I will work to develop programs that will address the health care crisis in rural Kentucky, looking for ways to increase the availability of health care as well as its affordability. Additionally, I am unveiling a new program to use healthy farm products from Kentucky to help battle childhood obesity. B. I will continue to expand and strengthen my Kentucky Proud program, which is aimed at expanding markets for local farmers and local food companies, thereby strengthening the state’s economy as well as helping to improve the environment by cutting down on the average distance that food travels in Kentucky. C. I will seek greater funding for the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s vital missions, including its consumer and environmental protection programs. D. I will strive to develop initiatives that will help the Commonwealth reach the goal of getting 25% of its energy from renewable energy sources, including biodiesel and ethanol, including cellulosic ethanol, as well as wind and solar power, by the year 2025. E. I will strive to continue using 50% of the proceeds from the master tobacco settlement for agricultural diversification. F. I will expand KDA’s export operation to attempt to build new markets for Kentucky agricultural and food products overseas, and will use the platform provided by the 2010 World Equestrian Games for that purpose. There are many more items on my second term agenda, but these six are among the top priorities I have for the next four years. | I think we should take the power away from the politicians and give it back to the farmers! |
| The National Animal Identification System (NAIS) is a program being developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, but is being left up to states to implement. Some people believe this program will make the U.S. food system safer and more secure by requiring that all commercial livestock be identified and monitored. Others fear that the program will be detrimental to a local agricultural economy and would favor the interests of corporate agribusiness. What is your position on the National Animal Identification System and how Kentucky should approach the program? | |
| Farmer | Williams |
| The stated goals behind NAIS are extremely important, as evidenced by recent outbreaks of animal disease overseas. At the same time, it is important that the interests of all producers are represented. That is why I believe that the NAIS should remain a strictly voluntary program (as it is now). The first phase of NAIS, the registration of farm premises, is underway now, and thousands of Kentucky farmers have opted in. However, KDA has no desire to force anyone to participate, and we do not believe that any phase of the program should be made mandatory. The broader issue of animal health is being addressed in other ways. KDA, working with the University of Kentucky and the animal industry, has invested considerable resources to help us better respond to potential animal health problems, and will continue to do so, regardless of the final disposition of the NAIS question. | I believe the National Animal Identification System will make the U.S. food system safer and more secure. The belief that this program would be detrimental to the local agriculture economy is unfounded. I am a major supporter of locally-grown, organic, foods. |
| Immigrants play an increasing role in Kentucky’s agricultural economy. What is your position on the current discussion around immigration policy as it relates to Kentucky’s farm community? | |
| Farmer | Williams |
| I believe that Federal immigration laws should be enforced. I also believe, however, that there must be some recognition of the need for producers to have a steady and legal source of farm labor. There has been a lot of shouting back and forth about these matters, but I believe that if we would all just listen more to each other, we can find a way to address both issues. For the last several months, I have been working with farm leaders from a broad range of agriculture organizations on a task force studying the future of agriculture in Kentucky. One issue that this group has been dealing with is the issue of how to build an agricultural labor force, and I look forward to their recommendations, which I expect by the end of the year. | Immigrants are extremely important to our national identity and the very future of the United States. Migrant farm workers have been involved in Kentucky and American agriculture for over a century. As Agriculture Commissioner, I will work to ease the ability for foreign nationals to live in Kentucky and eventually become productive, naturalized citizens of the United States. These immigrants enhance our culture and make our country stronger by increasing the size of our market, still the most profitable in the world. |
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