Dairy Daze in Vermont

I had the dubious pleasure of sitting in the front row in Burlington, Vermont yesterday at a town hall type meeting with Sec'y Vilsack, Senators Leahy and Sanders, and Representative Welch. The topic at hand was the dairy crisis. After an hour and a half of speeching by grand poobahs, and pleas of help by the peons and subsidy takers, Senator Sanders said they were out of time for questions. 

There was a moment of quiet as gears shifted, so I, being me, leapt to my feet and said, "Mr. Vilsack, I want to thank you for stopping the National Animal Identification System." He was looking in my direction until I said that and then his eyes dropped to some important work he had left unfinished, I guess, because he started writing. He never looked at me again, nor lifted his eyes as he said, "Yes, we have decided to leave those folks who want to raise a few chickens out of the equation." "You mean that fastest growing segment of agriculture," I asked him, "those who make less than $10,000 a year?" He had spoken earlier about the NASS survey and how that segment is growing faster than any other segment in agriculture. Maybe he read or heard Doreen [See Easter Bunny Reports NAIS is Dead!] recently...heh...

Bernie Sanders was looking at me though, giving me 'grandpa winks', you know, high fives with the eyes. He was so approving of me.

I was wearing the last "Know Your Chicken" button, and so, me being me, began to unfasten it from my sweater with an American flag on the front, and said, "This is a historical button and I'd like to give it to you. I wore it at every NAIS meeting I went to." He still did not look at me as I stepped forward and placed it on the podium. "It says, Know Your Chicken." Some of my friends in the audience laughed, and then everyone laughed. I sat down. He still wouldn't look at me.

Bernie Sanders stopped giving me 'grandpa winks' then. His face turned bright red, even his ears.

People were shuffling around trying to either exit or get closer to the Men. I noticed that Mr. Vilsack had not picked up the button, so I went up to a large, linebacker sized black man who seemed to be in charge of Mr. Vilsack. I said to him, "If Mr. Vilsack isn't going to take that button, I want it back. It is historical." "I'll make sure he takes it," he said. He gave me one of his business cards asking me if I would email him my name, etc. I found his name to be quite interesting...Malcolm X.

Some of the other stuff I noticed: Leaky Leahy called Vilsack Secretary Obey. Bernie Sanders said that no other Sec'y of Ag had come to Vermont before. Leaky Leahy said that 3 others had. Vilsack said that we export more than we import. Leahy said, "So many of you that I talk with on the phone or my office does, you have all had that opportunity to be, to have that connection. That means a lot to just see you here." I video'd most of the event and I transcribed it right off the raw video.

As for the dairy industry in Vermont or anywhere, they're sunk. As one dairyman put it, "We've had a hundred of these meetings and nothing changes."


[Update 15 Feb. 2010]

A bit counterintuitive

Take a moment to watch this video from R-CALF explaining why NAIS is flawed. After that, make plans to attend one of the listening sessions that USDA has arranged.
NAIS Listening Session Schedule [link opens in new window, so you can come right back!]

NAIS Stinks has a report on the first listening session last week in Harrisburg. While you are there, print out some of the helpful flyers to take with you or to post on bulletin boards in your neighborhood feedstores. Be a 10 minute activist this week. Get many to turn out for the listening sessions. Now is the time. Later might be too late.

While you are at it, order one of my books, First They Came for the Cows, to take with you to the listening session you will go to. It will show your solidarity.

House Subcommittee on Livestock Public Hearing

Follows is from one of our intrepid anti-NAIS fighters, cattle rancher Darol Dickinson. I hope you remembered to listen to the subcommittee's hearing. The deck was stacked. The chairman was hostile. They continue to believe NAIS is about food safety.


House Committee on Agriculture~~Public Hearing.

Darol Dickinson~~reporting

Wednesday, March 11, 2009, Longworth House Office Bldg.
Re: To review animal identification systems

Washington DC---at 10:00 AM the first public hearing was held on USDA's proposed NAIS animal numbering and enforcement plan. Numerous organizations were frustrated that no public forum was provided in the last six years to approach elected officials concerning this polarizing strategy. Livestock producers all over the US were excited about this opportunity to present opposition to NAIS. Recent polls have revealed that over 90% of livestock owners, if given a choice, would not enroll property in NAIS.

For starters, USDA organized the format with eight approved speakers who were required to submit a written text prior to their presentation.

Dr. John Clifford, Deputy Administrator, APHIS was given the floor with unlimited dialog time to explain the imperative nature of NAIS. Committee members not familiar with livestock were provided written questions to ask Clifford. He is an employee of USDA and his job approval has to do with selling NAIS. He alleged the cost of NAIS would be as little as a half cent per cow. He also alleged volunteer NAIS property enrollment was 35% of the US livestock producers and later a different sworn testimony stated sign up was as small at 9% in some states. (Nationally NAIS enrollment is under 10% when accurate numbers are calculated.)

Bill Nutt, of Georgia Cattleman's Assn testified that the current numbering systems used by livestock owners were totally adaquate for all animal ID. NAIS enforements were not necessary. (5 minutes allowed)

Dr. R.M. (Max) Thornsberry DVM, President of R-Calf, written testamony attached. He stated NAIS was not necessary, not wanted by the majority of livestock producers and the proposed plan would not make meat food safer. (allowed 5 minutes)

Three other individuals testified for NAIS who were licensed by USDA, under the authority or had been given grant money by USDA.

Dr. Rob Williams of Australia testified how the Australian animal ID system worked well. He did not state that in Australia livestock breeders dislike the cost of their NLIS system because they can not compete in the world market with countries who don't force a numbering compliance. NLIS is considered by producers in Australia to be detrimental to world competitive trade for Australia. Australia has a 100% numbering scheme and their beef is the second lowest priced on the world market.

Kerry St. Cyr of Canada Cattle Identification Agency is employed by the Canadian numbering scheme and his salary depends on it's continuation. Canada also can compete against US meat products better if US has the cost burden of NAIS.

Today NAIS was judged by our elected leaders. USDA selected their own jury, and determined how many minutes each testified. The testamonies, much like speed dating, gave little time for serious evaluation.

Please see the attached [it is not attached, click here to go to the House Ag Committee's statements webpage - Hen] by Dr. Thornsberry who represented the over 3,000,000 livestock producers who are apalled by the NAIS. This is the R-CALF USA's written and oral testimony's on NAIS which was not allowed enough time to complete. The oral is the shorter version.

Please contact your elected officials to oppose this flawed program.

NAIS - Congress Briefings Askew by USDA

NAIS~~~ Congress Briefings Askew by USDA

By Darol Dickinson

There is ocean front property in Arizona, you can have it free, but at some future date you may have to pay some amount of property tax and other ownership assessments may be enforced from time to time. Does this sound like an illusionary Bernie Madoff investment?

In a letter dated July 20, 2008, Jere L. Dick of USDA--APHIS wrote, "According to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, there are 1.4 million US livestock raising operations that derive at least $1000 annual revenue from livestock sales. More than 475,532 premises, approximately 33% of this total figure---had been registered with NAIS."

USDA has had a long respected history of integrity, honest calculations and trusted service to all livestock owners. Now, to implement their NAIS program all the ethics have been truncated. Many who recall the USDA uprightness of record, are now appalled at the extraordinary degree of political deviousness USDA uses to promote their esteemed 100% computerized animal numbering program---NAIS.

The 2007 US Ag Census was released Feb. 4. Although the product and type operation of a ranch, dairy or grain farm is totally different, USDA calls them all the same generic name, "farms." Census data shows the USA is home to 96,347,858 cattle with 963,669 cattle farms. There are 9.3 million sheep and 83,134 sheep farms. There are 3,140,529 goats and 144,466 goat farms. There are 67,786,318 hogs at 75,442 hog farms. There are 296 million turkeys, 349 million laying hens, and 2,187,509,325 total domestic fowl at 213,432 farms, assuming the census process carefully counted them all.

For horse population, Kathie Luedeke at the American Horse Council in Washington DC stated there are 1.96 million people who own 9.2 million horses in the US, a number no one disputes.

For totals, this comes to 2,373,284,030 head of livestock, fowl, etc. They reside at 3,410,142 US farms. NAIS enforcement plans also include not just the above numbers, but a total of 33 different species [including] cervidae, buffalo, camelids, alpaca, deer, ratites, marsupials, elk, etc. Obviously the 2.3 billion number is just a start in the scheme as no census numbers are available on the huge domestic game bird business. An unknown total non-census number is much farther beyond published Feb. 4 data.

For the Ag census, only US farms with sales of $1000 or more annually are counted. Reliable sources estimate there are 411,400* farms with less than $1000 annual sales, who would be required to comply with mandatory NAIS. This could include inventory of small animals, 4-H projects, fancy poultry, hobbyist, entry level and want-to-be farmers.

The largest expansion category for the 2007 census was cattle owners of 1 to 9 head up from 179,346 in the 2002 census to 232,849 farms. Small farms are growing in numbers faster than all other sizes. Much of this is due to subdivision of land holdings mostly near cities. This additionally increases numbers of owners of smaller inventory groups.

NAIS premises enrollment encourages more than one premises sign up per farm owner. This is designed to multiply current enrollments for USDA and increase annual licenses fees once the program is mandatory. Owners of a diversified operation could spread their risk of a forced livestock "depopulation" if USDA suspected a disease. Owned or leased farms could be divided into a number of different units. If NAIS becomes mandatory one concerned rancher plans to enroll 18 farm units to protect family livestock assets from a complete business devastation in case of a USDA inflicted quarantine or depopulation.

The USDA official press releases and staff tells Congress, the media, the Senate, and the public, a number of 1.4 million livestock raising operations exist in the US. Yet, the 2007 US Ag census, plus the American Horse Council data and farms with below $1000 in annual sales clearly reveal the more correct number is at least 3,821,542 farms raising livestock.

Today the USDA alleges over 500,000 premises are NAIS enrolled. Many of these are multiple unit enrollments, livestock auction facilities who own no cattle, custom feed lots, rodeo arenas, USDA employees, state DOA extension agents, livestock owners who are unaware they are enrolled and producers who are in the process of "Opt Out." Some youth have been forced to "enroll their property" before a single goat or lamb could qualify for government controlled state fair competition.

Western Horseman Magazine is the largest circulation of any livestock publication in the world. In their online poll, June of 2008, it was tabulated with thousands of votes; over 91% of animal owners, if given a choice, would refuse to comply with any component of NAIS.

Calculating the actual number of all real farms, total NAIS alleged enrollments minus the multiple enrollments and adding the under $1000 income farms, the percentage of enrolled farm owners in the US is not 33%, but in fact less than 9.8%.

The USDA has doled out over $138,000,000.00 all authorized by Congress, for cooperative agreements and sign up incentive NAIS programs. Their 28 USDA branches including the Farm Service Agency, County Extension offices and USDA licensed professionals have dedicated untold multiple hours to coerce new enrollments in NAIS. The cost to USDA per NAIS enrolled farm owner is well over $360 each.

NAIS is the result of looking for trouble, not finding it anywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying costly bogus remedies. Never has such a USDA grandiose plot been attempted with less user approval, less convincing value, and such distorted numbers used to spin the program.

During the Houston Stock Show, USDA Deputy Enforcements Secretary, Bruce Knight spoke, trying to cajole Texans (Texas is one of the lowest percentage premises enrolled states) on NAIS said, "Registering is easy. It’s free."

Hello "Bruce" Madoff? Any ocean front property in Arizona available, perhaps 1.4 acres?

For more information on NAIS go to www.naisSTINKS.com.

* Twenty one formal requests to Congressmen, the Sec of Agriculture and USDA staff; all refused to answer in a 60 day period.

Under What Authority Can USDA Impose Premises Registration?

This is a question I have been asking for quite a few years. In truth, they have no authority under the Constitution.



Billings, Mont. – R-CALF USA got word today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has received a formal letter from the group that requests the agency to promptly answer several questions regarding R-CALF USA’s position that USDA has no authority to impose premises registration – utilizing the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) – onto livestock producers who participate in federal disease management programs.

“The NAIS, as proposed by your agency, is shrouded with inconsistency and uncertainty,” wrote R-CALF USA President/Region VI Director Max Thornsberry, who also chairs the group’s animal health committee.

“For example, your agency continues to publicly claim NAIS is completely a voluntary program, though it has simultaneously issued an official memorandum to state animal health officials directing them to register as a premises the real property of certain livestock producers – regardless of whether these livestock producers consent to the imposition of such registration,” the letter continues.

The letter requests USDA to state what authority it has to register real property as a premises and implement NAIS and also requests a complete disclosure by USDA regarding the potential ramifications of NAIS participation.

Some of the questions include:

* What is the specific authority that grants USDA the power to register personal real estate as a premises without prior consent, power of attorney in fact, or by persons lacking legal age or capacity?

* Does registration of real property as a premises become a permanent assignment to the affected property?

* Does registration of real property as a premises constitute a taking as defined in the 5th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution?

* Will those affected by premises registration of real property be compensated for any taking, in what amount, by what standard of evaluation, and frequency?

* Does an agency memorandum, on premises registration of real property, stand as an act of law?

* Where, by an Act of Congress as legislated within the bounds of Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, has USDA been given authority to register real property as a premises or otherwise implement the National Animal Identification System?

* Where in the U.S. Constitution is USDA given authority to register real property as a premises or otherwise implement the National Animal Identification System?

* Will future land title and use of private real estate be impacted by implementation of the National Animal Identification System, resulting in further Federal regulation or authority?

“If your agency intends to proceed with its implementation of the NAIS proposal, including premises registration of real property, the cattle-producing members of R-CALF USA, who are directly affected by NAIS, deserve to know the specific authority underpinning your agency’s actions, as well as the potential ramifications from participating in the NAIS,” Thornsberry concluded in the letter.

R-CALF USA Animal Identification Committee Chair Kenny Fox praised committee members for the time and research they put into drafting this letter and said he hopes USDA will finally admit the agency has absolutely no authority to implement NAIS.

“USDA says publicly NAIS is a voluntary system, but their actions prove otherwise,” said Fox. “There’s a reason the agency chose to use the word ‘premises’ instead of ‘property,’ especially when you consider that producers’ information already is available to USDA. If NAIS becomes the law of the land, you can bet that registering your premises is the first step to ceding your authority over to the government when it comes to your business operations.”

Note: To view/download this letter in its entirety, please visit the “Animal ID” link at www.r-calfusa.com.

# # #

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.

And now...getting back to NAIS

The National Animal Identification System has not gone away. The USDA has not stopped their goose-necked marching forward in its idiotic attempt to identify every livestock animal in this country. Recently APHIS Vet Services issued a "memo" stating that local accredited vets, yes the very same vet who comes to your farm to give your horses their vaccinations, will issue premises registration numbers even to the resisters. In that case, the resister's premises registration number will be flagged as being non-voluntary. Huh? Isn't it supposed to be voluntary?

You can read more about it at this post - R-CALF United Stockgrowers of America—“Fighting for the U.S. Cattle Producer”, USDA Reneges on Promise to Keep NAIS Voluntary. Producers Request APHIS/Congress Retract Unlawful Memo Mandating Participation.

So now the Nevada Cattlemen's Association has climbed on the Hell No train. The following came out today.

Emergency NAIS resolution passed by the Nevada Cattlemen's Association.

November 21, 2008

www.nevadacattlemen.org

775 738-9214

Nevada Cattlemen’s Association

A Resolution calling for a law by the State Legislature to Prohibit NAIS in Nevada

WHEREAS the United States Department of Agriculture has violated its promise to maintain a voluntary status for the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) at both the federal and state levels, and

WHEREAS NAIS has not been debated or adopted by the members Congress, and presented to the President for signature, but rather is being implemented solely through USDA rules, regulations, and funding under statutes adopted and previously implemented without NAIS, and

WHEREAS the implementation of NAIS has not been subject to the requirements of NEPA to prevent the cost prohibitive impact on the small producer and the negative impact on the custom, culture, and economic stability of communities in Nevada, and

WHEREAS NAIS has no demonstrated value for disease control, which is already well served by existing state brand laws and veterinarian services, and its benefits are solely to the USDA for control of private property, to mega-agribusiness, and to the manufacturers of equipment for the implementation of NAIS, and

WHEREAS combining mandatory state programs with NAIS premises registration is in violation of the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution which states, “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated”, and

WHEREAS the USDA has implemented policies that compel accredited veterinarians, at the risk of losing their state licenses, to register premises that are not voluntarily registered, and

WHEREAS combining mandatory state programs with NAIS violates the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments which guarantee that neither the federal government or any State “shall deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law”, and

WHEREAS NAIS has usurped states’ rights by violating the Tenth Amendment which states, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the U.S. Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people”, and

WHEREAS the USDA has established rules and regulations for the levying of excessive fines, from $50,000 to $500,000, a violation of the Fifth and Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, and enforcement of said rules and regulations through its Enforcement and Investigative Services (EIS), and

WHEREAS a cost benefit analysis at any level of government has not been provided for the funding of NAIS, however the USDA continues its pattern of violating Constitutional rights by pursuing critical mass to justify its objectives, and

Whereas the Nevada Cattlemen’s Association currently supports a voluntary premise registration system and voluntary NAIS, and

Whereas many Nevada producers currently voluntarily use their Nevada Premise number as part of an age and source verification program, and

Whereas several states are requiring mandatory premise registration along with NAIS for some livestock events,

Therefore Be It Resolved Nevada Cattlemen’s Association and Nevada Woolgrowers Association is opposed to an explicit or a de facto mandatory NAIS.

Therefore Be it Further Resolved Nevada Cattlemen’s Association and Nevada Woolgrowers Association is opposed to any implementation of NAIS which violates the U.S. Constitution or diminishes the rights reserved to the States there in.

What's that? A rainbow?

Donate, donate, donate! This is what we have been dreaming about. You can't afford to NOT donate some money to the defense fund.

Hen

http://www.ftcldf.org/press-15May2008.html

Press

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Legal Defense Fund Moves to Stop Animal ID Program;
Files Intent to Sue Letter with USDA and Michigan Department of Agriculture

Falls Church, Virginia, (May 15, 2008) -- Attorneys for the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund today sent a Notice of Intent to Sue letter to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Michigan Department of Agriculture (MDA) over implementation of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS), a plan to electronically track every livestock animal in the country.

The Notice asks the USDA and MDA to "immediately suspend the funding and implementation of NAIS," and "fully and fairly examine" whether there is even a need for such a program.

Taaron Meikle, Fund president, said that contrary to USDA's claim, NAIS will do nothing to protect the health of livestock and poultry. "At a time when food safety and costs are a concern, the USDA has spent over $118 million to promote a program that will burden everyone from pleasure horse owners to ranchers and small farmers to individuals who raise a few chickens or steers on their own land for their own use."

Once fully implemented, the NAIS program would require every person who owns even one livestock or poultry animal (a single chicken or a pet pony) to register their property with the state and federal government, to tag each animal, and to report "events" to a database within 24 hours. Reportable events would include such things as a private sale, a state fair, or a horse show.

The Notice charges that USDA has never published rules regarding NAIS, in violation of the Federal Administrative Procedures Act; has never performed an Environmental Impact Statement or an Environmental Assessment as required by the National Environmental Policy Act; is in violation of the Regulatory Flexibility Act that requires them to analyze proposed rules for their impact on small entities and local governments; and violates religious freedoms guaranteed by the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

"We also think there are constitutional issues at stake here," Meikle noted. "The requirement to use electronic ear tags or RFID chips violates the religious beliefs of some farmers, such as the Amish, and provisions in a memorandum of understanding between the USDA and the MDA could violate the Fourth and Fifth Amendments to the Constitution by requiring the state to stop and inspect vehicles carrying livestock without a warrant or probable cause."

The MDA has implemented the first two stages of NAIS –property registration and animal identification – for all cattle and farmers across the state as part of its mandatory bovine tuberculosis disease control program, which is mandated by a grant from the USDA.

"While touted as a disease control program, the NAIS will drive many small farmers out of business" Meikle noted, "and burden every person who owns even one horse, chicken, cow, goat, sheep, pig, llama, alpaca, or other livestock animal with expensive and intrusive government regulations."

Joe Golimbieski, a farmer from Standish, Michigan and Fund member, explains: "The cost of the tags is just the start. We're at the mercy of whatever price the stockyards charge to do the tagging. And our farm doesn't have extra employees to deal with paperwork. NAIS is likely to put us out of business."

Gary Cox, General Counsel for the Fund, states that "USDA and MDA have exceeded their authority and they have completely failed to follow the proper procedures. We are calling on the agencies to immediately halt implementation of the program or face appropriate action."

About The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund: The Fund's mission is to defend the freedoms and to broaden the rights of sustainable farmers and their consumers to produce and consume local, nutrient-dense foods. Concerned citizens can support the Fund by joining at www.farmtoconsumer.org or by contacting the Fund at 703-208-FARM. The Fund's sister organization, the Farm-to-Consumer Foundation (www.farmtoconsumerfoundation.org), works to support farmers engaged in sustainable farm stewardship and promote consumer access to local, nutrient-dense food.

Editor's Note: The Notice of Intent to Sue the (USDA) and (MDA) is available at www.farmtoconsumer.org

###

Contacts:

Taaron G. Meikle
President, Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund and Farm-to-Consumer Foundation
703-537-8372
tgmeikle@aol.com

Brian Cummings
Cummings & Company LLC
214-295-7463
brian@cummingspr.com

The Press Release
Notice of Intent to Sue
Excerpts from the Notice of Intent to Sue

To learn more about NAIS and our lawsuit, attend the teleseminar -

Stop NAIS NOW!
May 28, 2008
8:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.
$15/phone line
Click here to learn more.

NAIS Updates From the Front Line

NAIS Business Plan

NAIS Updates From the Front Line

© Doreen Hannes

On December 19th, 2007, the USDA issued new documents in the Federal Register regarding NAIS. These are the "NAIS Business Plan" and new "User Guide" which you will find at the USDA's NAIS site, http://animalid.aphis.usda.gov/nais/index.shtml. These documents go hand in hand with the Federal Register notice of July 18th regarding the final rule on AIN's called, "Livestock Identification; Use of Alternative Numbering Systems". (search the Federal register for the text)

Reading these documents leaves no doubt as to where NAIS is going and how it will get there. The USDA is to finally be commended for being somewhat forthright in their publications at long last.

To sum it up in a rather succinct fashion, the current game plan is to require compliance with NAIS through the registration of your property as a premise and attachment of NAIS "840" tags to your animals as a requirement of engaging in interstate commerce in any way.

Read the rest of this important article here.

USDA Bets the Farm on Animal ID Program

USDA Bets the Farm on Animal ID Program

by WILLIAM PENTLAND & DAVID E. GUMPERT

[posted online on December 14, 2007]

In winter 2006, faced with a mandatory program that required him to attach electronic tracking tags on his animals, Michigan farmer Brad Clark sold his cattle herd, and nearly forty years as a cowboy-style rancher came crashing to a halt. Now he's a full-time electrician.

"Cows lose tags like crazy," said Clark. "They get caught in tree limbs. You get an 1,800-pound bull that doesn't want to be tagged, it's an ordeal."

In March, when Michigan became the first state to make parts of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) mandatory, requiring farmers to attach radio frequency identification ear tags on cattle and dairy cows, Clark was already among the casualties.

NAIS, which the US Department of Agriculture has been rolling out in concert with many states since 2003, is stunning in its projected scope. Over the next few years each of the nation's 1.4 million farms (plus thousands of veterinary facilities, export/import stations, livestock barns and genetic facilities) will be affected, with all their approximately 95 million cattle, 1.8 billion chickens, 60 million pigs, 93 million turkeys, 6.3 million sheep, 2.5 million goats and every other livestock species, including bison, camelids, cervids, horses and llamas. In all, more than twenty-nine species and more than two billion animals are slated to be fitted with the ID tags or be injected with transponders that transmit, to a national network of databases, information as basic as date of birth and as sophisticated as DNA profiles and chemical-residue measurements in the bloodstream.

Read the rest of it here.

Draft of USDA's Traceability Business Plan - not released to the public by USDA

http://nonais.org/techdocs/TraceabilityBusinessPlan1025072.pdf

As someone wrote to me: "I read it all and was amazed not to find anything about enforcement. That will be the largest budget item as all of us rebels will be corralled and branded for non compliance. Do they think there will be no need of enforcement? Are they reluctant to tell everyone what expense the enforcement will be? "

There you have it.

Speak Your Piece on Daily Yonder

Spooked by the 2006 E. coli outbreak in bagged greens, California and now the federal government too are moving in the direction of stringent regulations -- rules that, Sharon Zecchinelli writes, could squelch small growers and damage soil and streams.

By Sharon Zecchinelli

Danger zone? Or is it just a fine plot of chard, kale, beets, spinach and lettuce?
Photo: Silvercreek Garden , Bellingham, Washington

The following conversation takes place in the not-so-distant future.

“Grammy, in our history class today the teacher read to us from a book called Little House on the Prairie”

“Oh, I remember those stories. Do you like them?”

“Yup, but I didn’t know about some of the things she read to us.”

“Like what, my darlin’?”

“Well, how did they eat things right out of the garden. Were they that brave? Or were they just so hungry they didn’t care if they died?”

“What do you mean, sweetie? Food from the garden is perfectly safe.”

“That’s not what they told us today. Teacher said that home grown food is awfully dangerous and we shouldn’t eat it, ever. They said that we should never eat spinach or lettuce or vegetables that, well, like what you grow in your garden.” The child’s eyes welled up with tears and he threw his arms around his Grammy’s waist. “I was so worried about you for the rest of the day.”

Read the rest here on Daily Yonder.

National Animal ID System subject of legal action

The first of what we hope are many.
Cookson Beecher
From Capital Press

Concerned about Washington state's involvement with the National Animal Identification System, a small-scale livestock owner in Western Washington has taken legal action against the state's Agriculture Department.

In the motion filed with Superior Court in Thurston County on Sept. 28, Celeste Bishop asked the court to either order the department to produce the documents she has requested pertaining to the National Animal Identification System or explain why they haven't been produced.

Under the Public Disclosure Act, Bishop made her initial request on May 15, 2006. In her request, she told the department she wanted to see all NAIS-related records and documents from Jan. 1, 1997, to June 1, 2006.

According to information she received from the department, the department has about 400,000 documents on NAIS.

Bishop, who has met with department officials numerous times about her request, said that to be fair to the department, it has provided many records. But she also said that by law, citizens have a right to know what their government is doing and that the agency is required to give full disclosure unless a specific exemption applies.

In a telephone interview with Capital Press on Sept. 28, State Veterinarian Leonard Eldridge said the department has been working "very hard on this."

"We're making a huge effort to satisfy Celeste Bishop's request," he said.

The court will make a decision on the motion early this month.

Public information

Bishop is part of a group of concerned citizens that has taken on the role of informing the public about NAIS and about how it will affect them, their farms, and their livelihoods.

Bishop intends to put the documents she obtains from the department up on the website, NoNAISWA.org, where livestock owners, policy makers, and other interested parties will have access to them.

Once the motion and her declaration are scanned, they, too, will be available on that website.

Pointing out that this is a complex and controversial topic, Bishop said that people need to be knowledgeable about it and have a resource they can turn to that contains accurate information.

She also believes that it's important for department officials to realize that people want to be informed about any involvement the state might have in NAIS.

"There's a lot of miscommunication out there," she said. "People need to have accurate information about this."

Mandatory, eventually?

Bishop said one of the group's main concerns is that NAIS, currently a voluntary program, will become mandatory in Washington state.

"The department is building toward this piece by piece," she said. "It's implementing it incrementally."

She points to cooperative agreements the state is getting from various livestock organizations to implement NAIS in Washington state as an example of that.

Those who oppose NAIS fear that it will erode property rights and individual freedoms and give the government access to detailed information about their private property.

More about NAIS

According to the USDA, the goal of NAIS - originally proposed as mandatory but later changed to voluntary because of the intense controversy it sparked across the nation - is to prevent an outbreak of a foreign or domestic animal disease from spreading and inflicting devastating economic losses and serious animal and human health problems.

But in her declaration to the court, Bishop said that "while NAIS's purported goal of disease containment appears to be beneficial, the requirement for American citizens to register privately owned property for tracking and monitoring purposes has very serious implications for our privacy, rights and freedoms."

Species included in NAIS are bovine (cattle, bison), swine, sheep, goats, equine (horses, mules, donkeys), poultry, camelids (llamas, alpacas) and ratites (emus, ostriches).

Under NAIS, both the federal and state Departments of

Agriculture were to be involved in three phases: premise registration; animal identification; and animal movement reporting.

A premise is a location where animals are housed, held, or co-mingled.

The Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) began voluntary premise registrations in January 2005.

During the 2007 legislative session, Rep. Kirk Pearson, R-Monroe, introduced a bill that would have banned the state from participating in NAIS. At the time, he said he was responding to the concerns of many of his constituents - most of them small-scale livestock owners.

In a Sept. 28 telephone interview with Capital Press, Pearson said he believes that a mandatory form of NAIS raises borderline questions about the potential intrusion of government in people's lives.

Pearson's bill, in its original version, did not pass.

In his testimony on the bill, State Veterinarian Eldridge warned that the bill would prohibit him from continuing the voluntary NAIS program the state's Agriculture Department has in place.

He also pointed out that the previous year the Legislature passed a law that exempts all animal-identification system data from public disclosure.

Staff writer Cookson Beecher is based in Sedro-Woolley, Wash. E-mail: cbeecher@capitalpress.com.

USDA Approves Digital Angel's RFID Chip for Equine Use in National Animal Identification System

Over on Stock Insight they are thrilled with this news but all they care about is money. This is a crying shame and should scare every American. I know it scares me.

Revelation 13:16-17: And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.

For more, and a biblical perspective, visit The Raputure Alert and read A Big Week for The Implantable Microchip.

Press Release

Source: Digital Angel Corporation

USDA Approves Digital Angel's RFID Chip for Equine Use in National Animal Identification System
Tuesday September 4, 8:30 am ET

Company's Microchip First of Its Kind to Be Approved for NAISPotential Market of More Than Five Million Horses Used in Competition

SOUTH ST. PAUL, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Digital Angel Corporation (AMEX:DOC - News), an advanced technology company in the field of rapid and accurate identification, location tracking and condition monitoring of high-value assets, announced today that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved the Company's LifeChip® equine radio frequency identification (RFID) injectable transponder for use as part of the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). The USDA made the announcement at the Ag ID Info Expo held last week in Kansas City, Mo.

"We are very proud our LifeChip microchip is the first of its kind to receive NAIS approval," said Rae Powell, vice president of sales and marketing for Destron Fearing(TM), Digital Angel's animal applications business. "We believe this is another important step forward for our Company as the U.S. moves closer to establishing a national animal identification system.

"Not only does our LifeChip fulfill all U.S. animal safety standards, it also complies on a global platform with the International Organization of Standardization (ISO). Furthermore, our LifeChip with Bio-Thermo® temperature-sensing technology differentiates our product from the competition."

The exclusive Bio-Thermo feature allows equine owners, breeders, trainers and veterinarians to quickly and safely check a horse's temperature at the site of administration. Each LifeChip microchip - about the size of a grain of rice - contains a passive transponder programmed with a unique 15-digit number that can be read by any ISO-compliant reader.

Once administered, microchip numbers can be recorded in breed and discipline registries or kept in farm and ranch files for future reference. They are invaluable in providing proof of ownership in the event that a horse is lost or stolen. They also can be used to identify horses involved in breeding operations, competitive sports, and international and domestic travel.

Paramount in gaining NAIS approval is the exclusive use of a patented, biocompatible material called BioBond® that eliminates potential migration and secures the microchip to the administration site. LifeChip microchips offer an unalterable means of identifying horses and ponies of all ages, breeds and sizes.

About Digital Angel Corporation

Digital Angel Corporation (www.DigitalAngelCorp.com) develops and deploys sensor and communications technologies that enable rapid and accurate identification, location tracking and condition monitoring of high-value assets. Applications for Digital Angel's products include identification and monitoring of humans, pets, fish, poultry and livestock through its patented implantable microchips; location tracking and message monitoring of vehicles and aircraft in remote locations through systems that integrate GPS and geosynchronous satellite communications; and monitoring of asset conditions such as temperature and movement through advanced miniature sensors.

Know what this means?

It means that APHIS is laying all the groundwork to make RFID cattle tags MANDATORY for the existing TB testing and brucellosis vaccination programs. NOW is the time to fight NAIS, or it will be shoved down your maw before you know it.

USDA/APHIS/NIAA are like that zombie monster in a nightmare that keeps going forward without regard to anything in its path. "No" doesn't mean a thing to them.

Animal ID: USDA Reviewing Proposals For The Production Of Ear Tags Compliant With NAIS

WASHINGTON, Aug. 23, 2007--The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service is reviewing several proposals for the production and delivery of 1.5 million radio frequency ear tags that are compliant with the National Animal Identification System (NAIS) standards. These ear tags will be used to uniquely identify U.S. livestock that are part of current animal disease programs, in particular within geographic regions where bovine tuberculosis testing and the brucellosis calfhood vaccination program are most active.

“Using these animal identification number tags with radio frequency ID technology enhances the accuracy of animal identification and increases the program administration efficiencies,” said Bruce Knight, undersecretary for USDA’s marketing and regulatory programs. “Most importantly, it puts us a step closer to our goal of rapid traceback when an animal disease outbreak occurs.”

Individual animal identification is important to NAIS’ efforts to provide rapid response and containment in the event of an animal disease event. By quickly identifying involved animals, the impact of the outbreak on neighboring herds and premises can be limited--and disease spread could even be stopped before it reaches those animals.

NAIS is a modern, streamlined information system that helps producers and animal health officials respond quickly and effectively to disease outbreaks or animal health events in the United States. NAIS utilizes premises registration, animal identification and animal tracing components to both locate potentially diseased animals and eliminate animals from disease suspicion. It is a state-federal-industry partnership, which is voluntary at the federal level. For more information on NAIS, visit www.aphis.usda.gov/nais.

Source: Aphis

Three NAIS pieces in today's news

The most important one I should think.

GAO Finds Problems in Animal ID Implementation
From Prairie Farmer

The Government Accountability Office released a report Thursday identifying weaknesses in USDA's plan to implement a national animal identification system.

The report identified the following problems that could undermine USDA's ability to use the system to trace an outbreak to its source, as reported in a release from Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, ahead of the official GAO release on its Web site:

• Tracing animals from their original origin will be problematic given that USDA is not requiring critical information, such as the type of animal species, date of birth, or approximate age of animals to be recorded in the animal ID system.
  
• USDA has not prioritized the implementation of the animal ID system according to economic value of the species or those most at risk for specific animal diseases.
  
• USDA has not developed a plan to integrate the animal ID system with preexisting animal disease eradication programs for hogs, cattle, sheep or goats, thus duplicating effort and cost to producers.
  
• USDA has awarded 169 animal ID cooperative agreements totaling $35 million but has failed to adequately monitor the agreements or determine if the intended outcomes, for which the funds were used, were achieved. USDA has also not consistently shared the results of the agreements with state departments of agriculture, industry groups, or other stakeholders to allow them to learn from experience under the cooperative agreements.
  
• The timeframe for effective animal disease traceback from where animals have been raised is not clearly defined for specific species.
  
• USDA has no benchmarks to determine if there is sufficient participation to achieve an effective animal ID system.

It is about time that someone in Congress took a look at what USDA is doing. We can only hope that something good will come of this...like the dismantling of USDA or NAIS at the very least.

Next is from Dairy Herd Management.

IDAIRY receives grant to further premises registration efforts
By Dairy Herd news source (Thursday, August 02, 2007)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced that the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) will receive a grant of up to $1 million intended to register dairy premises under the National Animal Identification System (NAIS). NMPF will use the money to work with its IDairy coalition partners to further the registration effort.

Since IDairy was established in 2005, over 30,000 dairy producers have registered their premises under the NAIS, but as many as 35,000 commercial dairy operations are not yet registered. IDairy’s goal is to have 100 percent of the operations registered in order to enable animal health officials to quickly respond to an animal health emergency.

“This agreement is another important step forward as we advance the National Animal Identification System," said Bruce Knight, under secretary for USDA's marketing and regulatory programs. "It builds on agreements previously announced with the National Pork Board, the National FFA Organization and the U.S. Animal Identification Organization to promote animal health by providing producers with the information they need to take the important step of registering their premises and protecting their animals."

Read the rest of it here.

Another million dollars? Where do they get their money? It is just simply unbelievable.

And finally from Colorado.

Members of County Fair Board Say CSU Plan Is Unfair

The county commissioners don’t like the mandate requiring Colorado’s 4-H and FFA youth to obtain premises identification in order to show their animals at county and state fairs.

During their regular meeting on Tuesday, July 31, Suzie Coleman, Rhoda Reid and Jack Canterbury of the local fair board asked the commissioners to consider signing a resolution opposing mandatory premises ID for 4-H and FFA youth.

In short, premises ID registration lists the name and address of the ranch where the animal is being raised, and the ranch owner.

Beginning in October, cooperative extension officials with Colorado State University will require all Colorado 4-H and FFA youth to have a premises identification.

Premises identification is the first step toward a national animal identification system being considered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for livestock, in order to trace and track the livestock to protect against disease.

So far, premises identification registration is voluntary for state ranchers, however, CSU officials have decided to make it compulsory for 4-H and FFA participants.

“If it’s voluntary for ranchers, it should be voluntary for our youth,” said Canterbury.

Read the rest of it here.

All I have to say about that is remember Hitler's Youth Brigade.

Who is the marketing agency for the USDA anyway?

You've just got to read this article in this month's Cooperative Living magazine put out by Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives with a circulation of 350,000.

"I have been following with interest and much dismay the dialogue regarding the anti-animal-identification-system movement in Virginia and some areas of this great country.

If you believe the naysayers, this is all some grand conspiracy of the federal government to snoop into our business or figure out a way to tax us more. Nothing could be further from the truth."

Read the rest of it here. Food For Thought

USDA restructuring? Sounds good? Not a chance.

In another turn of events Rep. Colin Peterson, head of the House Ag Committee is saying he might call for a restructuring of USDA. Read about that here.

FDA/USDA sez melamine contaminated products at "levels calculated to be safe to consume."

Give me a break! No level of melamine can be considered anything but poisonous. The FDA and USDA are failing miserably and now, to cover their butts, are trying to tell people that the levels are safe to consume.

This is the link for their MELAMINE AND ANALOGUES SAFETY/RISK ASSESSMENT.

Within that risk assessment is this little nugget:

The assessment notes that melamine is not metabolized, and is rapidly excreted in the urine. Thus, it is not believed to accumulate in the body of animals.

I mean, I'm no scientist, but logically, if that statement were true how then did all those pets die? And, the numbers of pet deaths were severly under reported in the media.

How long can they keep lying?

I'm so glad I eat my own chickens and pork. You wouldn't catch me buying either in the grocery store.

FDA News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE P07-82 May 7, 2007

Media Inquiries: FDA Press Office: 301-827-6242 USDA Press Office: 202-720-4623 Consumer Inquiries: 888-INFO-FDA

FDA/USDA Joint News Release: Scientists Conclude Very Low Risk to Humans
from Food Containing Melamine
USDA Releases Some Swine and Poultry for Processing

There is very low risk to human health from consuming meat from hogs and chickens known to have been fed animal feed supplemented with pet food scraps that contained melamine and melamine-related compounds, according to an assessment conducted by scientists from five federal agencies.

In the most extreme risk assessment scenario, when scientists assumed that all the solid food a person consumes in an entire day was contaminated with melamine at the levels observed in animals fed contaminated feed, the potential exposure was about 2,500 times lower than the dose considered safe. In other words, it was well below any level of public health concern.

The risk assessment is an important new science-based component of the continuing federal joint investigation into imported wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate from China that contained melamine and melamine-related compounds.

The risk assessment was conducted by scientists from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). This team is now compiling a scientific assessment of the risk to animal health associated with ingestion of animal feed containing melamine and its compounds.

FDA and USDA are in the process of identifying a group of experts to convene a scientific advisory board that would be charged with reviewing the risk assessment. This group would also be asked to contribute to future scientific analysis related to the risk of melamine and its compounds to humans and animals.

In the course of the investigation, it was discovered that pet food was contaminated by wheat gluten and rice protein concentrate that contained melamine and its compounds. Subsequently, scraps of contaminated pet food that contained only low levels of melamine were distributed to farms in a limited number of states and added to the feed consumed by swine and poultry. These scraps constituted only a small percentage of the farm animal rations. In addition, melamine is known to be excreted in animal urine. When exposure levels are much higher, as was the case with cats and dogs, the melamine and its compounds appear to cause the formation of crystals in the kidney systems, resulting in kidney damage. There was no indication of kidney damage in hogs. Both hogs and chickens known to have been fed contaminated feed appear to be healthy.

This dilution factor was an important piece of data considered in the multi-agency science-based human risk analysis and helps to support the conclusion that there is very low risk to human health from eating meat from animals that were fed the contaminated product. This conclusion supports the decision announced on April 28 not to recall meat from animals that were fed contaminated product.

Currently, swine and poultry on farms suspected of receiving contaminated feed are being held under state quarantine or voluntarily by the owners. In several cases, feed samples have tested negative for melamine and related compounds. These tests were conducted by federal laboratories or state laboratories using approved methods. It is assumed that because only small amounts of the contaminated feed were mixed with other rations, the melamine and related compounds were no longer detectable. USDA has concluded that, based on the human risk assessment and the inability to detect melamine in the feed samples, these animals no longer need to be quarantined or withheld from processing.

In other cases, feed samples have tested positive for melamine and related compounds; feed samples were not available; or feed samples have not yet been submitted for testing. These animals continue to be withheld from processing, but are not yet being culled, pending the results of the animal risk assessment. This assessment is expected to be completed within one week. At that time, USDA will determine whether these animals can be released for inspection and further processing.

USDA and FDA continue to conduct a full and comprehensive investigation. As additional information is confirmed, updates will be provided and decisions will be made using the best available science to protect the public's health.

To ensure no further contaminated products enter the U.S., the federal government will continue to monitor imported wheat and corn gluten as well as rice protein concentrate and isolates arriving from all countries destined for human and animal consumption. The FDA import alert for these products sourced from China remains in effect and U.S. Customs and Border Protection will continue laboratory testing of the products as they enter the U.S. The inspections are a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of products entering at U.S. ports of entry. There is no evidence to suggest products bound for the human food supply are contaminated.

For additional information about the pet food and contaminated feed investigation, go to www.fda.gov or www.usda.gov. The human safety/risk assessment will be available online upon completion of an executive summary.

Pork anyone? Care for a side of melamine?

Whoa! They fed pigs in this country with the recalled pet food?

California's State Public Health Officer Dr. Mark Horton considers the health risks to be minimal. Hey, Doc! Have a plate and wash it down with cloned milk.

Who the f*ck is in charge?

Pork News
Calif. food safety officials follow tainted hog trail

By Tom Johnston on 4/23/2007 for Meatingplace.com

Four meat vendors received hogs tainted with melamine from a Ceres, Calif., farm, the California Department of Food and Agriculture said.

USDA said it seized all product from American Hog Farm that had been sent to a federally inspected facility, preventing it from entering the commercial food pipeline, CDFA said in media reports.

Of three state-inspected facilities, one received animals from American Hog Farm since April 3, the period in question, but none of them had been exposed to melamine-contaminated feed. Meanwhile, CDFA found and quarantined all exposed animals at a second facility before they could be sold.

The third vendor, Bar None of Half Moon Bay, Calif., received hogs that may have been exposed to contaminated feed. CDFA said Bar None bought 42 pigs this month from the farm that may have eaten the feed.

Meantime, CDFA is focusing efforts on contacting customers of American Hog Farm and Bar None to recommend that the pigs in question not be consumed, but, if already eaten, State Public Health Officer Dr. Mark Horton considers the health risks to be minimal.

On April 18, FDA notified CFDA that American Hog Farm received melamine-contaminated feed. (See Calif. hog farm quarantined after discovery of industrial chemical, Meatingplace.com, April 20, 2007.)

=================

Calif. hog farm quarantined after discovery of industrial chemical

By Tom Johnston on 4/20/2007 for Meatingplace.com

California authorities quarantined a Stanislaus County hog farm after an industrial chemical tied to a broad pet-food recall was discovered in pig urine.

The state's Department of Food and Agriculture said it was conducting more testing to determine if the chemical, melamine, entered the meat produced by American Hog Farm, the Associated Press reported.

"Although all animals appear healthy, we are taking this action out of an abundance of caution," State Veterinarian Dr. Richard Breitmeyer said. "It is unknown if the chemical will be detected in meat."

Authorities theorize that the melamine derived from rice protein concentrate imported from China by a Lathrop, Calif.-based Diamond Pet Foods facility, which makes products under the Natural Balance brand. Diamond also sold salvage pet food to the farm for pig feed.

Pacoima, Calif.-based Natural Balance on Monday issued a limited recall of its venison and brown rice canned and bagged dog foods, venison and brown rice dog treats and venison and green pea dry cat food.

Melamine, used in several industrial processes such as making plastics, has tainted more than 100 brands of dog and cat food and been blamed for causing health problems in dozens of dogs and cats.

Investigators were also scanning the farm's sales records to determine which customers may be affected by the quarantine, CDFA spokesman Steve Lyle told AP, noting that it generally doesn't supply meat to commercial outlets.

Officials urged anyone who bought pigs from American Hog Farm since April 3 refrain from eating the product until further notice. Thus far, "evidence suggests a minimal health risk to persons who may have consumed pork" from the farm, State Public Health Officer Dr. Mark Horton said.

So, let me see if I got this straight. Melamine laced rice, corn and wheat gluten killed pets who ate the food that was perhaps contaminated on purpose yet evidence suggests a minimal health risk to anyone who might have consumed pork who ate the same food. The must think we are stupid.

Soylent green, anyone?

A classic example of the misinformation being pandered by the misinformants

The following article is has obviously been written using the USDA's How To Handbook. The mantra is "we need to dispel some myths and misinformation from a 'small group of producers'". We, that small group, are totally educated about NAIS and only seek to shine a light under the USDA's bushel basket to reveal the truth.

The liars call the truth tellers liars so often the liars don't even know they are lying anymore.

Animal ID myths to be exposed at ag summit

Oklahoma

Perhaps no agricultural program has ever generated more heated debate or misinformation than the National Animal Identification System proposed by USDA. State Veterinarian, Dr. Becky Brewer, plans to dispel some myths about the program at the upcoming Oklahoma Farm and Ranch Summits.

"We need to address the falsehoods that are circulating about this program and what it will mean to livestock owners," she said. "There is a small group of producers who have voiced cost and privacy concerns and we need to address those fears."

The Oklahoma Farm and Ranch Summits will be held in Weatherford and Okemah on April 26 and 27 and May 10 and 11 respectively. Brewer said she hopes people who do not know enough about the program and those who oppose the program will attend.

"Most producers who have taken the time to learn what this program is about understand that it's an animal health monitoring tool and many have registered their premises," she said. "What we need now is the opportunity to present the facts to the other side."

The animal identification program was created to enable animal health officials to determine the origin of livestock found to be diseased within 48 hours of discovery. Brewer said the 2003 discovery of an imported dairy cow that tested positive for bovine spongiform encephalopathy proved the need for such a program.

"Canada's animal identification program enabled us to trace the infected cow to the farm where it was born," she said. "Had it originated somewhere in the U.S. we may have never determined exactly what farm it came from."

Agritourism, water issues, biofuels and other topics are also scheduled for the summits. The western regional summit in Weatherford will also feature no-till farming practices while the eastern summit in Okemah has a program on prescribed burning and other forestry issues scheduled.

Each summit begins on a Thursday evening with a reception and presentations on successful agritourism venues. The western summit will be held at P-Bar Farms and the eastern summit at The Grape Ranch.

For those who pre-register by April 20 the cost of the programs are $10 for the Thursday evening program only, $20 for the Friday program only, or $25 for both days. Registration at the door will be $15 for Thursdays, $25 for Friday programs or $35 for both days.

Pre-registration information is available online at www.oda.state.ok.us. To register by telephone contact Amber Lawles, Associate Commissioner of Agriculture at 405-522-5489.

B

16

4/23/07

5 Star OK

Date: 4/19/07