Action Alert February 16, 2007

--Committee Hearing Scheduled on Meat Processing - WEDNESDAY
--Keep the Calls Coming for a PUBLIC HEARING ON MEAT PROCESSING ISSUES
--Rural Vermont Events
--Other events

HOUSE AGRICULTURE COMMITTEE HEARING SCHEDULED
On Wednesday, February 21st, from 8:30 am to Noon, the Vermont House Agriculture Committee will hold a hearing on meat processing issues. This hearing is open to the public for listening, but not for speaking. A witness list will be posted on the weekly schedule here: http://www.leg.state.vt.us/schedule/schedule2.cfm on Sunday or Monday. If you are planning to attend the hearing, please let us know by emailing amy@ruralvermont.org. If you do come, dress for indoors (it's warm!), and allow ample time for finding a parking place (the streets are full of snow).

The committee is looking for ways to break down barriers between farmers and consumers who want to produce and eat local meat. Rural Vermont has asked that as a first step, they remove the regulations for poultry sold at farmers markets and to restaurants when producers are selling less than 1000 birds/year. If we are successful, you could sell less than 1000 birds/year at these venues without state inspection. You can already sell less than 1000 birds/year from the farm with no inspection. Federal law carries this exemption to other venues, but Vermont regulates this "exempted category."

IF YOU SUPPORT THIS EFFORT, please WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR of your local paper this week, stating your support and your wish that the committee push this provision forward. You can find contact information for your local paper here:
http://www.ruralvermont.org/getinvolved.html (scroll halfway down the page). Your letter will help to keep this discussion alive in the statehouse and in your community.

PUBLIC HEARING ON MEAT PROCESSING ISSUES

THANK YOU to all who have called their Representatives this week. The pink message papers were piling up in the statehouse, and the buzz is building on this issue. YOUR CALLS ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE. The House Agriculture Committee discussed whether or not to have a public hearing this week, and it looks like they may schedule a hearing for mid-March. We need YOU to help make this happen for sure.

If you have NOT called YOUR HOUSE REP, please do so this week. (If you have already made this call, see below)
PLEASE CALL YOUR REP(S) THIS WEEK at the Vermont Statehouse - 802-828-2228 - Tuesday through Friday. Leave a message with the Sergeant at Arms - leave your name and telephone number and ask for a call back from your House Rep(s). When they call you back, ASK YOUR REP TO ASK HOUSE AG CHAIR DAVID ZUCKERMAN TO HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING ON MEAT PROCESSING ISSUES. If you are unsure who your representative is, the Sergeant at Arms can tell you when you call - you'll just need to tell them where you live.

If you HAVE called your House Rep already, PLEASE CALL YOUR SENATORS THIS WEEK at the Vermont Statehouse - 802-828-2228 - Tuesday through Friday. Leave a message with the Sergeant at Arms - leave your name and telephone number and ask for a call back from your Senators. When they call you back, ASK YOUR SENATOR TO ASK SENATE AG CHAIR SARA KITTELL TO HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING ON MEAT PROCESSING ISSUES. If you are unsure who your Senators are, the Sergeant at Arms can tell you when you call - you'll just need to tell them what county you live in.

***RURAL VERMONT EVENTS***
RURAL VERMONT HOT CHOCOLATE SOCIALS! PLEASE JOIN US!
This week - BURLINGTON SOCIAL ON WEDNESDAY!
Come one, come all to enjoy Fair Trade Hot Chocolate made with Vermont Farm Fresh Milk. Learn about how you can get involved with Rural Vermont and work toward our vision of living soils, thriving farms, and healthy communities. Find out what you can do to help make a strong local food system right here in Vermont! Meet local farmers, hear interesting speakers, and enjoy some of the best hot chocolate you've ever had (and other treats, too!).

All socials are 7 pm to 8:30 pm, and are free and open to the public. We hope you'll become a member of Rural Vermont while you're there! We'll have activities for kids, too, and great door prizes!

PLEASE PLAN TO ATTEND THE SOCIAL NEAREST TO YOU!
THIS WEEK! Wednesday, 2/21/07 – Fletcher Free Library, Burlington
Thursday, 3/1/07 – United Church of S. Royalton, S. Royalton
Tuesday, 3/13/07 – Miss Lyndonville Diner, Lyndonville
Thursday, 3/15/07 – Illsley Library, Middlebury
Wednesday, 3/21/07 – New Life Christian Fellowship, Milton
Thursday, 3/22/07 – United Methodist Church, Danville
Tuesday, 4/3/07 – Pawlet Community Church, Pawlet
Tuesday, 4/10/07 – United Church of Colchester, Colchester
Monday, 4/16/07 – Methodist Church, Enosburg Falls
Tuesday, 4/24/07 -- Boccelli’s on the Canal, Bellows Falls

If you have any questions, please call or email Shelby at shelby@ruralvermont.org or 802-223-7222.

THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE!
Please join Rural Vermont and the Vermont Conservation Education Fund for a great workshop on how to get involved with policy making in Vermont. You'll learn all you need to know to be an effective advocate for issues that you care about. No experience necessary. All welcome! A great opportunity for home-schoolers, too!
--Learn how the Vermont legislature works
--Get the scoop on how to navigate the legislative process
--Learn the statehouse lingo
--Find out where things are at the statehouse
--Practice talking to legislators one-on-one and testifying at a public hearing
--Take home a helpful booklet filled with tips, tricks, and contact information for your local legislators

All workshops are 6 pm - 8:30 pm and will include light refreshments.
Suggested donation $5 - nobody turned away for lack of funds.
Please call Robb at 223-7222 to RSVP - not necessary, but helpful!
MARCH 14, 2007 - Grace Congregational Church, 8 Court Street - RUTLAND
MARCH 20, 2007 - Shelburne Town Offices, 5410 Shelburne Road - SHELBURNE
MARCH 26, 2007 - Northshire Bookstore, 4869 Main Street - MANCHESTER CENTER
APRIL 5, 2007 - American Legion Hall, 60 Railroad Street, ISLAND POND

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OTHER EVENTS...
(TONITE!) Food, Farms and the Environment: Impacting the 2007 Farm Bill
February 16th and 17th, 2007
Brattleboro, Montpelier, Colchester
Will authorization of the Farm Bill maintain the conventional policies of the past? Or can we set a course for more innovative farm, food and environmental policies? How can citizens of the Northeast support sustainable agriculture here at home while also respecting the needs of rural communities around the world? Please join us in lively discussion around the 2007 Farm Bill and find out how our nation's most important piece of agricultural legislation impacts YOU! Be a part of our efforts to make fair and equitable farm policies as Congress writes new legislation this year.

Friday, February 16th
6:00pm
Bethany United Church of Christ
115 Main Street
Montpelier, Vermont

Saturday, February 17th
1:00pm
United Church of Colchester
900 Main Street
Colchester, Vermont

Sponsored By: National Catholic Rural Life Conference, Bread for the World,
Oxfam America and Center For Rural Affairs
For More Information Contact: Dave Andrews, 515.270.2634, ncrlc2@mchsi.com
Stephanie Demmons, 617.728.2586, sdemmons@oxfamamerica.org

WEAVING WELLNESS INTO SCHOOLS: Using Local Foods in the Cafeteria and Classroom
Regional workshops announced to help schools and child care centers improve the food and nutrition environment and make connections to local food sources, as follows:
March 8 - Barre Congregational Church
This workshop is designed for teachers, administrators, school nurses, school food service, farmers, primary care practitioners, public health providers, school wellness committee members, parents, health educators, and child care resource development specialists, child and adult care food program participants, dieticians, Fit and Healthy Vermont Coalition members, VT Blueprint Committees, and anyone interested! Registration is $15 (includes a light local meal). Download registration form at http://www.vtfeed.org/progservices/WeavingSchoolsFLYER_2007.pdf or contact Dana Hudson at (802) 985-8686 ext 25.

"Global Warming: Changing CO2URSE".A four session discussion group, meeting
the THIRD Wed. of every month starting Feb. 21. Meets from 6:30-8pm at the
Aldrich Public Library in Barre.
The course is free but the book costs fifteen dollars. Read the first
session before Feb. 21st. For further info. call George Plumb at 883-2313. The course is thru the Vermont Earth Institute and is being presented by the Faith in Action Committee of the Barre Universalist Church. George Plumb will moderate the discussion group.

Vermont Agency of Agriculture Offers Two New Workshops: Bringing Value-added Foods to Market and Food Safety Issues for the Produce Industry On February 20 and 21, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture will host workshops focused on two topics of interest to a growing number of farmers and food processors: bringing value-added processing food and agricultural products to market, and food safety for fruit and vegetable growers and processors. Both workshops will be held in the Stone Science Building, Room 205 on the Union Institute (formerly Vermont College) campus at the top of State Street in Montpelier. Registration will begin at 9:00 a.m. each day and workshops will start at 9:30 and continue until 4:00 p.m. For more details and directions, go to www.vermontagriculture.com or call (802) 828-2416.

OPEN FORUM ON GROUNDWATER at St. Matthew's Parish Hall, Church Street in Enosburg Falls
Thursday, March 1, at 7 p.m.
Representatives from the Vermont Natural Resources Council will be present to answer questions relating to the proposed mapping of groundwater in Vermont and declaring groundwater a public trust resource. Those two proposals are the substance of a resolution that will be on the Warning for voting on at Enosburgh Town Meeting. Anyone interested in the topic, from Enosburgh or other towns, is more than welcome to attend.

Black Sheep Books presents:
Food Not Bombs: Cooking for Peace and Social Justice
A talk by Keith McHenry, Food Not Bombs co-founder
Tuesday, March 6 at 6:30 p.m.
at 4 Langdon Street, Montpelier
Free! All Welcome!
Keith will give a presentation about the history of the movement and the many things it has accomplished around the world. He will show a DVD about his work in Africa and talk about how to start a Food Not Bombs movement in Vermont. Keith has spent over 500 days in jail for feeding the hungry. Amnesty International declared him a "Prisoner of Conscience" and worked for his unconditional release. Today, Food Not Bombs is a global movement sharing vegetarian food with the hungry, and working for peace and social justice. Keith has visited Food Not Bombs groups in Europe, Asia, Africa, the
Americas, and the Middle East, and will share his experiences of cooking and feeding the hungry. For more on Food Not Bombs, see http://www.foodnotbombs.net

GREEN MOUNTAIN FILM FESTIVAL
Our Daily Bread (cosponsored by Rural Vermont)
Monday, March 19 8:15 pm
Wednesday, March 21 2:00 pm

City Hall Arts Center
Films in Yiddish, Krio, Pidgin, Turkish and Ylongu...and films by
Vermont filmmakers. too! Documentaries from the Margaret Mead Traveling Film and Video Festival....A tribute to documentary pioneer Albert Maysles...A chance to talk movies with critic Kenneth Turan....All this and more at the 10th Annual Green Mountain Film Festival, coming March 16-25! Go to www.greenmountainfilmfestival.org to see the entire schedule and order tickets via a downloadable order form.

FILM SERIES IN MARLBORO
Know Media Presents their 4th Annual
ELEPHANT IN THE LIVING ROOM FILM SERIES
Tuesdays, 7:00 p.m.
Marlboro Technology Center, Brattleboro (directions below)
February 27th, 2007 - Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes
Director hip-hop fan, and gender violence prevention educator, conceived the documentary as a "loving critique" of a number of disturbing trends in the world of rap music. He pays tribute to hip-hop while challenging the rap music industry to take responsibility for glamorizing destructive, deeply conservative stereotypes of manhood. Critically acclaimed for its fearless engagement with issues of race, gender violence, and the corporate exploitation of youth culture. Sponsored by Know Media and ACME VT.
March 27th - DOUBLE FEATURE: Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People
ALSO SHOWING: MANY WAYS TO SEE THE WORLD: A Thirty-Minute Tour of World Map Images This groundbreaking documentary dissects a slanderous aspect of cinematic history that has run virtually unchallenged form the earliest days of silent film to todays biggest Hollywood blockbusters. By inspiring critical thinking about the social, political, and basic human consequences of leaving these Hollywood caricatures unexamined, the film challenges viewers to recognize the urgent need for counter-narratives that do justice to the diversity and humanity of Arab people and the reality and richness of Arab history and culture. All films are open to the Public Suggested donation $3 - $7 (Proceeds to benefit Know Media) For More Info Call Robin (802) 258-2402 tbreeze@sover.net. Directions to Marlboro Tech Center: From North: Interstate 91 Take Exit 1, Brattleboro. At end of ramp turn left; (Route 5 / Canal Street). Travel 1.2 miles toward downtown Brattleboro. At the bottom of the second hill you descend, look for signs for Route 142 South. At 4-way intersection, make a sharp right onto Vernon Street (Route 142 South). Go past Brattleboro Museum on left. Parking for the Graduate Center is the next left. Room 2 NE
If you have any questions about this email or if you want to subscribe to or unsubscribe from Rural Vermont's Farm Policy Network e-alert list, contact amybeth@together.net.