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From Comcast listserv: Susan Smalley (MSUE) shared this with me about the Farm Bill, thought you may be interested. Greetings everyone, Please pardon me if this is too off-topic for this list. I thought it seemed like something at least a few folks would be interested to know. This came to me from the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance mailing list, a grassroots organization working against the National Animal ID System, which I consider to be a potentially serious problem for local small farmers. I've edited some stuff out in the interest of brevity. I can send you a full copy if you'd like one, just drop me a note. Thanks, -Paula ------ Forwarded Message From: Judith McGeary <[log in to unmask]> Reply-To: <[log in to unmask]> Date: Tue, 5 Jun 2007 18:23:11 -0400 (EDT) To: <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Contact the House Agriculture Committee about the Farm Bill! Contact House Committee on Agriculture About the Farm Bill ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~ The House Committee on Agriculture is working on a draft version of the Farm Bill that includes two sections that pose a threat to our food supply. The draft language would link the National Animal ID System (NAIS) to Country of Origin Labeling and pre-empt local control of our foods. DRAFT FARM BILL PROVISIONS: Section 121 of the draft would allow the USDA to use a mandatory animal identification system in order to implement Country of Origin Labeling (COOL). This would open the door for the USDA to link the National Animal ID System (NAIS) to COOL, forcing small farms out of business and harming our local food supply. Read more about NAIS and COOL at http://farmandranchfreedom.org/content/NAIS-and-COOL [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=etshyacab.0.dtkpkacab.bz6ym9bab.1223&ts=S0250&p =htt p%3A%2F%2Ffarmandranchfreedom.org%2Fcontent%2FNAIS-and-COOL] Section 123 of the draft would bar states or localities from prohibiting any food or agricultural product that USDA has deregulated. This provision would deny local or state and state rights to regulate such things as genetically engineered crops or food. You can read the proposed provisions at http://agriculture.house.gov/inside/Legislation/110/LDP.pdf [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=etshyacab.0.rogiyacab.bz6ym9bab.1223&ts=S0250&p =htt p%3A%2F%2Fagriculture.house.gov%2Finside%2FLegislation%2F110%2FLDP.pdf]. The House Committee needs to hear from you NOW! Below is the contact information for the Chair and the Ranking Minority Member of the Committee. Call or write them, using the talking points and a sample letter that are at the end of this alert. And if one or more of the members of the Committee are from your state, send them a copy of your letter as well. We also need to educate the Senate Committee on Agriculture and the rest of Congress, to provide protection against whatever the House Committee may pass. Contact information for the Senate Agriculture Committee, and your Congressman and Senator, are also listed below. TAKE ACTION: Talking points and a sample letter are at the end of this alert. Please write, email, fax, or call following members (listed in order of importance): 1) The Honorable Collin C. Peterson Chairman, House Committee on Agriculture 1305 Longworth House Office Building Washington D.C. 20515 Phone: 202-225-2171 Fax: 202-225-8510 Email: [log in to unmask] [ mailto:[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> ] 2) The Honorable Bob Goodlatte Ranking Minority Member, House Committee on Agriculture 1305 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Phone: 202-225-0029 Fax: 202-225-0917 Email: [log in to unmask] [ mailto:[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> ] 3) Any member of the House Committee on Agriculture who comes from your state. All of the members are listed below, and it's important that the members hear from the people within their state. The members are listed in order of their states (starting with Alabama and ending with Wisconsin). 4) Senator Harkin Chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry Room SR-328A Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC. 20510-6000 Phone: 202-224-2035 5) Your Congressman and Senator: http://www.house.gov/writerep/ [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=etshyacab.0.n8g8c7bab.bz6ym9bab.1223&ts=S0250&p =htt p%3A%2F%2Fwww.house.gov%2Fwriterep%2F] and http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=etshyacab.0.togiyacab.bz6ym9bab.1223&ts=S0250&p =htt p%3A%2F%2Fwww.senate.gov%2Fgeneral%2Fcontact_information%2Fsenators_cfm. cfm] Message: Please strip Sections 121 and 123 from the draft Farm Bill. The law barring the USDA from using mandatory animal identification to implement COOL should not be changed, and NAIS should not be put into the Farm Bill. Further, the USDA should not be able to pre-empt state and local government control over food safety. As always, if you have any questions, you can contact us at [log in to unmask] [ mailto:[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> ] or call 866-687-6452. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~ Members of House Committee on Agriculture Members are listed in order of their states (alphabetically). Please contact any members who come from your state. If you want to use e-mail, then go to the Congressperson's website, which you can find at http://www.house.gov/ [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=etshyacab.0.vogiyacab.bz6ym9bab.1223&ts=S0250&p =htt p%3A%2F%2Fwww.house.gov%2F] Terry Everett (AL), (p) 202-225-2901, (f) 202-225-8913 Michael Rogers (AL), (p) 202-225-3261, (f) 202-226-8485 Jo Bonner (AL), (p) 202-225-4931, (f) 202-225-0562 Joe Baca (CA), (p) 202-225-6161, (f) 202-225-8671 Dennis Cardoza (CA), (p) 202-225-6131, (f) 202-225-0819 Jim Costa (CA), (p) 202-225-3341, (f) 202-225-9308 Kevin McCarthy (CA), (202) 225-2915, (f) 202-225-2908 John T. Salazar (CO), (p) 202-225-4761, (f) 202-226-9669 Marilyn Musgrove (CO), (p) 202-225-4676, (f) 202-225-5870 Timothy Mahoney (FL), (p) 202-225-5792, (f) 202-225-3132 David Scott (GA), (p) 202-225-2939, (f) 202-225-4628 Jim Marshall (GA), (p) 202-225-6531, (f) 202-225-3013 John Barrow (GA), (p) 866-890-6236, (f) 202-225-3377 Leonard L. Boswell, (IA), (p) 202-225-3806, (f) 202-225-5608 Steve King (IA), (p) 202-225-4426, (f) 202-225-3193 Timothy Johnson (IL), 202-225-2371, (f) 202-226-0791 Brad Ellsworth (IN), (p) 866-567-0227, (f) 202-225-3284 Joe Donnelly (IN), (p) 202-225-3915, (f) 202-225-6798 Nancy Boyda (KS), (p) 202-225-6601, (f) 202-225-7986 Jerry Moran (KS), (p) 202-225-2715, (f) 202-225-5124 Charles W. Boustany, Hr. (LA), (p) 202-225-2031, (f) 202-225-5724 Tim Walberg (MI), (p) 202-225-6276, (f) 202-225-6281 Collin Peterson (MN), (p) 202-225-2165, (f) 202-225-1593 Timothy J. Walz (MN), (p) 202-225-2472, (f) 202-225-3433 Sam Graves (MO), (p) 202-225-7041, (f) 202-225-8221 Earl Pomeroy, (ND), (p) 202-225-2611, (f) 202-226-0893 Mike McIntyre (NC), (p) 202-225-2731, (f) 202-225-5773 Bob Etheridge (NC), (p) 202-225-4531, (f) 202-225-5662 Robin Hayes, (NC), (p) 202-225-3715, (f)202-225-4036 Virginia Foxx (NC), (p) 202-225-2071, (f) 202-225-2995 Jeff Fortnberry (NE), (p) 202-225-4806, (f) 202-225-5686 Adrian Smith (NE), (p) 202-225-6435, (f) 202-225-0207 Kirsten Gillibrand, (NY), (p) 202-225-5614, (f)202-225-1168 John R. "Randy" Kuhl, Jr. (NY), 202-225-3161, (f) 202-226-6599 Zachary T. Space (OH), (p) 202-225-6265, (f) 330-364-4330 Jean Schmidt (OH), (p) 202-225-3164, (f) 202-225-1992 Frank D. Lucas (OK), (p) 202-225-5565, (f) 202-225-8698 Tim Holden (PA), (p) 202-225-5546, (f) 202-226-0996 Stephanie Herseth Sandline, (SD), (p) 202-225-2801, (f) 202-225-5823 Lincoln Davis, (TN), (p) 202-225-6831, 9f) 202-226-5172 Henry Cuellar (TX), (p) 202-225-1640, (f) 202-225-1641 Mike Conaway (TX), (p) 202-225-3605, (f) 202-225-1783 Randy Neugebauer (TX), (p) 800-763-1611, (f) 202-225-9615 Nicholas Lampson (TX), (p) 202-225-5951, (f) 202-225-5241 Bob Goodlatte (VA), (p) 202-225-5431, (f) 202-225-9681 Steve Kagen (WI), (p) 202-225-5665, (f) 202-225-5729 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~ Working together, we can make our voices heard. Judith McGeary Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance www.farmandranchfreedom.org <http://www.farmandranchfreedom.org/> [http://rs6.net/tn.jsp?t=etshyacab.0.s8g8c7bab.bz6ym9bab.1223&ts=S0250&p =htt p%3A%2F%2Fwww.farmandranchfreedom.org%2F] (p) 512-243-9404 (toll free) 866-687-6452 ======================================================================== ==== ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~ Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance | 8308 Sassman Rd | Austin | TX | 78747 --------- End Forwarded Message Susan B. Smalley, Ph.D. Extension Specialist C.S. Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems at Michigan State University Department of Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies (CARRS) 303 Natural Resources Building East Lansing, MI 48824-1222 [log in to unmask] 517.432.0049 voice 517.353.3834 fax If you would like to access previous postings to the Mich-Organic listserv you can copy and paste the following URL into your browser address bar http://list.msu.edu/archives/mich-organic.html