Action Alert 4/1/08

--PHONE CALLS TO SENATORS NEEDED THIS WEEK!
--Rural Vermont Annual Meeting with JOEL SALATIN
--Other Rural Vermont events
--Office Space for Rent in Montpelier
--Other upcoming events

***PHONE CALLS NEEDED THIS WEEK!!***
The clock is ticking toward the end of the legislative session, and WE NEED YOU to help to get the Farm Fresh Milk and Hemp for Vermont bills through the senate before the clock runs out! The Senate's "morning committees" will stop working as of next Friday (April 11th), so these bills must be out of the Senate Agriculture Committee by that deadline! WE CAN DO IT WITH YOUR HELP! The Senate Agriculture Committee has scheduled a hearing for tomorrow morning - Wednesday, April 2nd, from 9 am - Noon to hear testimony on the Farm Fresh Milk bill (please come if you can...see below for details). No further testimony is currently scheduled for the Hemp for Vermont bill - but the committee has already taken quite a bit of testimony and should be able to vote on the bill. However, they need to know that it is important - please CALL YOUR SENATORS on both bills this week - see below for details. We know the weather is calling you outside and chores are needing to be done, but these phone calls will only take a few minutes, and they can make a big difference! More information and copies of both bills are available at www.ruralvermont.org.

HERE'S WHAT YOU CAN DO THIS WEEK TO HELP THESE TWO BILLS MOVE THROUGH THE SENATE:

1) CALL YOUR SENATORS - Please Call Wednesday-Thursday-Friday this week at the Statehouse.
Call 802-828-2228 and leave a message with your name and number and ask for a call back. You have more than one senator, so make sure to leave a message for all of your senators. You can ask the person who answers the phone who your senators are if you don't know - they just need to know what county you live in. WHEN YOUR SENATOR CALLS YOU BACK - please ask them to support H.616 (the Farm Fresh Milk bill) and H.267 (the Hemp for Vermont bill). Be sure to mention BOTH bills when you call.
IT IS CRITICAL THAT YOU CALL THIS WEEK FOR BOTH BILLS! Please let us know what your senator says when you call - send an email to amy@ruralvermont.org or call 802-223-7222 and leave us a message. If you have already called your senators, please give us your update as soon as possible!

2) WRITE A THANK YOU NOTE to your House Representative(s) if they voted YES on the bill. The list of the votes is at the very end of this email. Please write a HAND-WRITTEN note and mail it to your representative at the statehouse (please DO NOT send email, as it is ineffective). Tell your reps why you appreciate their vote. These thank you notes are very important! Please do not think you are done in the house because the vote is over.
Send your note to:
Rep. ______________
Vermont Statehouse
115 State Street
Montpelier, VT 05633

3) COME TO THE HEARING IF YOU CAN! This week, the senate will begin considering the bill, in the form of hearings in the Senate Agriculture Committee. The first hearing is scheduled for:
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
9 am – NOON
Senate Agriculture Room (1st floor, VT Statehouse)

Look for Rural Vermont folks near the coat room when you come into the statehouse, and we will direct you to the hearing room (and give you stickers). Some tips for the hearing:
-Get there early if you can. It is sometimes difficult to find parking.
-Bring quarters to park on the street, OR park in the garage on East State Street – it is somewhere around $5 to park all day in the garage, and it is a 3 block walk to the statehouse.
-Wear “inside clothes” – it can be hot in the statehouse!
-You will not be allowed to speak at this hearing. If you feel upset or agitated, just leave the room for awhile and then come back.

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RURAL VERMONT'S ANNUAL MEETING
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It's time to celebrate another year of moving our state closer to Rural Vermont's Vision for Vermont Agriculture!
The night will feature:
-a keynote speech by JOEL SALATIN, farmer and author of _Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal_ and other books
-board elections
-an awards ceremony
-a silent auction (bring your checkbook or MC/VISA!).
It's a POTLUCK: bring a dish made from local ingredients to share!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
6:30 - 9 pm
Royalton Academy
Route 14, ROYALTON
FREE for Rural Vermont members!
Everyone else: $15 (join today on our secure website: www.ruralvermont.org)
Interested in carpooling? Contact Colin at colin@ruralvermont.org and he will help to coordinate rides with other people in your area if possible.

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RURAL VERMONT EVENTS!
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**Luncheon and Talk with Joel Salatin at Sterling College**
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
LUNCH - 12:30 - 1:30 pm (ONLY 12 tickets will be sold!) Be one of twelve lucky people who get to be part of a discussion with Joel Salatin over a lovely lunch featuring locally grown foods in Sterling’s Dunbar Dining Hall, tickets are $50 per Person

PUBLIC TALK - 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm - Joel will give a talk in Sterling’s Simpson Hall
Talk is open to the public, tickets are $15 per person suggested donation. Don’t miss this opportunity to meet and listen to one of our nation’s leading farmers and agricultural/inspirational speakers!

**TONIGHT! HEMP MOVIE & DISCUSSION**
Come to the Lovin' Cup Cafe in Johnson to check out Hemp and the Rule of Law followed by a discussion led by local hemp advocate Eileen McKusick. Hemp and the Rule of Law relays the story behind agricultural hemp; the US's past involvement with hemp as a major agricultural crop and the current controversy surrounding farmers and state rights to return it as such. For a detailed film description and reviews, visit http://www.tinroofvideo.com/
WHEN: Tuesday, April 1st @ 7 pm
WHERE: Lovin' Cup Cafe, Main Street, Johnson

*** FARM FRESH FORUM in Essex ***
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
7 pm
Brownell Library, ESSEX
Join Rural Vermont and local farmers Doug Flack and Teddy Yandow for a lively group discussion about Rural Vermont's Farm Fresh Milk, Farm Fresh Meat, and Agricultural Hemp initiatives. Bring your friends and neighbors to learn more about what Rural Vermont is doing to support local agriculture and find out what we can all do to strengthen this movement. Snacks will be provided by Sweet Clover Market.

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OFFICE SPACE FOR RENT
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Support Rural Vermont and enjoy a nice office space in downtown Montpelier. Rent one large room in the Rural Vermont office for $400/month. Room comes with two desks and some chairs, as well as some storage space (shelves and a small cupboard). Also, use of wireless internet and copier. Renter must provide your own phone. Office is located on Barre Street, convenient to downtown. If you're interested, call Colin at 802-223-7222 to set up an appointment to look at the space.

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OTHER UPCOMING EVENTS
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TONIGHT! Cooling the Planet with Zero Waste
A Community Meeting with Gary Liss and Richard Anthony
Tuesday, April 1, 2008, 6:30pm
T.W. Wood Gallery at VT College (call 229-9383 ext.304 for directions)
RSVP to specialprograms@cvswmd.org if possible. But join in, either way!
Come to this community meeting to learn about Zero Waste and offer your energy and ideas toward moving the central VT region along this critical path! Want to learn more about Zero Waste now? See www.cvswmd.org/zero_waste/ . Gary Liss and Richard Anthony are leading Zero Waste consultants with more than 70 years of combined experience in solid waste and recycling, and have worked on more Zero Waste plans for communities than anyone else in the nation. They are currently working with the CVSWMD to help develop new Zero Waste initiatives. Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District 802-229-9383 www.cvswmd.org

Maude Barlow — Water Expert, Author, Activist —
to Speak April 2 on Water Security in an Era of Climate Change
The Vermont Natural Resources Council is proud to host internationally renowned water expert Maude Barlow in a series of events on April 2 in Montpelier.
DETAILS OF THE EVENTS WITH MAUDE BARLOW ON APRIL 2:
10:30 a.m. - Testimony to a joint committee in Room 11 at the Vermont State House
12:30 p.m. – Book signing at Bear Pond Books in downtown Montpelier (77 Main St.)
6:00 p.m. – Discussion on “The Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water.” The event takes place at Bethany Church in Montpelier (115 Main St.) and is free and open to the public. A short Q&A will follow the presentation.
For more information and directions, contact Johanna Miller at 802-223-2328 or jmiller@vnrc.org.

Localvore Dinner At Applecheek Farm
April 5th, 6-8 p.m.
Live Folk Music and Contra Dance
With musicians Rich Atkinson, Noah Book, John Mallory, Fran Mallory,
and John Mullet
Eat delicious local food prepared by Chef Jason of JDC's Just Delicious Catering
Menu includes: Vermont Artisan cheese, Vermont Sausage, Homemade Bread,
Organic Turkey, Root Vegetables, Apple Crisp with Strafford Organic Creamery
Ice Cream
$24 per adult, $12 age 12 and under
Age 5 and under eat free!
RSVP by April 2nd -Receive a discount and be included in a prize drawing.
Call Jason Clark at 888-9407 or email: jdccatering@yahoo.com for tickets and info

**Local Foods, Local Communities
April 22, 2008
10 am - 2 pm
Lyndon State College Student Center
Contact: Melissa Bridges at the St. J. Food Co-op
Free and open to the public
As part of Lyndon State College's annual Earth Week celebration, the St. J. Food Co-op and many volunteers are hosting an event whose message will be "Where does your food come from?" The event will include some interactive displays and activities, along with a food cycle maze and a mural depicting local foods. Be sure to stop by the Rural Vermont table!

"Health & the Hive: A Beekeeper's Journey"- a New Film!
On Friday, April 25 at 7pm there will be a free showing of the film "Health & the Hive: A Beekeeper's Journey" at the Ilsley Library Meeting Room in Middlebury, Vermont. The film, made by Vermont filmmaker Jan Cannon, features several beekeepers, including Todd Hardie of Honey Gardens Apiaries in Ferrisburgh (honeygardens.com), and Ross Conrad of Dancing Bee Gardens and author of Natural Beekeeping (dancingbeegardens.com). The film will appeal to gardeners, farmers, healers and the sick. It will interest chefs, eaters, localvores, and people concerned about the environment and the impacts of industrial agriculture. Filmmaker Jan Cannon lives in Charlotte, and recently made a film about Bill McKibben's climate change march from Ripton to Burlington last year. He has been working to raise awareness on environmental issues through filmmaking. (www.jancannonfilms.com). Todd Hardie of Honey Gardens and Jan Cannon will be at the showing for this Vermont film debut. Todd recently showed the film to several audiences in Colorado, Seattle, and Portland, OR, and Ohio,where it was very well received. To find out about future showing dates, visit honeygardens.com.

**Whole Farm Planning Training Program – First Session April/May
We invite anyone who works directly with farmers to enroll in this educational opportunity. This is a unique opportunity to expand your skills and expertise in a topic much needed by your farmer clientele. Whole farm planning is essential for many farmers looking to expand, diversify, transfer assets to the next generation, and improve environmental conditions and farm profitability. This training will involve three intensive sessions. Each session will last 3-4 days. The first session will be held in April/May, 2008, the second session in September/October 2008 and the third session will be held in February/March, 2009. The sessions will focus on:
-farm/family goal setting,
-farm resource delineation,
-on-farm decision making,
-farm financial planning and analysis,
-reading the land/environmental monitoring,
-grazing planning
All expenses for the training will be paid through a Northeast SARE Professional Development Grant. Covered expenses include travel, room and board, and supplies and materials. Additionally, a program mentor will assist participants through the use of a list serve, interactive web site and other distance education methods.Farmer-educators will receive an additional $300 per session as a stipend for their time and to help defray costs while they are away from the farm. Participants will be required to attend all three sessions and work with at least two farms between sessions to implement the knowledge and skills gained during their training. Farmer participants may use their own farm as one of the two required. Two concurrent training sessions will be offered. One set of sessions will be held in central NY and the other will be held in central New Hampshire. Twelve participants will be accepted for each training site (NY and NH). The training is targeted at educators across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. For more information about the New York sessions call Phil Metzger at (607) 334-3231, Ext. 4 (Central NY RC&D). For information about the New Hampshire sessions, call Seth Wilner at (603) 863-9200 (UNH Cooperative Extension).

**2nd Annual Northeast Animal Power Field Days
September 26 – 28, 2008
Tunbridge Fair Grounds, Tunbridge, VT
The Northeast Animal Power Field Days is a celebration of sustainable farming and renewable resources promoting conservation, stewardship, small farms, healthy forests, and the roles that they play in vital communities. This 3-day conference will feature working animal and equipment demonstrations in field and forest settings, workshops, exhibits, networking sessions, and an auction and swap meet on Sunday. Workshop topics will include grazing management, working with draft animals, livestock health, getting started with animal power and more. For more information, go to: www.animalpowerfielddays.org or contact Carl Russell and Lisa McCrory, info@animalpowerfielddays.org, 802-234-5524. Join our discussion forum; www.draftanimalpower.com .

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VOTE LIST FOR H.616
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IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHO YOUR REP IS, CHECK HERE:
http://www.leg.state.vt.us/legdir/findmember.cfm
THEN LOOK AT THE LIST BELOW TO SEE HOW YOUR REP VOTED!

(From the Journal of the House, March 19, 2008) Pending the question, Shall the bill pass? Rep. McAllister of Highgate demanded the Yeas and Nays, which demand was sustained by the Constitutional number. The Clerk proceeded to call the roll and the question, Shall the bill pass? was decided in the affirmative. Yeas, 124. Nays, 16.

Those who voted in the affirmative are:
Acinapura of Brandon
Adams of Hartland
Ancel of Calais
Anderson of Montpelier
Aswad of Burlington
Atkins of Winooski
Audette of S. Burlington
Barnard of Richmond
Bissonnette of Winooski
Bostic of St. Johnsbury
Botzow of Pownal
Bray of New Haven
Browning of Arlington
Canfield of Fair Haven
Chen of Mendon
Cheney of Norwich
Clark of Vergennes
Clarkson of Woodstock
Condon of Colchester
Consejo of Sheldon
Copeland-Hanzas of Bradford
Corcoran of Bennington
Courcelle of Rutland City
Crawford of Burke
Davis of Washington
Devereux of Mount Holly
Donaghy of Poultney
Donovan of Burlington
Dostis of Waterbury
Edwards of Brattleboro
Emmons of Springfield
Evans of Essex
Fallar of Tinmouth
Fisher of Lincoln
Fitzgerald of St. Albans City
French of Randolph
Gervais of Enosburg
Grad of Moretown
Grenier of St. Johnsbury
Haas of Rochester
Head of S. Burlington
Heath of Westford
Hosford of Waitsfield
Howard of Rutland City
Howrigan of Fairfield
Hube of Londonderry
Hunt of Essex
Hutchinson of Randolph
Jerman of Essex
Jewett of Ripton
Johnson of South Hero
Keogh of Burlington
Kilmartin of Newport City
Kitzmiller of Montpelier
Klein of East Montpelier
Koch of Barre Town
Komline of Dorset
Krawczyk of Bennington
Kupersmith of S. Burlington
Larson of Burlington
Lawrence of Lyndon
Lenes of Shelburne
Leriche of Hardwick
Lewis of Derby
Lippert of Hinesburg
Livingston of Manchester
Lorber of Burlington
Maier of Middlebury
Malcolm of Pawlet
Manwaring of Wilmington
Marcotte of Coventry
Marek of Newfane
Martin, C. of Springfield
Martin of Wolcott
Masland of Thetford
McCormack of Rutland City
McCullough of Williston
McDonald of Berlin
McFaun of Barre Town
McNeil of Rutland Town
Milkey of Brattleboro
Minter of Waterbury
Mitchell of Barnard
Monti of Barre City
Mook of Bennington
Moran of Wardsboro
Morley of Barton
Morrissey of Bennington
Mrowicki of Putney
Myers of Essex
Nease of Johnson
Nuovo of Middlebury
Obuchowski of Rockingham
O'Donnell of Vernon
Orr of Charlotte
Otterman of Topsham
Oxholm of Vergennes
Partridge of Windham
Pearson of Burlington
Peaslee of Guildhall
Pellett of Chester
Peltz of Woodbury
Perry of Richford
Peterson of Williston
Pillsbury of Brattleboro
Potter of Clarendon
Randall of Troy
Rodgers of Glover
Scheuermann of Stowe
Shand of Weathersfield
Sharpe of Bristol
Smith of Morristown
Spengler of Colchester
Stevens of Shoreham
Sweaney of Windsor
Trombley of Grand Isle
Valliere of Barre City
Westman of Cambridge
Weston of Burlington
Wheeler of Derby
Winters of Williamstown
Wright of Burlington
Zenie of Colchester
Zuckerman of Burlington

Those who voted in the negative are:
Ainsworth of Royalton
Allard of St. Albans Town
Andrews of Rutland City
Baker of West Rutland
Branagan of Georgia
Brennan of Colchester
Donahue of Northfield
Errecart of Shelburne
Flory of Pittsford
Gilbert of Fairfax
Helm of Castleton
Keenan of St. Albans City
Larocque of Barnet
McAllister of Highgate
Ojibway of Hartford
Pugh of S. Burlington

Those members absent with leave of the House and not voting are:
Clerkin of Hartford
Deen of Westminster
Frank of Underhill
Godin of Milton
Johnson of Canaan
Larrabee of Danville
LaVoie of Swanton
Miller of Shaftsbury
Turner of Milton