Hallelujah!
The state’s controversial mandatory farm registration program is effectively dead, or at least in a coma.
Secretary of Agriculture Steve Kerr told a crowd of nearly 100 at a Montpelier hearing Thursday that the agency would let its proposed rule that would require those keeping livestock to register with the state to expire.
His agency likely will begin working on a new program to aid in disease management sometime in the next few months, but that proposal could be different in several key aspects, in part because of objections by small farmers and activists.
“The concept was grounded in sharing information with the feds,” Kerr said. “Obviously that is out the window.”
When a new program is devised it also will go through a series of public hearings like those which have just concluded, he said.
-Barre, VT Times Argus
Our voices were finally heard by a nearly deaf Vermont Agency of Agriculture! But don’t let your guard down and keep watching the government. It is still worth sending comments to the VT Agency of Agriculture just to make sure they get the point.
I hope that other states will look at the vigorous opposition and failure in Vermont of Premises ID, and thus the USDA’s National Animal Identification System (NAIS) and learn not to violate our basic Constitutional rights and privacy like this. It is time that our regulators and legislators, our nation as a whole, renewed its vows with our Constitution to protect the rights and privacy of citizens.
I will never let me guard down again in regards to the government. This gives us more time to let the people know just what our government has been up to and what it wants to force down the throats of the American people many unknowingly. This is good news, but I remain “on guard”. I just wrote my Governor and State Ag Comm here in Georgia yet again to let them know how I feel about this program. I need help however. Still folks here seem completely in the dark. This does give me some hope Walter. Great work to all but keep working!
Comment Goatster — August 18, 2006 @ 9:56 am
Congrats,Walter!!!! and to all you folks in Vermont!!!Now give them heck and get your state back,the feds won’t look kindly on this “slap” from y’all. I know there is still a long fight out there ahead of us but this is a ray of hope,and a start in the right direction for all of us ,even in the Peoples Socialist Republic states where they seem to not only be deaf to us but willingly hostile ,BUT this shows it can be done,a few weeks back ,who would have guessed that Kerr would do this,he is to be credited for this action,but he must now work to see to it that this type of thing is forever dead and outlawed in Vermont,after all the bad news here in Pa this week I am ready to dance a jig for joy on my computer screen!:-)We can and we will beat this monster,and turn all the supporters of tyranny out of office all acrossed this Union oF States,YAAAAHOOOOO!!!!!
Comment LEE — August 18, 2006 @ 10:12 am
Excelent work all of you in Vermont. While it’s true that we must forevermore be vigilant it’s heartening to see that occassionaly there are still instances where public officials will listen to those of us who don’t have millions of dollars to spend on lobbyists.
Keep us updated on what Vermont comes up with regarding disese management.
Comment Joanne Rigutto — August 18, 2006 @ 10:59 am
Our many thanks to Steven Kerr for opening up the gates to let the others pour through. We can be heard and we should be heard. Now if only we can get the Dept of Agriculture in Missouri to listen. Thank you for letting all of us know the good news.
We can make a difference.
Bev
Comment Beverly — August 18, 2006 @ 11:05 am
Good to hear! Most of Colorado’s senators and the Governor are leaning hard toward implimenting.NAIS.. But when it comes time to vote for them, Im on a campaign to get them out of office .. Any represintative supposedly of the people that takes away constitutional rights need not be our representative….
[If you can gather evidence I’ll add them to the Naughty list. I need State, Name, Office, email address, Link, Supporting documentation (e.g., link to public statement, newspaper report, email letter, mailed copy of letter from them, etc). I do have some from some people in other states I need to add to the Naughty and Nice lists - I’m a bit behind - but keep sending them! Don’t forget to also send me people for the Nice list - we want to reward the good. -WJ]
Comment Betty — August 18, 2006 @ 12:30 pm
NAIS dead in VT! What great, great news! Thank you, thank you, thank you to Walter for this website and for all who have helped defeat this program in VT. Now, on to the other states. We can make a difference!!!! We MUST make a difference.
Suzanne
Comment Suzanne Clothier — August 18, 2006 @ 12:45 pm
YEEEHAWW!!!!!!!
Comment PV — August 18, 2006 @ 3:09 pm
Way to go VT. Now Texans let’s show our state officials that we mean to do the same in Austin. With our population and state size, we can make them take notice here also. For those of you that have never been to the state of VT let me say that it is one of the most beautiful states we have. I love VT and you can’t beat the fall colors or the spring maple tapping. The people of VT, you are a credit to the country.
Comment Suzy Minck — August 18, 2006 @ 4:18 pm
Walter,
good news! We are working to educate people in North Dakota,it is a slow process as many think we are crazy when we explain to them the facts, your information has been crucial for us to leave at sale barns and your web site has been passed to many!We refuse to do business with anyone who supports this. A neighbor is putting a series of articals in the local paper based on your information! Invaluable!Thank You!
Comment judy — August 18, 2006 @ 5:50 pm
CONGRATULATIONS VERMONTERS !
Need to hear from others in Colorado. We have some real hard-heads here. Just emailed
Rick Odonell (running for Congress) about where he stands and the message from his office back to me was this was the first he’s heard of NAIS. Need some help fellow
farmfolk. If they can do it in Vermont, we can do it here !
Comment GinnyP — August 18, 2006 @ 7:28 pm
PS A little help please
Some of you are aware of Derry Brownfield. Through his AgReport site(not the radio show):
link
the NAIS debate that will take place at the Missouri State Fair will be broadcast over the net. I am still looking for the exact link but it was mentioned on todays radio broadcast.(18Aug06) And the Fair ends on the Sunday the 20th, so one of the next two days. It takes forever to download on dialup, sorry. Anyhow, the only other detail I know is that it will be broadcast beginning at 10am CST. There will be some exceptionally knowledgeable participants. Another reason to take heart:)
Now Please Forgive me:(
But … nothing has been won.
NAIS is not going away.
This is merely a lulling tactic.
I don’t know how to do it but if someone has the means to monitor the AoA and their top people or a mole in their offices, I would suggest keeping a close eye on them. Everyday! here on out.
Enjoy the moment, sadly, this is an on-going war with internationally interested parties with mucho money at stake; the good news is Vermont has a tradition of going its own way, for its own reasons. Take heart America, and give the USDA its just desserts. I’m a Show Me Boy, and I believe you will.
Continued good success …
(:
[I don’t think the fight is over. Our Agency of Ag may try something more and there is still the fight in all the other states and against the feds. They are annoying. Lets keep the pressure up. What the Vermont victory does is give encouragement to people in other states who are fighting Premises ID and NAIS. It also gives a role model of resistance to federal manipulation that other state government’s may see and follow. Seeing another state resist the federal control may give them the courage to refuse the USDA, and other fed agencies, taking control over their state. Keep up the good fight! -WJ]
Comment Mr Dirty Nails — August 18, 2006 @ 8:23 pm
Judy,
How do I get in touch with you? I live in Emmons County, west of Linton.
No one knows about NAIS in our area or they think animal id only applies when livestock goes to the sale barn.
Comment donna — August 18, 2006 @ 8:58 pm
Excellent news! Good first steps! The people have been heard and the government of one state has been thrown back into a postion of how to re-group and sneak it in under a new look.
Keep both eyes on them, Vermont! You have them on the run. Don’t let them spread of bunch of crap about hoof and mouth! Seventy years without an outbreak, it isn’t fatal to cattle and doesn’t transmit to humans. How many billion dollars is it worth?
You’ve got ‘em on the ropes, now dump your two-faced governor and send a real message!
Comment Patricia Hampton — August 19, 2006 @ 8:31 am
Maybe there is still hope for Indiana!
Comment Elbert Stockberger — August 19, 2006 @ 1:04 pm
Here’s proof the Government is going to farm-out(pun intended:) the data bae management to private concerns.
respects, Wm
Global Animal Management named first NAIS tracking provider
8/1/2006
Jim Dickrell
http://www.agweb.com/get_article.asp?pageid=129662&src=fsdry
http://www.zimmcomm.biz/Schering/gam-usda-release-8-3-06.doc
the long version, with additional details
Comment Mr Dirty Nails — August 19, 2006 @ 2:26 pm
Don’t be fooled people
you are way to naive and easily
manipulated…..everytime we
respond we give them just that much more ammunition..
remember only God has authority
the rest is self-proclaimed and
ilussion..believing it makes it real…Give us Liberty or give
us death..NO COMPROMISES…If
we don’t stand up now we leave a
Hell on EARTH for our CHILDREN….
Get with your neighbors and fan
out from there…ACT LOCALLY
THINK REALISTICALLY……
Comment sid sargent — August 21, 2006 @ 9:00 am
Sugarbush here I come! U-RAH for Steve Kerr to have the bollocks to stand up to the Feds and NAIS! If only he could convince his cohorts in the Secratary of Ag brotherhood to show the same backbone! Our Ag Sec. wouldn’t even comment on issues saying only it is complicated and difficult, thereby proving he is just a Tool.
Thank God for our Grange, however. They are lobbying with the state about getting an exemption from NAIS for all micro and hobby farms in our county. So don’t give up actively working in the smallest quarters. Go to your herd, breeder, club associations, your Grange or feedstore customer base and pool together to activate at the county level. Show your county how much opposition there is on their turf and then have that county affect the counties around them. We can still tilt at the Corporate BigAg and Government windmills, but we should also be setting a fire from within the foundations.
The bottom line is we are closer to our local, elected officials than we can ever be to the Big Guys. The Senators and Representatives at the Federal level are Tools and are affected by too many influences. They delegate important issues to unelected employees and thereby remove themselves from responsability or knowledge. Therefore this really is a case of “Taxation without Representation”–our elected representatives are asleep to the larger issues because they have pawned off responsability to flunkies and are too busy taking money for their next campaign. Cut out corporate campaign finance, lower the amount which can be spent on a political position and there would be a great deal more attention paid to the issues and less time wasted promoting useless ideas which have been bought and paid for by large corporations.
Comment Podchef — August 21, 2006 @ 3:51 pm
How heartening about your victory in VT!! This is sooo like a Second War for American Independence!! Keep on keeping on with all this…Lynn
Comment Lynn from Pa — August 21, 2006 @ 4:02 pm
its a start,but dont let your guard down.there are to many of your tax dollars out there to be had at your expence for them to stop now. to beat them we all must join a large cattle group such as R-CALF stop it in the cattle it dies elsewhere.check R-CALF out for your self
Comment NICK LeCOMPTE — August 26, 2006 @ 5:40 am
Congratulations, Walter - excellent news. This one of many battles and one to savor for the good guys!
Keep up the good work and I will refer many to the work you and so many in your state have done.
We must all continue to be vigilant.
Best Wishes,
Harriette Jacobs and family
Warrenton, Georgia
Comment Harriette Jacobs — August 28, 2006 @ 6:56 pm
Thanks Vermont, for opening an avenue for those that wish to use animal diseases as a bio-eco-terrorism tool. We would have tried to start along the SW border but that’s now just to obvious. Thanks! We’ll take the NE corner and work our way in that way.
[Readers may be interested to know that the above comment came directly from the USDA Office of Operations. Here is the IP address info that came in with this comment:
Author : ABET (IP: 168.68.129.127 , cofc.aphis.usda.gov)
See this article for comments on this comment. -WJ]
Comment ABET — August 29, 2006 @ 9:59 am
AS VERMONT GOES, SO GOES THE NATION!
Comment S BARACKMAN — August 30, 2006 @ 11:46 am
Yesterday I read the newly-posted newspaper article on the right sidebar, “Vt. Sheep Disease Free”. I just talked with Monica Mead, the author of the article, to ask her a question I had. She is a VERY nice young woman, and you are very lucky in Vermont to have such an open-minded journalist in your state. I ordered the book “Mad Sheep”, written by the Faillaces, from Chelsea Green Publishing. I was having trouble getting their website to load, so I called them at 800-639-4099. The book cost $25, with a $5 discount for ordering over the internet, plus $4 shipping. Their web address is: www.chelseagreen.com. Thanks, Walter, for adding this article to the list!
Comment Texas Goat Gal — September 8, 2006 @ 10:31 am