Stop-NAIS Letter Signed by More than 70 Agricultural Organizations

Describing NAIS as fundamentally flawed, more than 70 leading food and agricultural groups have signed a letter urging U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to “halt implementation of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS),” according to the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance.

The groups include the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF), the National Family Farm Coalition, Organic Consumers Association, Farm Aid, Local Harvest, National Association of Farm Animal Welfare and numerous livestock associations from across the nation.

• Does not address food safety while favoring vertically integrated food producers, which are part of the factory food system that has led to the outbreaks of food poisoning.
• Ends animal tracking at the time of slaughter, failing to focus on programs such as increased testing for Mad Cow disease, improved oversight of slaughterhouses and food processing facilities, and increased inspections of imported foods, all which would better serve food safety.
• Imposes significant reporting and paperwork burdens on small farms, while relieving most of the costs and paperwork burdens from the factory farms.

The letter reads, “This burdensome, ill-conceived, and badly implemented program will undermine the President’s vision for rural America.”

Judith McGeary, a signatory to the letter who is president of the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance and a member of the board of the FTCLDF, says the organizations that signed the letter represent a cross section of grass-roots and national organizations that are concerned about the impact of NAIS on family farms, consumers and sustainable livestock operations.

Says McGeary,“NAIS runs counter to President Obama’s Rural Plan which calls for supporting local family farmers and regional food system policies.”

The letter also highlights significant opposition to NAIS in the form of:

• Four states (Arizona, Kentucky, Missouri, and Nebraska ) passing laws that prohibit their state agencies from implementing a mandatory program.
• Other states introducing more than a dozen other bills since 2007 to either bar NAIS completely or to limit it to a voluntary, non-coercive program.

The stop-NAIS letter was submitted to the USDA on Monday, March 16.

A copy of the letter and a list of signatories is available at: https://farmandranchfreedom.org/content/files/Ltr_Vilsack_090316.pdf

Congress Hearing Bills
Also according to the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance website, Congress is currently reviewing NAIS and Food Safety Bills.

You can send written testimony to the Subcommittee before Friday, March 20. According to the website:

• Send your testimony to the Hearing Clerk, Jamie Mitchell, at Jamie.Mitchell@mail.house.gov or fax to 202-225-4544. 
• Put “March 11 Hearing – Animal Identification Programs” in the subject line. 
• Keep your comments clear, polite, and concise.

Source: The Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance (FARFA),  a non-profit organization dedicated to representing non-corporate agriculture and animal owners, from homesteaders to horse owners to full-time ranchers. FARFA’s work also serves those who are local foods consumers, people who care about protecting our traditional way of life, and other like-minded individuals.

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By Lisa Munniksma, HF Managing Editor

National Agriculture Week 2009 is March 15 to 21. It’s the kickoff to Ag Day, this Friday, March 20.

At HobbyFarms.com, we think there’s no better way to celebrate a week dedicated to our favorite industry than to find ways to support it!

Both in the office and on our farms, we plan to take part in some of these top-10 ways to support agriculture this week.

If you’re passionate about farming and the industry that provides us with food, clothing and income, we hope you’ll consider celebrating National Ag Week, too, with some of these ideas:

1. Attend an ag-related event. Check out some of the agricultural activities we found that are taking place this week in our National Ag Week calendar. Get out and support one in your area to ensure these educational and entertainment opportunities continue throughout the coming years.
2. Get your kids involved. Contact a local 4-H group, see if the schools in your area support FFA and instill your love of agriculture in the next generation. Agriculture is so much more than just farming, and it’s important for people of all ages to understand how it shapes our lives.
3. Give to an ag-related nonprofit. Charities such as Farm Aid and Agros International serve an important purpose in our world—using agriculture to support agriculture. Nonprofit groups like the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy and The American Chestnut Foundation do their part to conserve and strengthen our agricultural heritage. Likewise, colleges and universities rely on donor support to continue their agricultural research and education initiatives, no matter if they’re small, nonprofit schools such as Delaware Valley College and Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College or large, state-organized institutions like North Carolina State University and the University of California.
4. Teach someone to garden. Maybe you don’t have extra money to support agriculture, but you do have a little bit of time. Through your cooperative extension office, a program at the library or just one-on-one, if you have a green thumb, share it, and help others learn to plant and enjoy a garden.
5. Contact your local newspaper. If you’re involved in agriculture, National Ag Week is the perfect time to get your local media involved, too. Gaining some media coverage will benefit both your farm and your local agricultural community.
6. Donate a subscription of Hobby Farms to your local library. Help others in your community understand small-scale, local agriculture and the positive impact that it has on your area.
7. Buy local. You already know that whether it’s veggies or veal, foods that are produced in your area support the farmers in your area. With land and resources being gobbled up by development, it’s up to us to keep local farming, well, local. Join a CSA, shop at the farmers’ market or get to know the farmer down the road. You might agree that your food tastes better when you know where, how and by whom it’s produced.
8. Learn about your family’s and your community’s agricultural heritage. For instance, my father was born in The Netherlands. His family immigrated to the United States when he was 5-years-old, and they worked on and then purchased a dairy farm in New Jersey. Our family still owns that land and now raises Standardbred horses and cash-rents some of the land for crop production. Stories like this of our agricultural heritage are being forgotten as the generations go by—don’t let the legacy of your community be lost.
9. Take care of a project on your farm. What better way to celebrate National Ag Week than to do so in your own backyard? Maybe you need to purchase your seeds for the year, repair a section of fence or make an appointment for spring vaccinations with your veterinarian. Now’s the time to do it.
10. Network with fellow farmers. If you are new to the area, are new to farming or have been meaning to stop in at the farm just a few miles away, do it this week. One thing that’s wonderful about agriculture is the strong sense of community that farmers have. Use this week to build yours.

What do you plan to do for National Agriculture Week? Let us know by leaving a comment below!

By Karri Sandino

How did Rodney Miller get to be one of those people who seems like he has the best job in the world?

From left: Rodney Miller, Max Armstrong, Amy Greene (Sales Coordinator), Kyle Watts (Territory Manager), Adam Ford (Service Intern).

Could be his attitude, embodied by his company’s motto: “Do the right thing, and treat people right.”

Miller, McCormick International USA’s chief executive officer, says, “We believe if we do those things, and keep them at the forefront of our daily activities, that positive results will eventually follow.”

He emphasizes the importance of building relationships among dealers, the company and customers, especially small farmers and those interested in becoming involved in rural living.

His job satisfaction could also be due to his lifelong exposure to and enjoyment of tractors and the agricultural industry.

His father, Gene Miller, was a great lover of tractors and farming. Says Miller, “He was the finest person I ever met, bar none. My childhood memories of my activities on the farm at home and his guidance for me are my fondest.”

Miller grew up visiting hisUncle Charlie Miller’s International Harvester dealership in Mcleansboro, Ill., when he was a child.

“I loved going to my uncle’s dealership to look at the tractors,” says Miller.

He believes his uncle’s influence is what guided him to his success in the tractor business.

He also credits the employees of McCormick.

“To face the challenges at McCormick International,” Miller says, “it takes a great team of fellow coworkers. My reliance on them is tremendous, and only together can we be successful.”

(Find out what’s in store for small-farm owners on page 2)

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There’s a lot of truth behind the adage, “If I’d only known then what I know now.”

In agriculture, learning from the past means increased yields, better farm-business practices and more enjoyment of the land.

For new farmers, Cornell University has put the wisdom of the agricultural ages into an innovative, online video series that will help agricultural entrepreneurs successfully launch new farms in New York State.

The “Voices of Experience” video series covers essential topics—financing farm start-up, marketing, profitability and goal setting, to name just a few.

In this case, the “voices of experience” featured in the series are 12 farmers who’ve successfully started their own farm businesses in New York.

“Every new farmer should have a peer mentor to go to for help. But as a starting point, this series of videos offers new farmers some incredibly valuable but more generalized peer wisdom,” said Erica Frenay, New York Beginning Farmer Project Coordinator for Cornell’s Small Farms Program.

“It is so powerful to hear advice coming directly from people who have been through the adventure of starting their own farm business.”

Available at no cost at www.nybeginningfarmers.org, “Voices of Experience” is produced by the NY Beginning Farmer Project with support from the Cornell Small Farms Program, Cornell Cooperative Extension and the NY Farm Viability Institute.

In addition to the video series, the Beginning Farmer Project offers educational articles and farm profiles to assist new farm operators.

The Beginning Farmer Project’s mission is to improve the likelihood of success of all new farmers by providing the education and support they need to develop and realize their agricultural visions.

Any person interested in farming is able to get the production, marketing, business and financial planning they need, both at start-up and in the long-term. The team’s work helps maintain and improve a landscape of diverse farms that contributing to a thriving regional economy.

Contact Frenay at 607-255-9911 or ejf5@cornell.edu with questions.