Action Alert 4/11/08
--Progress on all fronts - MILK, MEAT, HEMP!!
--JOEL SALATIN events!
--Other Rural Vermont events
--Office Space for Rent in Montpelier
--Other upcoming events
***PROGRESS ON ALL FRONTS!! YOU are making it happen! - KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK!!!***
--MILK! - On Our Way to the Governor's Desk!
Today, the Vermont House of Representatives voted to accept the "Farm Fresh Raw Milk" bill - H.616 - as changed by the Senate. This means that the milk bill is on its way to the Governor's desk! The bill as finally passed does three things:
1) Raises the limit of raw milk that can be sold from the farm from 25 quarts/day to 50 quarts/day,
2) Says that milk labeled "Vermont fresh milk" must consist entirely of milk produced in VT, and
3) Says that milk labeled "Northeastern fresh milk" must consist entirely of milk produced in DE, MD, NJ, PA, NY, CT, RI, MA, VT, NH, or ME.
The last two items were added by the senate to make sure that milk that is called "fresh" is not produced in the midwest or west, dehydrated, shipped to the east, reconstituted, and sold here. This does not affect raw milk sales in any way - the senate just needed to pass this language, and this bill was a handy way to do it. The house today agreed with these additions, and now, it's up to the governor, who has indicated that he will sign the bill. So, in a week, this bill should be law!
SEND US YOUR SIGNS! Please send us photos of your "milk for sale" signs or copies of your advertisements - we want to make a display for our annual meeting! Mail to: Rural Vermont, 15 Barre Street, Ste. 2, Montpelier, VT 05602
--MEAT!! - ACTION NEEDED!!!
The House Agriculture Committee continues to struggle with the Farm Fresh Meat issue. Our goal is to allow the on farm slaughter of livestock that has been bought through a CSA-like contract, where the customer buys the animal alive and contracts with the farmer to raise the animal and have it slaughtered on the farm. The customer would then get the meat, which would be labeled "not for sale." We believe there is room within the federal and state regulations to allow this to happen - the Agency of Agriculture does not. The House Agriculture Committee is trying to decide whether or not to try and clarify that it is, indeed, allowed. They have been working on it all week, and most of the committee members have indicated that they would like to make it possible for Vermonters to do this. The problem is that the Agency of Agriculture believes that if we allow this kind of a contract for on-farm slaughter, we will lose our state inspection program. Nobody (including us!) wants this to happen. However, the Agriculture Committee has learned that if they pass a law and the USDA rules that we cannot do it, they will have a chance to change the law back before we would lose our program, so they are really trying to figure something out that we can try. The committee was unable to come up with a solution this week, but they plan to discuss this issue again on Wednesday morning.
ACTION NEEDED FOR FARM FRESH MEAT!!!
Please call your House Representative on Tuesday or Wednesday at 802-828-2228 and leave a message asking them to support the "on-farm slaughter of livestock through direct sale of the animal in S.322." Be sure to mention on farm slaughter - this is the key provision that we need to keep in the bill. If you don't know who your representative is, just ask the person who answers the phone - you'll need to say what town you live in.
--HEMP!! - Moving, finally!
The Senate Agriculture Committee held another hearing on the hemp bill this week! On Wednesday morning, the committee met to hear from law enforcement officials. They made a request for a minor change in the bill to clarify that the leaves and flowers of the hemp plants cannot be taken off the farm - the stalk and seeds, which are the part of the plant that is useful commercially will still be able to be used. The committee is making that change and expects to vote on the bill early next week - stay tuned for updates! We are hoping that this bill will be on the senate floor by late next week for a vote!
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JOEL SALATIN COMES TO VERMONT!
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Rural Vermont is bringing farmer-activist-author JOEL SALATIN to Vermont for one exciting day! Please join us at one or more of these events!
Before he actually arrives ...
** EVERYTHING I WANT TO DO IS ILLEGAL: Readings from Joel Salatin's Book **
Sunday, April 20, 2008
2- 3 pm
Langdon Street Cafe, MONTPELIER
Free & open to the public (donations welcome!)
Joel Salatin's frustration with a regulatory structure that restricts, rather than embraces, community-scale agriculture is presented in his book Everything I Want to do is Illegal. Come watch snippits of a Salatin film and hear excerpts from his book read by Vermont farmers struggling with some of these same regulatory barriers. A short discussion will follow, including an update on Rural Vermont's legislative campaigns. If you're unfamiliar with Joel Salatin, this event will be a great introduction to one of our country's leading farm activists! (NOTE: Joel will NOT actually be at this event, only in spirit!)
** LUNCHEON & PRESENTATION with JOEL SALATIN at STERLING COLLEGE **
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Sterling College, CRAFTSBURY
LUNCH: 12:30 - 1:30 pm (ONLY 4 tickets left!) 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. Call Rural Vermont at (802) 223 - 7222 to reserve your spot!
PUBLIC PRESENTATION - 2 - 3 pm. Joel will give a talk in Sterling’s Simpson Hall. Don’t miss this opportunity to meet and listen to one of our nation’s leading farmers and agricultural/inspirational speakers! Talk is open to the public with a $15 per person suggested donation (pay at the door).
** RURAL VERMONT'S ANNUAL MEETING **
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)
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 POTLUCK dinner: bring a dish made from local ingredients to share, and your own dinnerware!
-a silent auction (bring your checkbook or MC/VISA!) with items donated by Way Out Wax, Nutty Steph's Granola, Champlain Valley Apiaries, Standing Stone Perennial Farm, and more (see our website for a full list!)
If you'd like to donate goods or services to the silent auction, email hema@ruralvermont.org.
If you'd like to carpool, email colin@ruralvermont.org.
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OTHER RURAL VERMONT EVENTS!
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*** FARM FRESH FORUM SERIES ***
All events are from 7 - 8:30 pm
open to the public
and free (donations encouraged and appreciated!)
Come out and join a lively group discussion led by Rural Vermont, local farmers, and healthcare professionals 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. For more info or to help out, contact Rural Vermont at (802) 223 - 7222
--Wednesday, April 16, 2008--
Brownell Library, ESSEX
featuring local farmers Doug Flack & Teddy Yandow. Snacks provided by Sweet Clover Market
--Tuesday, April 29, 2008--
Public Works Building, Landfill Road, SOUTH BURLINGTON
featuring local farmer Lindsay Harris & another TBD farmer
--Thursday, May 1, 2008--
Senior Center, Blakely Road, COLCHESTER
featuring Dr. Robert Luby MD & Adam Wilson
**SAVE THE DATE: Sept 21st - Tour de Farm in Addison County
Tour de Farm (Bicycle Tour)
Sun September 21, 2008
10 am - 3 pm
Shoreham, VT
Pre-registration: $15/adult, $8/kid (15 and under)
Addison County is home to some of our state's most beautiful and diversified family farms, and on Sunday September 21st, many of them will be open to the Tour de Farm cyclers! Don't miss this exciting opportunity to take in Addison County's beautifully rural scenery, meet the farmers who are producing some of the finest foods in the state and tour their farms - and perhaps most exciting of all - sample lots of these amazingly wholesome farm fresh foods! The Vermont Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition, the Addison County Localvores, and Rural Vermont are partnering to host this event. Stay tuned for more details.
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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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**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!
**To Market, To Market: Connecting local distributors with local farmers
When: Thursday, April 24th from 9:30 a.m. till 4:00 p.m.
Who's invited: Vermont farmers, processors, chefs, food service/retail
purchasers, distributors, and other VT food related business people
What: Morning: Diverse Purchasing Panel
Afternoon: Farm Success Stories and VT Distributor "Meet and Greet"
Look to www.vermontfresh.net for more detailed information on panel
participants.
Where: Kirk Alumni Center, at the golf course at Middlebury College,
Middlebury VT
Sponsored by Vermont Fresh Network
Facilitated by UVM - Center for Sustainable Agriculture
"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
**2008 Vermont Going Green Expo
May 10 & 11, 2008 at UVM
Sat. 10am-7pm & Sun. 10am-4pm
University of Vermont's Gutterson Center, Burlington
Advance Tickets: www.TicketsfromtheWeb.com
Cost: $5.00 adults, children 12 and under free
More info at 603-236-7858 www.goinggreenexpos.com
A limited number of spaces for exhibitors are still available. Please call 802-735-1457
Join us at one of the largest Green energy and eco-living exposition ever held in the Ggreen Mountain state! Learn about the latest innovations in solar energy, heating and building technology; discover the latest in sustainable clothing at the Eco-Fashion Show; and explore dozens of workshops taking place throughout the weekend.
**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 .