The Scarecrow Chronicles » NAIS

Premises ID suffers a brutal blow in Wisconsin

Jerri — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 18:59:11 +0000

Clark County Circuit Judge Jon Counsell ruled that Wisconsin’s Premises ID program violates the religious rights of Amish farmers, who believe marking their animals with the Government’s mandated alpha/numerical sequence would be tantamount to taking the “Mark of the Beast,” as described in the Bible. Emanuel Miller Jr. argued that the mandate was too restrictive and the Judge agreed. In the nine-page ruling, he noted that there was no requirement for registrants to own a telephone, making it highly unlikely that the program would be effective in the Amish community in case of an outbreak. Because people in the Amish community don’t have a phone, requiring them to have a premises ID number wouldn’t enable state, county, or federal officials to contact them any faster. In case of an outbreak, Clark County Ag agents would still have to go door-to-door to gather information. Read the ruling here>>>

Paul McGraw, the assistant state veterinarian, said he expects the state to appeal the Miller decision. If you’d like to see the ruling stand unchallenged, and save Wisconsin taxpayers some money, contact the good doctor and his colleagues, and let them know what you think.

* Robert Ehlenfeldt, DVM
Wisconsin State Veterinarian
608-837-9705
Cell 608-575-2709

* Paul McGraw, DVM
Wisconsin Assistant State Veterinarian
262-740-0574
Cell 608-516-2084

* Michael Dutcher, DVM
USDA Veterinary Service Area Veterinarian in Charge
608-334-6811
Cell 608-334-6811

Mastering the Homesteading Craft

Jerri — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 00:37:52 +0000

After years of reading about the homesteading adventures of Countryside readers, it has finally dawned on me. The difference between the homesteading success stories and the tales of smoldering ruin is that successful homesteaders are craftsmen/women. They didn’t choose a minimalist lifestyle; instead, they combined determination and knowledge to craft a way of life , a heritage. A lifestyle takes money. A way of life takes time.

Established homesteaders like Sue Robishaw of Many Tracks and my friends Roger and Ann from Confessions of a Tightwad, are masters of the craft. They know full well that homesteading is a gilded craft, requiring the knowledge of the ages to sharpen modern skills. In the pages of Countryisde, the words of sage homesteaders guide others through the often tenuous steps to mastering their own level of self-reliance. I’m often in awe at the personal mastery of the readers who write to us. They are willing to try, repeatedly, to forge a way of life that reflects who they are and what they’re doing here. If you want to know someone’s heart, simply look at the things they care enough to do for themselves. Homesteading isn’t about a lifestyle; it’s about personal mastery.

A Small Victory for Homesteaders

Jerri — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:05:56 +0000

Press Release: Contact: Shae Dodson, Communications Coordinator R-Calfusa
August 4, 2009 Phone: 406-252-2516; e-mail: r-calfusa@r-calfusa.com

77 Groups Laud Senate Subcommittee for Unanimous Vote on Tester/Enzi Amendment to Slash NAIS Funding

Washington, D.C. – R-CALF USA is pleased that the U.S. Senate, through a unanimous consent vote, supported an amendment sponsored by Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., that slashes funding for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) National Animal Identification System (NAIS) by one-half in the 2010 Agriculture Appropriations bill.

“Perhaps most important, USDA has pursued NAIS without working in cooperation with the very industry sector that would be directly impacted by the agency’s radical new proposal. Instead, USDA has proceeded to implement NAIS despite overwhelming opposition from the men and women who comprise our U.S. livestock industry, and particularly from those involved in the largest segment of our livestock industry – the U.S. cattle industry,” wrote R-CALF USA President/Region VI Director Max Thornsberry in a letter sent to Tester before the vote.

“As evidenced by USDA’s numerous listening sessions held throughout the U.S., this overwhelming opposition arises from those individuals who have the greatest stake in ensuring that our livestock herds remain protected from the introduction and spread of disease – the individuals whose very livelihoods and businesses are dependent on preventing, controlling and eradicating diseases,” the letter continued. “This, above all else, should demonstrate to Congress that USDA’s NAIS program is wholly inappropriate and unsuitable for the United States livestock industry.”

Thornsberry pointed out that USDA already has spent about $140 million of taxpayer money on NAIS, claiming the program would allow animal disease traceback within 48 hours, but such an arbitrary timeframe would not appear to prevent the spread of diseases with long incubation periods, such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) or bovine tuberculosis. Nor would NAIS appear to prevent the spread of diseases that incubate very quickly, such as foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), which would necessitate more immediate containment actions to prevent disease spread beyond an infected animal.

Additionally, R-CALF USA signed on with a letter to the entire Senate from a coalition of 76 other organizations that oppose NAIS.

“Contrary to its stated purposes, NAIS will not address animal disease or food safety problems. Instead, NAIS imposes high costs and paperwork burdens on family farmers.In this letter, we will touch on just a few of the reasons that NAIS is fundamentally flawed:

1) No analysis or quantification of the alleged benefits. USDA has made unsupported assertions that our country needs 48-hour traceback of all animal movements for disease control. Yet USDA has failed to provide any scientific basis, including risk analysis or scientific review of existing programs, to support this claim. USDA has also asserted that NAIS would provide 48-hour traceback, but has failed to address the many technological and practical barriers. Existing disease control programs, combined with measures such as brand registries and normal private record-keeping, provide cost-effective traceback. A new and costly program such as NAIS is unnecessary and potentially counterproductive.

2) High costs. The costs of complying with NAIS will be unreasonably burdensome for small farmers and many other animal owners. The costs of NAIS go far beyond the tag itself, and include: premises registration database creation and updates; tags and related equipment, such as readers, computers, and software; 24-hour reporting requirements, imposing extensive paperwork burdens; labor for every stage of the program; stress on the animals; qualitative costs, from loss of religious freedoms, privacy, and trust in government; and enforcement.

3) No food safety benefits. NAIS will not prevent food borne illnesses from e. coli or salmonella, because the contamination occurs at the slaughterhouse, while NAIS tracking ends at the time of slaughter. Thus, NAIS will neither prevent the contamination nor increase the government’s ability to track contaminated meat back to its source. In addition, NAIS will hurt efforts to develop safer, decentralized local food systems.

4) Unfair burdens placed on family farms and sustainable livestock operations. In addition to the costs, NAIS would impose significant reporting and paperwork burdens on small farms. In addition, sustainable livestock operations, which manage animals on pasture, would face higher rates of tag losses than confinement operations due to animals getting their tags caught on brush or fences. NAIS essentially creates incentives for CAFOs, with the accompanying social and environmental concerns.

“NAIS epitomizes what government should not do: it should not impose costly and highly intrusive regulatory burdens on private industry and private citizens without first considering alternatives, without first establishing a critical public need, and without first determining the effect that a significant government mandate would have on the culture and economy of the U.S. livestock industry,” said Thornsberry. “We view the Tester/Enzi amendment as an essential step towards requiring USDA to begin cooperating with U.S. livestock producers to prevent the introduction and spread of animal diseases and pests in livestock without violating the rights and privileges of the individual owners and caretakers of those livestock.”

# # #

R-CALF USA (Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America) is a national, non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring the continued profitability and viability of the U.S. cattle industry. R-CALF USA represents thousands of U.S. cattle producers on trade and marketing issues. Members are located across 47 states and are primarily cow/calf operators, cattle backgrounders, and/or feedlot owners. R-CALF USA directors and committee chairs are extremely active unpaid volunteers. R-CALF USA has dozens of affiliate organizations and various main-street businesses are associate members. For more information, visit www.r-calfusa.com or, call 406-252-2516.

A Tea Party For Farmers

Jerri — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 16:22:46 +0000

Hello NAIS fighters,
Please spread the news of this protest far and wide. Email it to your entire contact list, call on your neighbors and let them know that there are people standing up for their right to farm as they wish without big brother constantly looking over their shoulder, and by all means contact your local newspaper editor and give them a copy of this press release. If you have time, make the trip down to Jefferson City, MO and meet some of these fine people. Illinois Independent Consumers and Farmers Association is sending six representatives down there to take part in this peaceful protest. We could arrange some sort of group transportation if there are any of you who want to travel to Jefferson City, MO but are limited financially.

Feel free to contact me by phone about any of this.

Thanks,

C.J. Cordell II

WICFA – President

(715) 418-0424

cj@wicfa.org

www.wicfa.org

Press Release

Contact; Paul Hamby 816 632 0602

For immediate release

June 5, 2009 Jefferson City, Missouri………….

Farmers, Ranchers and Consumers will hold a protest of the NAIS – National Animal ID System on Tuesday June 9 from 8 am to 12 noon. The protest will run concurrently with the USDA NAIS listening session at Truman Hotel & Conference Center in Jefferson City, Missouri. More than a dozen organizations have signed on in support of the peaceful protest and will have members attending to speak out against NAIS. The USDA has been pushing for mandatory NAIS, originally calling for mandatory in January of 2008 and with enforcements in January of 2009, but has delayed implementation due to huge public outcry against the program. USDA is now asking for public input on how to overcome objections to the program. Bob Parker, a southern Missouri farmer, has toured the state speaking out against NAIS, “The USDA does not want to accept that the people are against this program. They are asking how to make it more palatable. Our message to USDA is to end NAIS now.”

NAIS is a three phase program designed by the USDA and the Nat’l Institute for Animal Agriculture to advance guidelines for international trade through an agency of the World Trade Organization called the OIE. NAIS will tag and track movements of 33 species of animals worldwide. Phase 1 requires livestock owners to obtain a GPS linked Premise ID number for their property. Phase 2 requires all animals be identified with an international ID device. Phase 3 requires electronic reporting of movements on or off a premises to effectuate 48 hour trace-back to the premises of origin of any and every animal. Each phase is predicated upon the preceding phase. There can be no NAIS animal ID without a NAIS premises ID.

Opposition to NAIS is strongest from independent cattlemen, small farmers and hobbyists.

Doreen Hannes is a researcher, author and public speaker whose family has a small farm and raises much of their own food. She states, “The design of NAIS is effectively a license to farm. This program would cost us at least $4,000 the first year. There is no method for growers to recoup the cost of the program, and the implementation of NAIS will be the destruction of the family farm and rural America. The cost to freedom is simply immeasurable.”

“The Missouri Libertarian Party has worked with farmers and ranchers in Missouri for years to prevent implementation of the burdensome regulations of the National Animal Identification System being forced on them by the USDA”, Glenn Nielsen, Missouri Libertarian Party Chair.

Paul Hamby, NW Missouri coordinator for Campaign for Liberty, states “NAIS will put an undue burden on non-electric Amish farmers, small hobby farmers, 4-H and FFA members while providing no benefit to them. NAIS will not make our food supply safer. I am against this international livestock ID program run by the same federal government who just bought General Motors. ”

The following organizations are sending members to Jefferson City to speak against NAIS on June 9.
R-CALF USA, Missouri Campaign for Liberty, Arkansas Animal Producers Association,
International Dairy Goat Registry, Missouri Independent Consumers and Farmers Organization,
Illinois Independent Consumers and Farmers Organization, Ozarks Property Rights Congress,
Missouri First, Inc., Liberty Restoration Project, Legislators Against Real ID, Missouri Libertarian Party,
Missouri Constitution Party, Missouri Rural Crises Center, Citizens for Private Property, Douglas County Citizens for Liberty.

For interviews or talk radio guests call,

Doreen Hannes 417 349 9625/417 962 0030

Bob Parker 417 257 8711

Ray Cunio 314 223 6925

Paul Hamby 816 632 0602

Updates and links to organizations listed above www.missouriansagainstnais.com

NAIS: A Constitutional Cage Match

Jerri — Thu, 21 May 2009 23:00:00 +0000

Why wouldn’t Secretary Vilsack want to visit the first state in which compliance with the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) was made mandatory? After all, if it’s such a good idea, wouldn’t you think the USDA would want to show it off? Tom Vilsack gave Wisconsin a wide berth on his “listening” tour because he knows just how ill-received the program has been here, which proves that while he may or may not be “listening,” he sure has heard the ruckus small-scale producers in Wisconsin have been making over the program.

Family farmers across the nation are fighting mad over the NAIS, which most of us realize is nothing more than a veiled attempt at controlling our food sovereignty and our independence. And while farm advocacy groups and grassroots movements have done a pretty good job at putting up road blocks, the USDA just keeps coming. So, instead of always being on the defense, perhaps its time for family farmers, small-scale producers, and homesteading enthusiasts to go on the offense, to bring the fight to the USDA.

Stone Court rocks farmer Filburn

In 1942 the Supreme Court upheld a ruling by a lower court known widely as the Stone Court, named so after the popular Chief Justice Harlan Fiske Stone. Stone, a New Deal supporter, was known for his unwavering commitment to President Roosevelt as well as his legal and rhetorical skills. The ruling was a sucker punch to American farmers and to the Constitution, and one family farmer in particular, Roscoe Filburn, was the first casualty.

Because of New Deal quotas, Filburn was only allowed to plant 11.1 acres of wheat in 1941. He planted 12 acres. The extra wheat was for consumption on his farm as animal feed for his small dairy herd and chickens, as well as for flour which his family depended on. When the New Dealers found out about it, they penalized him by taxing him at a rate of 57% more than he would have netted on the open market, claiming that because Mr. Filburn would not be buying wheat or bread on the open market (not consuming) he would be adversely affecting the economy, thereby affecting interstate trade. The Government argued that the Tenth Amendment gives control of interstate commerce to federal agencies, and since Filburn and family would not be spending money, the Government had no choice, and every right, to penalize them for their frugal spending habits because they were, in fact, harming those who spend excessively in other states.

Further, argued the Government, because they had the authority to regulate part of farmer Filburn’s crop, they had the authority to control and regulate all of the crops and livestock produced on the premises. Sounds preposterous, doesn’t it?

Filburn lost, and so did every American family farmer. From that point on, federal agencies have burdened small-scale producers with enormous economic and bureaucratic burdens. Over six decades later, the USDA is using the Interstate Commerce Clause of the Tenth Amendment to mandate the NAIS.

Beating them at their own game

Ironically, it is through application of the Interstate Commerce Clause that small-scale farmers may be able to avoid the NAIS. If a small farmer, say an egg producer, only feeds her flock feed grown on her homestead, fertilized by manure from her homestead, and only sells eggs to residents from her state, then the Interstate Commerce Clause doesn’t apply to her, freeing her from having to implant RFID tags in her animals. Not only that, by concentrating on locally grown food from locally grown resources, the producer would be bolstering her state’s economy and creating local markets for other small-scale producers.

Tom Visack doesn’t want to get in the ring with small-scale family farmers, so it’s time for us to bring the action to him. We can call our county and state representatives and ask them to pass legislation exempting those who grow food that is wholly grown, produced, and sold only to residents or used for personal consumption within a specific state. The Supreme Court didn’t rule that the federal government could control food that originated in a state and never left it.

There’s been plenty of talking and court action on the NAIS, but it’s all been relatively mild. Now it’s time for the main event, a cage match. The federal government is boxed in by the Constitution with no way out. You can grab a seat in front of the TV and watch, or you can suit up and get in on the action. Do a simple Google or Yahoo search and find out who your state senator and state representatives are. Call, e-mail, or write them and express interest in a law that would exempt those who produce food that never leaves the state from federal regulation. Be sure to us and let us know how your conversation with your state legislators goes.