Ranchers Need More Time to Respond to USDA Animal ID Proposed Regulations

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 31, 2011

Dust Flying in Countryside Over USDA Animal ID ProposalFarmers and Ranchers Appeal to Vilsack for Adequate Time to Respond

Austin, TX:  Forty-nine advocacy groups representing the interests of family farmers, ranchers, and consumers have formally requested that USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack extend the public comment period for a controversial new proposal that would require livestock producers in the U.S. to incur significant expense tracking animals that cross state lines.  The comment period on the proposed “Traceability for Livestock Moving Interstate” is scheduled to end on November 9, and the organizations have requested an additional 60 days.

"The period for public comment coincides with the fall harvest and comes during the worst drought ever recorded in some major livestock production regions,” said Judith McGeary, Executive Director of the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance and vice-chair of the USDA Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Animal Health.  “Our farmers and ranchers are struggling to get their crops in and save their animals, and they need more time to assess the impacts of the proposed rule.”

The groups’ letter to Secretary Vilsack pointed out that many farmers and ranchers are not online, slowing the speed of communication.  “According to the 2007 Census of Agriculture, more than 40% of farms do not have internet access,” stated the letter.

“We have a significant number of Amish and Mennonite members, who can only be contacted by mail or through print publications,” explained Mark A. Kastel, senior farm policy analyst at The Cornucopia Institute.  “They, in turn, will have to mail their comments to USDA.  If the agency actually wants to hear from these livestock owners, it needs to extend the comment period.”

Some groups have questioned the agency’s willingness to respond to producers’ concerns.

“A coalition of cattle groups presented USDA with a reasonable plan for cattle identification, but the agency persists in proposing unworkable rules,” contends R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard.  “The least the agency can do is extend the comment period so that the cattlemen can comment on the proposal when they’re not in the middle of the calf-weaning and shipping seasons.”

The proposal has raised concerns about the economic impacts on both livestock producers and related businesses.

Gilles Stockton, a member of the Western Organization of Resource Councils said, “It will take a significant amount of time to pencil out the true costs of this proposal.  Livestock producers, sale barns, and states deserve adequate time to figure these costs and give comment.”

“All of our farmers and ranchers are deeply concerned about animal health,” concluded McGeary.  “They work hard every day to keep their animals healthy, and the agency needs to take the time to understand their concerns about this new proposal and address them.”

The organizations' letter is posted at www.farmandranchfreedom.org/ltr-Vilsack-extension

The following groups signed the letter: American Agriculture Movement, American Grassfed Association, Ashtabula-Lake-Geauga Counties of Ohio Farmers Union, Buckeye Quality Beef Association, Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, Cattle Producers of Washington, Citizens for Private Property Rights (MO), Colorado Independent CattleGrowers Association, Contract Poultry Growers Association of the Virginias, The Cornucopia Institute, Dakota Resource Council (ND), Dakota Rural Action (SD), Empire State Family Farm Alliance (NY), Family Farm Defenders, Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance, Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund, Food and Water Watch, Freedom21, Idaho Rural Council, Independent Cattlemen of Nebraska, Independent Cattlemen of Wyoming, International Texas Longhorn Association, Kansas Cattlemen’s Association, Land Loss Prevention Project, Mississippi Livestock Markets Association, Missouri Farmers Union, Missouri Rural Crisis Center, National Association of Farm Animal Welfare, National Family Farm Coalition, National Farmers Organization, Nebraska Sustainable Agriculture Association, North Country Sustainability Center (MA), Northern Plains Resource Council (MT), Oglala Sioux Livestock and Landowners Association, Organic Consumers Association, Organization for Competitive Markets, Peach Bottom Concerned Citizens (PA), Powder River Basin Resource Council (WY), R-CALF USA, Rocky Mountain Farmers Union, Rural Coalition/ Coalicion Rural, Rural Vermont, Rutland Area Farm and Food Link (VT), Socially Responsible Agricultural Project, South Dakota Stockgrowers Association, Sovereignty International, Virginia Independent Consumers and Farmers Association, Western Organization of Resource Councils, and Weston A. Price Foundation

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For more information, contact:

Judith McGeary, Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance, 512-484-8821
Bill Bullard, R-CALF USA, 406-252-2516
Gilles Stockton, Western Organization of Resource Councils, 406-366-4463
Mark Kastel, The Cornucopia Institute, 608-778-2038

Vitaminwater and statistics

I am astounded to see how many studies are published these days on how gloriously healthy most processed foods are. If you look hard enough in the supermarket aisles, you will find that even cereals and potato chips are branded as ''local'' and ''healthy'...'' that is the result of numbers that are compiled and crunched by companies in order to better market a bogus product that intelligent folks would not otherwise buy. Take, for example, VitaminWater...

Below is a study I found which touts its merits:

http://www.oohoi.com/healthy_living/vitamin-info/vitamin-water.htm

Of course, it was impossible to determine ''who'' (remember that corporations were given the rights of natural persons by the supreme court last year...) sponsored the study...

Next, I found both a study and an article on the deception, and non-merits, of VitaminWater:

http://streetknowledge.wordpress.com/2009/01/17/study-claims-vitamin-water-is-poison/

http://www.naturalnews.com/029425_vitaminwater_Coca-Cola.html

As I find with most studies about processed foods (and water, in this case), it seems that if ''someone'' (the corporation) is willing to produce a study proving the health benefits of a specific processed food, there will always be a way to do so. But if you look around enough, you will find that there are many more studies on how truly detrimental those foods really are. The problem is though, corporations that put out processed foods have infinitely more money available to produce self-benefiting studies than the entities whose job is to protect the consumer. That alone should make it pretty clear the type of studies one can expect to generally find in the media.

Studies aside though, look at the color of the water, and let common sense speak to you. Since when is water supposed to come in a rainbow variety of colors????

On meditating...

It has now been one year since I asked a simple (or maybe not so simple) question to mountaineer and snowboarder Stephen Koch: how to deal with fear? I reckoned back then that if this athlete had snowboarded down the highest peaks of the world, he would know a thing or two about how to face fear, which was something I was really struggling with. He recommended back then that I try a bit of meditating (see earlier post).

Well, that has taken a lot of work, time and effort- at the beginning. But the pay-off has been so immeasurable, that I cannot imagine life without it. These days, even if I am going riding or climbing early in the day, I will make sure I get up 20 minutes earlier just so I can meditate before I ''go.'' Meditating gives me peace, warmth, and an all-encompassing feeling that everything is just fine, that I am enveloped in goodness and nothing can go wrong.

When I close my eyes and see, or imagine, ''light...'' it takes hold of me. And it runs through my entire body, limb by limb, cleansing me of any left-over aches of the previous day, any unnecessary thoughts, any lingering ''crap.'' It's energizing, healing, and it leaves me ready to do metta meditation, if I so choose.

That is when words, and will, come into play. I needed to do some research when I first started in order to figure out what words worked for me. That exercise seemed daunting back then, but it has become easier with time, as new words come up and transform themselves into action. The key to it is to stay focused within myself, and use intuition as a guide for things that I may not see- at first. How does intuition guide me? If it feels good, then it is good. There is no right or wrong.

It does not matter how I meditate. Whether I use a word, an image, sound, breath, mantra... what is important is what I get out of it. When I silence my thoughts, and have a clear head, I am able to be in touch with my own body. I realize what my body really needs, instead of what I, or others, tell me it needs. I was surprised, for example, to find myself awake today after 4 hours of sleep. I noticed that I was already busy telling myself that I would be tired that day as a consequence of ''no sleep...'' so I meditated, emptied my head of that useless thought, and found that I was actually quite fine for the day, on those great 4 hours of sleep. No thoughts. Just in the moment.

The most important realization I had through meditation happened last week. I opened my eyes and understood that the sensation of good and warmth I had just experienced while meditating was a feeling that only I can give myself. I knew then that I am the only person who has the power to make myself happy. And the only person who can make myself miserable as well. So simple. My whole day can be one wonderful event after another, or peaceful event, or happy event, however I choose to conduct that day for myself... I can be smiling all day. Or I can find wrong and ugly everywhere I look, and be miserable all day- the choice is mine. And so is the choice to ''talk'' to myself throughout the day, or just be with a clear mind. I can choose to tell myself all kinds of things; judgements such as ''I am this, I am that, this person is this, that person is that...'' or I can get rid of all those tiring, painful thoughts, and feel light and energetic- with no thoughts. Energy to lead a great day, and throw myself into whatever it is that I choose to do. With a quiet mind.