Action Alert 11/02/07

--ACTION NEEDED - Farm Bill goes to the Senate Floor!
--Current Use Task Force Final Meeting
--Local Food Celebration
--Contra Dance to Benefit Rural Vermont
--Other upcoming events

FARM BILL UPDATE
The U.S. Farm Bill has passed out of the Senate Agriculture Committee, and is
scheduled for Senate Floor Debate and a vote this coming week. Two specific
provisions of the Senate Ag Committee's version of the Farm Bill need your
action! Please call Senator Patrick Leahy on Monday or Tuesday about these
issues.

CALL: 202-224-4242 (Senator Leahy's Washington, DC, office direct line)

ISSUES:
1) Section 10305 exempts the National Animal Identification System from the
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). This is a move to address "confidentiality"
concerns raised about NAIS in the past year. This section gives implied
approval of NAIS by addressing these concerns without a full debate about NAIS,
and without any clear parameters around the program. TELL SENATOR LEAHY TO
REMOVE SECTION 10305 from the Farm Bill and TO STOP NAIS.

2) EQIP funding helps farmers to make needed water quality improvements on
their farms. Farmers must match the federal EQIP grant in order to get the
funding. Senator Harkin had limited EQIP funding to $240,000 per farm, in order
to allow more farmers to benefit from the program (the average EQIP grant is
$19,000, and there is a long waiting list for the program). Senator Leahy
sponsored an amendment that passed in the Ag Committee, raising this cap to
$450,000 per farm - arguing that CAFO's (concentrated animal feeding
operations) need more money because they have higher environmental costs. (Many
CAFOs across the country have huge manure lagoons and need to deal with their
manure.) TELL SENATOR LEAHY TO KEEP THE EQIP CAP AT $240,000/FARM TO HELP
FAMILY FARMERS WHO ARE STEWARDING THE LAND AND WATER PROPERLY.

**CURRENT USE TASK FORCE FINAL MEETING**
During the 2007 legislative session, the Vermont state legislature authorized a
study of the Use Value Appraisal program (commonly known as "current use"). The
legislature also formed a Task Force to review the study when it was completed,
gather input from Vermonters, and make recommendations to the legislature for
possible changes to the Current Use program. The study has just been completed,
and the Task Force is now meeting. If you are in the Current Use program, have
concerns about the program or the study, or have had difficulties getting into
the program, now is the time to speak up! You can find the study here:
http://www.leg.state.vt.us/WorkGroups/UseValue/Review%20and%20Analysis.pdf .

On Wednesday, November 7, 2007, the Task Force will meet one last time to
discuss
recommendations to the legislature, in Room 11 of the Statehouse.

Download RV's comments here (pdf)

*** FOOD TASTINGS & FILM SCREENINGS ***
What better way to connect with friends, family, and neighbors than over
wholesome foods and thought-provoking films? Rural Vermont’s Local Foods
Cookbooks are finally here! They feature 100+ recipes collected from all of
you, and highlight Vermont’s bountiful farm fresh products. Now we need your
help to debut them! As the holiday season approaches, there is no better time
to host a Food Tasting (featuring recipes from the cookbook) for friends,
family, and neighbors. They will be floored by the flavors and the worthy cause
that their cookbook purchases support! You can also order a cookbook ($15 each)
by calling 802-223-7222 or visiting
http://www.ruralvermont.org/publications.html

***FOOD TASTING - HOSTED BY NUTTY STEPH'S***
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
7 - 8:30 pm
Nutty Steph's, 190 River St (behind the Trading Post), MONTPELIER
Mingle with like-minded folks over tasty treats, purchase your very own Rural
Vermont Local Foods Cookbook, and check out Nutty Steph's new retail space. To
RSVP, get more info, or contribute a dish to share (help!): Shelby at 223-7222
For directions: Nutty Steph at 229-2090

***HOST A FILM SCREENING***
Rural Vermont has a newly stocked library of FILMS including The Power of
Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil, Standing Silent Nation, Fast Food
Nation, and Supersize Me. Organize a Film Screening in your home, church, or
library and help us share these and other important films about relocalizing
our food supply and supporting our local economy. The legislature will be back
in session before we know it, so now is the time to inspire your community to
take action!

**FILM SCREENING!!**
Deconstructing Supper & The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
7:00 PM
Stowe Library
More Info: Nancy at 253-6037

Contact Shelby at 223-7222 or shelby@ruralvermont.org for more info about
setting up a Food Tasting and/or Film Screening in your neighborhood.

***RURAL VERMONT CONTRA DANCE***
Bring your family and wear your dancing shoes to raise some funds for Rural
Vermont.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Will Mentor calling with Sarah Blair on fiddle and Colin McCaffrey on guitar!
Family Dance - 6:00 - 7:30 PM
Adult Dance - 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM
Shelburne Town Hall (5376 Shelburne Road (Rte 7), Shelburne)
Admission: $10 (kids free)- all proceeds benefit Rural Vermont
Tasty Desserts for sale at the break!
More info: 223-7222

**OFFICE SPACE FOR RENT**
Sublet an office space in Rural Vermont's suite above Angeleno's on Barre
Street in Montpelier. Rural Vermont is leasing a 12'x15' room to Carl Etnier of
Peak Oil Awareness, and he is looking for someone to share the room and the
rent with. The corner room is well lit and spacious. $200/month, including all
utilities and high-speed internet. Telephone not included. For more
information, call Carl at 802-498-4443.


************************************
OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS!
************************************
**ROCK-N-ROLL FOR THOSE IN NEED. -- TONIGHT!!!
Don't miss an evening of locally grown rock and roll on November 2nd at the
Rusty Nail in Stowe to benefit Salvation Farms, a
non-profit project that salvages excess farm produce and makes it available to
Vermonters in need. Live music by the Seth Yacavone Band and Lobot. Bring your
friends and spread the word! Show starts at 7 pm with a $10 cover to be donated
to Salvation Farms. For further information, visit the Rusty Nail at
www.rustynailbar.com or Salvation Farms at www.salvationfarms.org

**BIKE COLLECTION:Sat, Nov 10; 10 am-1 pm; FreeRide, 89 Barre Street,
Montpelier. Donate used bikes and bike parts for refurbishment into usable
transportation. Unusable parts will be turned into public art. Info: mdca.org
or 223-9604.

**7th Annual Cultural Awareness Workshop
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
7:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Billings Building on the UVM Campus
Title of Workshop: Recognizing Health Issues for Vermont Farm Workers
Brochure and registration information to follow in September.
Presented by the Department of Family Medicine, College of Medicine, University
of Vermont
Contacts: Emira.Smailagic@uvm.edu or Penilee.Saulnier@uvm.edu

**Environmental Action 2007 Conference
Mobilizing the Grassroots for a Greener Vermont
November 17, 2007
Over 30 training and information workshops will focus on transportation and
land use issues, energy and global warming, water and forest issues, and
environmental health and toxins. Several workshops will also focus on honing
some of the skills necessary to be an effective advocate. So don't miss a great
opportunity to join your friends and neighbors for a fun day intended to help
catalyze greater local action and forge the connections that will lead Vermont
toward a clean, healthy and sustainable future. For more information or to
register online visit www.vtenvironmentalaction.org or call or email Johanna
Miller at 802-223-2328 ext. 112 or jmiller@vnrc.org.

**INTERNATIONAL TRADE HEARINGS
The Vermont Commission on International Trade and State Sovereignty has
scheduled a series of four public hearings to provide information and receive
testimony about the effects of trade agreements on Vermont and Vermonters. The
Commission has a web site at http://www.leg.state.vt.us/WorkGroups/Trade/. The
site can also be accessed from the legislative home page by scrolling to near
the bottom of the page and clicking on "Issues of Interest," then, under
2007-2008 session, scrolling to "Committees, Commissions, Task Forces and Other
Work Groups" and clicking on "Commission on International Trade and State
Sovereignty." Info and Details about the meetings are available on this site.
Anyone interested in submitting written testimony or testifying in person at a
hearing is asked to call Nedene Martin at 828-2231.
The hearing schedule is as follows (one hearing has already happened):
-Tuesday, November 13, 2007 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Hotel Coolidge, 39
S. Main St., White River Junction: the effects of international free
trade agreements on Vermont’s environment.
-Tuesday, November 27, 2007 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Rutland Regional
Medical Center, CVPS/Leahy conference room: the effects of
international free trade agreements on health care and prescription
drugs in Vermont.
-Tuesday, December 18 from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. at The Abbey Restaurant in
Enosburg Falls: the effects of international free trade agreements on
Vermont agriculture.

**Save the Date! 2008 VT Grazing Conferences Features Greg Judy
The 12th Annual Vermont Grazing Conference, titled From Forgotten Fields to
Farm Fresh Food will feature Missouri grazier Greg Judy as keynote speaker.
The conference will take place at Vermont Technical College in Randolph, VT
on Saturday, January 19, 2008. The schedule includes themed tracks for
dairy, meat, poultry, diversified, animal management, soil and forages,
consumer interests, and grazing partnerships. Plans are in motion for a
kids' mini conference, and an intensive afternoon session focused on meat
processing. The conference is co-organized by the UVM Center for Sustainable
Agriculture and the Vermont Grass Farmers Association. To learn more about the
conference, contact Jenn Colby, VT Pasture Network, at (802) 656-0858,
jcolby@uvm.edu , or visit www.uvm.edu/~pasture .

**Save the Dates! NOFA-VT 2-Day Winter Conference Announced
NOFA-VT is pleased and proud to announce we will be offering, for the first
time ever, a 2-day Winter Conference, February 16th and 17th, at the Vermont
Technical College in Randolph, Vermont. Mark your calendars and stay tuned for
more information! If you’d like to be added to our mailing list to receive a
copy of the Winter Conference brochure, please contact the office, 434-4122, or
info@nofavt.org.