Action Alert March 7th, 2005

--Congratulations to new towns added to GE FREE VT map!
--Update on Farmer Protection Act
--Actions YOU can take NOW to get the FARMER PROTECTION ACT through the House!
--Upcoming Events in your area!

CONGRATULATIONS!
Shrewsbury, Springfield, Waterville, and Barnett have passed Town Meeting Resolutions calling on our state to TAKE ACTION to stop the spread of GMOs! These resolutions bring the statewide total to 82!

UPDATE ON THE FARMER PROTECTION ACT
This week has been a break for the legislators for Town Meeting. Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee began the final stages of passing the Farmer Protection Act, but because Senator Sears (the committee chair) was away, they were unable to complete their work. The Committee should take up this bill first thing next week, and we hope to see a full Senate vote by the end of the week. Then, it's on to the HOUSE - where WE NEED YOU! Although we have 54 cosponsors signed onto our bill in the House, we need 76 YES votes on the House floor to win this battle! Read on to find out how YOU can help!

ACTION #1:
CALL YOUR HOUSE REPRESENTATIVE(S) and ask them if they are planning to support the Farmer Protection Act. You can find your House Reps and their contact info here: http://www.leg.state.vt.us/legdir/districts.cfm?Body=H. We need to get an early "vote count" to know how many solid YES votes we have on this bill. Please email amy@ruralvermont.org with any responses your Reps give you - yes, no, maybe - and let us know if they ask for more information. We'll follow up!

ACTION #2:
WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR. Write a letter to your local paper saying why you support the Farmer Protection Act. If your Representative says they will support it, THANK THEM in your letter! There's a sample below, and you can call the Rural Vermont office for email addresses for your local papers. 802-223-7222.

To the Editor:
I have been following the debate about the liability for genetically engineered seeds, and I think Vermont's farmers should be protected from this liability. The corporations should be responsible for their products. It is not fair to expect Vermont farmers to take on the risk for these products, which are uncontrollable. If the corporations want to profit from these seeds, they should take the risk. The Farmer Protection Act would place the liability for genetically engineered seeds right where it belongs -- on the corporations -- not on the backs of our farmers.

If the GE seeds are as great as the corporations claim, then there should be no problem. They should be proud to stand behind their products. The Farmer Protection Act is a good way for Vermont to deal with this issue because it does not discriminate. It protects all farmers -- GMO, nonGMO, organic, and conventional. It does not judge the technology. If the seeds do not cause harm, then the bill burdens nobody. It simply ensures that our farmers are not at risk.

I hope to see this bill enacted by the end of this legislative session. It is a good step in the right direction for the future of Vermont.

Sincerely,
[your full name, town, and phone number]

UPCOMING EVENTS IN YOUR AREA:

BREAD AND ROSES, A Readers Theater Play
By Lea Wood of Central Vermont Women's International League for Peace & Freedom, in celebration for International Women's Day
Tuesday, March 8 at Langdon Street Cafe
Wednesday, March 9 at the Kellogg Hubbard Library Hayes Room at 6:00pm
The play is about 40 minutes long.

OIL ON ICE, a documentary on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Date: Monday, March 14, 2005
Time: 6:30 pm
Where: UVM, Angell Building, Room B106, Burlington
Who: Vermont Sierra Club. Call 802-734-8823 or 802-229-5151 for more information. This event is free and open to the public.
The Vermont Sierra Club is pleased to present Oil on Ice, an award-winning documentary that connects the fate of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to critical decisions America makes about our energy policy.

HOUSE AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE PUBLIC HEARING
Friday, March 18th
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Rupert Community Hall, Rte. 153
Speak out for the Farmer Protection Act, Agricultural Water Quality, and other ag issues!

CONFERENCE: Young Entrepreneurs in Agriculture and Local Foods
Time: Saturday April 23rd, Registration 8:30am - 9:00am, Events 9:00am-4:45pm
Location: UVM Campus, Burlington, VT
The "Young Entrepreneurs in Agriculture and Local Foods" symposium is an opportunity to recognize, and learn from, unique work being done by young people in agricultural businesses across Vermont. The keynote address will be by Jan Albers, author of "Hands on the Land: A History of the Vermont Landscape". Sessions during the event cover topics ranging from practical advice for new business ventures to how educators can foster innovation that reaches beyond the classroom. This event is free, but pre-registration is
requested. To register or to view a schedule, visit http://crs.uvm.edu/yealf/register.htm
Contact: Helen Jordan (hjordan@uvm.edu)
Phone: 802 656-0254

If you have any questions about this email or want to unsubscribe from the Farm Policy Network Activist List, please contact amy@ruralvermont.org
Amy Shollenberger
Policy Director, Rural Vermont