I just got a call from “‘Alice’ calling on behalf of the USDA.” She wanted to know if I would take part in a survey and said it would only take up a few minutes of my time. I asked what the questions are. She started by asking about our farm, how many acres we had, what types of animals. I refused to answer any questions because it turns out she’s gathering the information that they could use to “Voluntarily” enroll me in NAIS without my permission.
This already happened in Washington state. Watch out! The USDA and some states are making a big deal about how many “voluntary” enrollments they already have from farmers. They use this number to emphasize that farmers strongly support NAIS. Makes me wonder. I did not participate in the “Survey.”
Be very wary of any communications from the USDA and other agencies. Remember: “They’re from the government and they’re here to ‘help’ us.”
[UPDATE: Read CB’s story in comments! Her story is even more 1984ish and they didn’t even call her.]
Can it happen to you? You bet!!! Here is my story:
“Creative” Eye in the Sky
November 2005-I was leaving on a trip to a friend’s wedding and I scanned the mail briefly as I was heading out the door. Umm…. A 2005 Agricultural Identification Survey Form, complete with bar code, ID number, our City, State, miscellaneous numbers, along with the name of our huge agricultural endeavor (one goat) and my husband. Most interesting. This was a first. The information was “odd” to say the least. I made a mental note to call to track down the source of this survey.
Upon my return home the first thing I did was call the phone number on the Ag Survey(Federal). “Where did you get this information?” I asked. The lady responding to my call, ”Oh you must have purchased feed at your local feed store”. “Not under our farm name,” I replied. “Then you must have used a catalogue to order supplies,” she responded. “Not under this name I didn’t,” I replied. “How did you get his information and what are these numbers? What is this ID?” “Well, if you didn’t purchase feed or use a catalogue I really don’t know. Why don’t I give you the number of your state representative and maybe they can help you.”
Within moments I was talking with our state Ag department. The man I originally asked questions to didn’t know how this information may have been obtained so he politely connected me to one of their statisticians. BINGO! Here is the conversation as it played itself out. “I would like to know how you obtained the information for this 2005 Ag Survey and what this ID is all about?”
State: “Well, we have had to get very “creative” (emphasis on creative) this year to find out who has the “potential” for selling any products.” We have gone to every website, every registry, forum, private enterprise, and collected the data which goes into a database. We then send out the survey. And then, we compare it with satellite shots of your property so that we can verify your potential.”
CB: “What is this ID and barcode on this survey?”
State: “Every farm has one.”
CB: “What is your definition of a farm?”
State: “Any property that has the potential to make $1000.”
CB: “What if you don’t sell anything?”
State: “Well, if you have the potential so you go into the database with this ID.”
State: “Do grow herbs?”
I did not answer the question.
CB-“What if I sell our goat? Do I get off the database?”
State: “No. You never get off the database. It is permanent. This ID will stay with your property whether you have animals or not.”
State; “What do you do with your goat?”
CB: Mistakenly, I responded, “She eats blackberry bushes”. Oops! Not a green statement.
CB: “So how did you get this information?”
State: “It appears as though you are on a website or a registry” she said as she decoded the information which she had in her possession.
State: ”Do you have any other animals? Do you grow vegetables? Do you grow hay? Or nursery-stock? Do you have bees? Aquaculture products? Agricultural products?
CB: “No, we live in the forest” I exclaimed.
State; “Do you own or rent your land?”
CB: “Own.”
State: “Do you receive government payments?”
CB: “No”
State: “Then I will put down that you are not active in farming at this time.”
Do you see what I see? This data collection is “creatively” comprehensive and is far more reaching than just your farm. It is encroaching into every area of our lives. Think about the bigger picture and where do “I” personally draw the line. This is happening across the board in medicine, work place, social services, community service, government, commuting, now our food source and property. How much of your private information is being swapped between government and their partnerships (big commercial enterprises)?
You may ask, “Is this really happening?” Yes it is. This is not a conspiracy theory, it is reality, and is about ready to affect your constitutional rights, maybe even your life.
Comment Celeste — February 1, 2006 @ 6:32 pm
This happened to us also. We got the call. We are in Georgia. We are totally against this, but it would seem if you have any type of land you are considered a farm and are now part of the “national herd”. I have no idea how I can escape this intrusion by the government except go back to the subdivison and forget my dream of having my own piece of land to feed my family. My husband fought in a war and served his country for 20 years for the freedom and right to own a little piece of the “American Dream” which to us now feels like an American nightmare.
Comment Sharon — February 1, 2006 @ 7:56 pm
WASHINGTON STATE UPDATE-I just talked with the President of our Goat Club. It is now verified that ech person on our goat club website, at least Washingtonian’s, have in fact been issued a Premise ID without their knowledge and consent, and now anxiously await the “knock” on the door demanding the identification of our animals, such as the folks in Texas are now experiencing.
Comment Celeste — February 2, 2006 @ 9:09 am
Wow! Not only Orwelian, but Minority Report, and The Domesday Book all rolled into one. This stuff happens in “other”, non democratic, countries. It shouldn’t be happening here. If the next presidential candidate stumps on a platform of laws against database mining, governmental tampering and manipulation–they’d get my vote no matter which party. I just ordered new chicks. I suppose I’ll be getting the tap soon enough. And you know if “they’re” tracking you through feed store purchases, and Goat Clubs, then they’re watching sites like this and mine. I’m beginning to think it’s time to find a freer, agrarian friendly country. . . .
Comment Podchef — February 3, 2006 @ 10:41 am
I belong to several sites - yahoo groups - etc… that means I am doomed!!! Guess I’ll be eating ALOT of chicken real quick!!!
N.J. Sparks
Comment Nance Sparks — February 7, 2006 @ 3:49 pm
Please read the book
No Place to Hide
by Robert O’Harrow, Jr.
Go on ebay or book club.
It will open your eyes.
We are being watched.
Comment Heather Fromm — February 10, 2006 @ 7:09 am
If your farm is marked inactive, does that make it a target for eminent domain?
Comment Weaseldog — February 21, 2006 @ 2:52 pm
I have a companion goat. It is not a farm animal. They do not need to be chipping my goat. They don’t even need to know it exists. It is none of their damn business.
Comment Ward E. — February 27, 2006 @ 10:10 pm
I also got the survey in the mail. I have no idea how they “found” me nor do I care. I simply threw it away, both times I got it.
Also, I got a phone call from the Arizona Department of Agriculture to do a “survey” of my livestock. I would neither confirm or deny whether I had animals. I wouldn’t answer any of their questions with anything other than “no comment”. The woman taking the survey finally asked me why I was resisting taking part in their “Agricultural Survey”. I told her I was refusing to take part in something as intrusive as the NAIS and would continue to do so for as long as I had breath in my body.
Comment Nancy — March 1, 2006 @ 10:53 am
I find it very curious we are all getting these forms NOW. I have had goats for 5 years and this is the first year I have got the bar coded survey forms AND the phone call. This reeks of Nazi Germany. I feel so violated by my own government and it’s intrusion into my private life. I thought having a home and a means to provide for ones family was a right? What happened to the America I once knew?
Comment Goatster — March 1, 2006 @ 12:26 pm
I thought this was an urban mith when I saw the poster down at feedstore where I buy grain for my horse. But I went to the USDA web pages and saw it for myself. We are living in crazy facist times. Our country is going to go to the dogs just like europe where people have lost all their freedomes and they apay all they money to the government and then the govenment dolls it out to people and nobody has any insentivies to do great things anymore. Total decadance.
Comment Trudy — March 2, 2006 @ 8:02 pm
My head is swimming!
I went to the Biodynamic Farming $ Gardening Association web site and found you.
Have only looked at your site for a few minutes and can’t believe what I’m reading. I’m feeling nausea. Really!
First, this all makes me wonder how many other things are going on under the radar, covered by Mr. Bush’s domestic spying program.
My conspiracy theory education began when I was in college, working part-time for a commercial radio station. A half-hour weekly talkshow was one of my duties.
Along came retired Air Force Colonel, Fletcher Prouty with his blockbuster book on the CIA. He claimed the U.S. orchestrated the murder of South Vietnam’s President Diem, his wife, and several bodyguards.
For many years after, I kept in touch with Prouty. Oliver Stone revealed not long ago that Prouty was Jim Garrisson’s “deep throat” in Stone’s movie on the Kennedy assassination. I shivered. Over the years—over lunches, over the phone—Prouty had told me some pretty scary things…most of which I only half believed. But some would later play out just as he had predicted.
Around the same year I interviewed Prouty—1970 or 71—I also interviewed Jimmy Hoffa. He had just been released from prison, and also had a book out. I drilled him with some pretty tough questions, and he gradually turned as red as a beet with anger. When the engineer shutoff the microphone, Hoffa lept to his feet and viciously cursed me with words I can’t repeat here. For the first time in my young 19 year old life I saw the face of true, unbridled evil. I almost wet my pants. When I next got a good night’s sleep it was perhaps two months later when it was reported Mr. Hoffa had disappeared from the face of the earth. I knew instantly that there is a God.
As a life-long organic gardener/small livestock raiser, and as a 35 year veteran network and local radio reporter, I have read probably hundreds of books dealing with government and industry wickedness in the areas of food and energy production—”Altered Harvest,” “Modern Livestock,” and “Food For A Small Planet,” among my favorites.
Yes, I knew the potential for facist evil was there—and in fact has been in motion for quite some time. But, I never thought that evil on the magnitude you are now describing would occur so soon.
Tomorrow, I will pull my thoughts together and see what I can do to help the fight.
But tonight, I will pray.
Sincerely,
Ron Ellis
Montgomery, Alabama
Comment RON ELLIS — March 3, 2006 @ 7:24 pm
Thank you for putting all the effort into this website! This is a horrid thing the govermint is doing t ous. I am going to write my senators.
Comment Buster — March 4, 2006 @ 9:00 am
I an in hopes that Ron Ellis will read this and maybe give us some advice as a reporter.How do we wake up the local media in Central Virginia? We have sent letters to the Editors, written opinions, called talk shows, sent information packets to local talk show host Brian@wlni.com, but the interest is just not there. It seems like everyone thinks it will never happen! Do you have any suggestions for us?
Thank you
Dick Amherst, Virginia
Comment Dick Stevens — March 7, 2006 @ 6:27 pm
The “NEW WORLD ORDER” is upon us. We as a nation MUST stand together in opposition to NAIS. Everone can play a roll, no matter how insignificant we may feel, in defending our freedoms. Most of the farmers here in Indiana who I have spoken to have never heard of “premise id numbers”. At a February local meeting sponsored by the Board of Animal Health, the facilitator could not tell me exactly what we were signing… “an open contract” I said. Am I supposed to trust the government after selling the ports and highways, their miserable failure with Katrina and the phoney war in Iraq? Last year I was Certified Organic through the USDA, but now longer will I voluntarily do business with an operation run by multi national corperations.
The Derry Brownfield radio program has been beating on this animal ID garbage for more than a month, but maybe there are too many serfs who are dependant on a government subsidy to rock the boat.
Attend meetings, bring your urban neighbors, post flyers, call and write your representatives, get creative! A fight such as this can make a person enjoy life as never before.
Comment Dan Frantz — March 15, 2006 @ 10:50 am
In Michigan the premise I.D. # was implemented as part of a bovine tuberculosis eradication program. tb was discovered in the wild deer herd. Never mind the fact that this strain of tb is non- communicable to humans nor are they ever going to “eradicate” tb spores from the soil. Incrementalism as its most insidious.
Comment little brother — March 17, 2006 @ 11:36 pm
Anything the government does should be voluntary for citizens!
Comment Morton — April 7, 2006 @ 4:20 pm
I don’t farm but I read about this in our newspaper. I do like to buy good healthy food at the farmers market. This stupid program is going to drive up prices. That I do not like. I also don’t like seeing my tax dollars wasted on something like this.
Trackback Roger Marcus — April 13, 2006 @ 10:33 pm
A funny thing happened to me at a meeting with our goverment officials. The ag department person was saying how the internet was filled with lies about nais and specifically that nonais was missleading people. Well I took my question time to ask them specificallly what lies they were refering too? And guess what? They were not able to give a single example of a lie on nonais. So they are just badmouthing you but dont have any reason. Thank you for spreading the truth and fighting the govenment lies. A lot of people I know appricate you and your work. Hoop
Trackback Hoop — April 18, 2006 @ 8:37 pm
Is there evil in NAIS? Is it the mark of the beast or just greed by big corporations? Is there a difference?
Comment Tenison — May 7, 2006 @ 9:53 am
Excellent forum. Thank you for keeping people aware of NAIS. I will do my part too.
Comment Mary — May 7, 2006 @ 9:53 am
There is no freeking way I will submit to this. We are going to see a lot of wacos and ruby ridges if the USDA tries to enforce this execpt this time they will all be massacras of the agents instead of innocent families!
Trackback Amelia — May 13, 2006 @ 10:39 pm
Big Corporations are the
embodiment of evil
They are the beast and they are
trying to mark us
Never in our lives have we been
so challenged maybe never since
time began
We need to band together in spirit if we are to survive
these trying times.
Love is fierce when truth is
at stake
Strong words can empower us.
Conserve energy.Don’t be fooled. Be cool…..
Comment sid sargent — May 14, 2006 @ 5:55 pm
Verification of the previous comment y’all need to know if you were to meet the USDA and mark your animal according to the ISO your animal becomes *currency*. Yes, you heard right, currency. If you are a hobbist like myself I would instantly enter commerce whether I was involved in commerce or not. 840 is our country currency number and that is the first three numbers (of 15) they are putting into the identification of animals. How clever and deceitful. It pays for us all to do our homework.
Comment Celeste — May 16, 2006 @ 7:50 am
They will never get compliance. This whole thing is too complex. Without compliance the traceback is meaningless so they might as well not even try for 100% compliance. It is just necessary for the factory farms and feed-lots. That is where they can get compliance.
Comment Mary Anderson — June 21, 2006 @ 4:10 am
WE THE PEOPLE
These are the first three words of
THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
AND
NOT, WE THE POLITICIANS….
I have contacted my governor, a Missouri Senator, a congressman, and can you believe all of them (rather their assistant) has advised me
he (the Governor), he the Senator and he (the congressman) are not decided on NAIS yet..I finally advised them they must be for it.
Comment Judy — September 2, 2006 @ 3:49 pm
Every day I try to visit at least one new website on your right sidebar, and today I visited Rural Heritage. For those who want a dynamite article to wake up those complacent folks that don’t see any danger in NAIS, have them read “License to Keep Animals”.
link
Comment Texas Goat Gal — September 12, 2006 @ 4:13 pm