Action Alert 4/18/08

--ACTION NEEDED for MEAT and HEMP bills!!
--MILK bill on the Governor's desk!!
--JOEL SALATIN events!
--Other Rural Vermont events
--Office Space for Rent in Montpelier
--Other upcoming events

***PLEASE TAKE ACTION NOW!!***

*ACTION NEEDED FOR FARM FRESH MEAT*
Yesterday, the House Agriculture Committee unanimously passed S.322, with a provision that would clearly allow for animals to be sold while alive and slaughtered on the farm, with the meat going to the owner of the animal. Because of strong opposition from the Agency of agriculture, who expressed concern that this provision would threaten our state's meat inspection program (because it has to be "equal to" the federal program), this provision in the bill will not go into effect until April 15, 2009. This delayed date will give the USDA time to review the provision and render an opinion, and it will ensure that the legislature is in session when the provision goes into effect, in case further action needs to be taken at that time. If you would like to see the actual text of the bill, you can find it on today's (Friday's) House Notice Calendar here: http://www.leg.state.vt.us/docs/legdoc.cfm?URL=/docs/2008/calendar/hc080418.htm (scroll down to S.322). The section that deals with on-farm slaughter of livestock is Section 5. The bill does other things as well. Here is what the bill proposes:
--says the Dairy Promotion Council must give a copy of its annual report to the house and senate agriculture committees (currently the report is given to the governor).
--asks state agencies to work together to get more local meat into Vermont schools
--tells the agency of agriculture to look for ways to encourage more slaughter and processing facilities in Vermont, including exploring options for more cost-effective structures
--allows on-farm slaughter of livestock, when a customer and a farmer enter into a contract and the animal is bought alive
--defines "local" and "locally grown" for advertising purposes in Vermont

Here's what YOU can do RIGHT NOW to help get this bill passed into law!!!
1) Please CALL your House Representative TODAY (Friday) at 802-828-2228 and leave a message asking them to "support S.322 as passed by the House Ag Cmte." Even if you already called your rep, please call again today! Leave your name and number, with the message to support S.322 on the house floor.

2) Please WRITE a hand-written Thank You NOTE to the House Agriculture Committee. This committee worked very hard on this bill for several days (almost 2 weeks!) to figure out a way to include the on-farm slaughter provision in the bill. They listened to days of testimony, read pages of regulations, and struggled with frustrating federal limitations. Through it all, they remained focused on the goal of supporting Vermont farmers and consumers. Please let them know we appreciate their efforts! Don't delay! Write it today! Write a hand-written note telling them why this bill is important to you and send it to:
Vermont House Agriculture Committee
c/o Chairman David Zuckerman
VT Statehouse

115 State Street
Montpelier, VT 05633

*ACTION NEEDED FOR HEMP*

The Senate Agriculture Committee passed the Hemp for Vermont bill - H.267 - out of their committee with a unanimous vote. We are really pleased with the Agriculture Committee's support of the house bill (they did not change it from the House version). This bill directs the Secretary of Agriculture to write rules allowing Vermont farmers to grow hemp so that we are ready to go if and when the federal govt changes its policy against hemp. However, the bill has been sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee, where the chairman says it might not get a hearing. IF YOU LIVE IN ONE OF THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES, please call the Senators listed at the statehouse as soon as possible and ask them to pass H.267 out of committee and send it to the senate floor. Please only call if you live in these counties! If you want to help, and you don't live in the counties listed, please call Shelby or Colin at 802-223-7222, and we'll tell you how you can help to let folks in these counties know that we need their help! You can read the bill here: http://www.leg.state.vt.us/docs/legdoc.cfm?URL=/docs/2008/bills/house/H-267.HTM

IF YOU LIVE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES, PLEASE CALL TODAY!
BENNINGTON COUNTY - Senator Dick Sears
WINDSOR COUNTY - Senators John Campbell & Alice Nitka
WASHINGTON COUNTY - Senator Ann Cummings
RUTLAND COUNTY - Senator Kevin Mullin

Call these senators at the Statehouse at 802-828-2228 and leave a message for the senators above, asking them to "pass H.267 out of committee." Leave your name and phone number also. Please call today (Friday), Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. Remember, only call if you live in these counties!

*FARM FRESH MILK BILL IS ON THE GOVERNOR'S DESK*
The Farm Fresh Milk Bill - H.616 - was delivered to the governor on Wednesday. That means he has until Monday evening to take action on the bill - by signing it, vetoing it, or doing nothing (in which case it will become law). This bill raises the limit of raw milk farmers can sell from the farm from 25 quarts/day to 50 quarts/day. Please call the governor today and ask him to sign H.616! Please call Governor Douglass at 1-800-649-6825 and ask him to sign H.616. Remember, he has indicated he will sign the bill, so be pleasant when you call!

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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 - all donations will help to pay for Joel's visit!)
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 ONE ticket 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 **

Please come and CELEBRATE with us!
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

--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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**Sustainable Living Fair
Saturday, April 19, 2008
1- 4 PM
Hardwick’s Hazen Union School, HARDWICK
Free and open to the public
HEART (Hardwick Energy Action Resource Team) is proud to sponsor a Sustainable Living Fair that addresses all the components of what will make our communities strong and sustainable for the future. Come learn ways we can work together to meet the energy challenge at this fun and informative event.
**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!

**EARTH DAY PRESENTATION & BOOK SIGNING WITH VERMONT AUTHOR WILL ALLEN
OF CEDAR CIRCLE FARM
WHEN: Tuesday, April 22, 7 PM
WHERE: Upper Valley Food Co-op, 193 N. Main St., White River Junction, VT
FEE: Free
Please call 802-295-5804 to register for this program.
Allen’s new book, The War On Bugs, exposes the marketing campaigns of chemical companies that have pushed toxic pesticides and fertilizers on the world’s farmers for more than 150 years. Allen is co-chair of Farms Not Arms, a policy advisory board member of the Organic Consumers Association, and serves on the board of Rural Vermont. The event is free but space is limited, so please call 802-295-5804 to register. Upper Valley Food Co-op is located at 193 North Main Street in White River Jct. Vermont. Look for the big red apple.
**Richard Heinberg, internationally known educator on peak oil and the effects of the impending depletion of energy assets. Richard Heinberg, a Senior Fellow at the Post Carbon Institute of Sebastopol, California, has written eight books including, The Party's Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies (New Society, 2003,2005), Powerdown: Options and Actions for a Post-Carbon World (New Society, 2004), The Oil Depletion Protocol (New Society, 2006), and Peak Everything (New Society, 2007). Heinberg writes a regular column for the Ecologist and has authored scores of essays and articles on post-carbon realities.
--Wednesday, April 23
"Post Carbon Cities: Planning for Energy and Climate Uncertainty"
at the Brattleboro Union High School auditorium, Fairground Road,
7:00 p.m.
Suggested donation of $5 for this event. S
ponsored by the Brattleboro Selectboard, the Brattleboro Regional Peak Oil Task Force, and Post Oil Solutions. For further information on this lecture, please contact 802 869-2141 or peakoiltaskforce@yahoo.com.
--Thursday, April 24
"Energy Overview: Navigating the Transition from Fossil Fuels to Renewables"
Smilie Memorial Auditorium at Montpelier High School, off Bailey Avenue,
7 p.m.
The lecture is free to the public. Donations welcome. Ample parking is available at the Montpelier High School. Transportation to and from the Montpelier lecture, including Ride-Share information, a bus arranged through the University of Vermont from the campus, and other information relating to Peak Oil education, action groups and events is available on the Vermont Peak Oil Network website: www.vtpeakoil.net .

**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 Beekeepers Journey,” a 53 minute film by local filmmaker Jan Cannon, explores the importance of honeybees in our lives. The central figure in the film is Todd Hardie of Honey Garden Apiaries ( www.honeygardens.com). Topics addressed in the film include pollination, queen breeding, disease control, bee venom therapy, organic agriculture and honey-based plant medicine. These showings are free and open to the public. Honey Gardens will offer samples of raw honey and plant medicine at all of the showings.
- City Market in Burlington-
Sunday, April 20, 11 am with Todd
Saturday, May 3, 11 am with Jan Cannon
Friday, May 9, 7 pm with Todd
- Hunger Mountain Coop in Montpelier with Todd and
Zack Woods Herb Farm
Thursday, May 8 at 6 PM
- Ilsley Library Meeting Room in Middlebury with Todd
and Jan Cannon
Friday, April 25, at 7 pm
- Brattleboro coop with Todd
Saturday, May 3, from 1-5 pm,
- Putney Library with Todd
Friday May 2 at 7 pm

**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 .