Farm Aid: Around the Kitchen Table

Stirring Words from a South Dakota Rancher

2010-08-31T17:11:00.002-04:00

Around 2,000 family farmers, ranchers, and others from all over the country gathered last Friday on the campus of Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, to have their say regarding unfair competition and consolidation in the livestock industry. (See my post here for more information.) I have never seen so many fired up ranchers—or cowboy hats—in one room!

Farm Aid was in Fort Collins in support of struggling cow/calf and sheep ranchers, cattle feeders, hog farmers, dairy farmers, contract poultry producers, and industry laborers. Most importantly, we took part to help bring attention to the need for swift implementation and enforcement of the USDA's proposed GIPSA (Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration) livestock rule, which would be a crucial first step in restoring genuine fairness and competition to a livestock industry that is all but monopolized by just a few dominant, multi-national processors, packers, and retailers.

At the workshop I sat next to and visited with Vaughn Meyer (on the right, in this photo), a kind, soft-spoken rancher from Reva, South Dakota, who raises purebred Angus and chairs the South Dakota Stockgrowers Marketing Committee. Vaughn's pro-GIPSA public comment, offered during the lunchtime break between panel discussions, was a beautifully articulated example of why antitrust enforcement is so crucial. You can read it in full below.

Vaughn's stirring words were one of many dozens of two-minute, pro-GIPSA public comments offered during the workshop itself and at the Thursday night town meeting. In the days to come, we'll post more commentary, photos, and short videos from the events in Fort Collins. For now, please send the USDA and the Department of Justice your own public comment (to agriculturalworkshops@usdoj.gov) in support of the GIPSA rule. Together we can begin to break through the silence descending over the countryside and start to restore family agriculture, vitality, and well being across rural America.

Secretary Vilsack, USDA APHIS personnel and fellow agriculture enthusiasts, I am Vaughn Meyer, a rancher from Reva, SD and Chairman of the SD Stockgrowers Marketing Committee. On behalf of South Dakota's largest cattle producer organization, I would like to thank everyone here today for the great input into this controversial issue. Through today's democratic discussion we are initiating the initial steps required for rebuilding our industry.

An overwhelming amount of facts and figures have been presented here today. However, I would like to [refer] briefly to that which will not be said here today. That which is as bone chilling and sobering as an Arctic Northerly in mid-December. The silence here today that is representative of the 370,000 producers who through the past 16 years have lost their hopes and dreams in production Agriculture. The silence of over half a million family members whose last view of their livelihood was in their rear view mirrors. A silence that is relative to the loss of 215,000 rural main street businesses throughout the past decade.

I witness this silence, only broken by the wind, as I pass daily through my home town of Sorum, SD, now zip code zero. Recently that silence has echoed again through the closure of two nearby family feedlots. An eerie silence broken only by the wind blowing through empty pipe corrals. Again this silence is present as one turns into the abandoned parking lot of Black Hills Packing Co. in Rapid City, SD. A parking lot that once accommodated autos of nearly 200 employees.

My point here today is this issue is not about organizations against organizations or producers versus feeders versus packers and retailers. We are here today to strengthen previous rules in order to rebuild America's largest industry, Family Agriculture. A rebuilding which once again will instill voices, laughter and prosperity in our rural towns. A prosperity that will transcend to our cities and the steps of our nation's capitol. A prosperity which will rebuild the agriculture foundation of this great country. An agricultural foundation which is prerequisite for the national security and industrial superiority of the United States of America.

Mr. Secretary Vilsack and Mr. J.W. Butler on behalf of my Grandfather and late Father, I thank you for giving me the opportunity of a lifetime to be present today and witness this rebirth of family agriculture. On behalf of the South Dakota Stockgrowers, thank you and we proudly support your endeavors.

Support Nation Beat as They Spread the Word about Good Food From Family Farms

2010-08-30T14:30:00.003-04:00

Nation Beat, an amazing, indescribably-musically-diverse band who played at Farm Aid 2008, has a new project that we wanted to let you know about.

Building on what the band learned about food and farming at the Farm Aid concert, they wrote a song dedicated to family farmers and they’re working on producing a video.

They need your help to spread the word about family farmers!

As they explain it,

"GROWING STONE" is a song about the plight of the family farmer written when we were invited to perform with Willie Nelson at the 2008 farm Aid concert. At the time of the concert we were not aware how strong the movement to help save the family farmer from the corporate Agribusiness was until looking out and seeing over 20,000 people supporting the cause. We met local farmers and attended a seminar/Q&A with Willie, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews. It was an eye opening experience hearing the statistics and hardships of family farmers during this seminar. It was also very inspiring to hear the positive stories and to meet small farmers who were successfully making a living. This is what our song "GROWING STONE" is about; the plight of the family farmer and how he/she will stand up and win and keep their land!

We could just record the song and stick it onto a CD where it will be bunched together with 13 other songs. But we don't feel like this will do the song justice. We want to give this song special attention so that it's heard all over the world and raises awareness to people of all ages and nationalities to start supporting their local farmers and farmers markets. In today's society, sound alone sometimes doesn't get the point across. We want to put images of real life farmers and show their success stories in this music video. We want to give people a personalized experience through this song by inviting farmers to participate in our music video. This song is about them...it's their voice and we want them to be seen...not just heard.

So, we need you to help make this happen and to help spread the word. With your pledge we can make this music video a reality and help spread this cause to all parts of the word through the internet. And, if you feel like brushing up on your acting skills, contribute as an "associate producer" and you can be in the music video and show it to all your friends and family.

This is a very cool project indeed! If you'd like to lend a hand, click here!

A report from the antitrust in agriculture USDA/DOJ hearing in Colorado

2010-08-27T10:37:00.002-04:00

Farm Aid's farmer advocate Joel Morton traveled to Fort Collins, Colorado, this week to stand by America's family farmers and ranchers as they speak out about the lack of competition and fair markets in the livestock sector. Here's what he had to report early this morning...

Last night's town hall meeting in Fort Collins, Colorado, on competition and concentration in the livestock industry, was a rousing affair with well over 500 family farmers, ranchers, food service workers, non-profit staffers, rural and urban food activists, and consumers in attendance. People came from all over the country and at least 20 states were represented. Held in the Fort Collins Marriott, the meeting was so crowded that a divider wall had to be removed to make room for more people as they continued to file in even after the event got started. Six panel speakers spoke for five minutes each, followed by dozens of two-minute public comments by those of us in the audience.

The diverse crowd was united in calling for the USDA's quick adoption and implementation of a livestock rule proposed by the USDA's Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration (GIPSA) as a necessary first step in restoring genuine competition in the livestock industry. The evening's event, organized by Farm Aid allies Food & Water Watch, R-CALF USA, and the Western Organization of Resource Councils (WORC), leads in to today's USDA and Department of Justice public hearing on antitrust issues in the livestock industry, to be held on the campus of Colorado State University. Thousands are expected for the hearing, the fourth in this year's series of five historic public workshops on antitrust and concentration issues in American agriculture.

We'll keep you posted with updates! Click here to sign up for Farm Aid action alerts on this and other critical issues facing America's family farmers.

Congratulations for USDA's Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Committee

2010-08-27T09:43:00.000-04:00

Farm Aid is pleased to report that blueberry farmer Luciano Alvarado, co-owner of Palomo Farms in North Carolina, has been appointed to serve on the USDA's Advisory Committee on Beginning Farmers and Ranchers. Congratulations, Luciano!

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the appointment of Luciano and ten additional new members, who will join eight incumbents to serve on the Committee. According to the USDA press release announcing the new appointments, "the Committee will advise the Secretary on ways to develop programs to provide coordinated assistance to beginning farmers and ranchers while maximizing new farming and ranching opportunities. They will also work to enhance and expand federal-state partnerships to provide financing for beginning farmers and ranchers." The Committee's new members, including Luciano, other young farmers from around the country, as well state coordinators for the USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, will also advise Secretary Vilsack regarding the 2012 Farm Bill.

We applaud Luciano's appointment, because it both acknowledges the increasing diversity of America's new farmers and recognizes Luciano's potential as deeply caring and committed spokesperson for Hispanic growers and all new farmers and ranchers. Luciano's calm, thoughtful demeanor and intimate knowledge of the Farm Service Agency's loan process will make for an excellent addition to the Committee.

As blog readers may recall, Farm Aid hosted Luciano as part of a new farmer fly-in last January at the Drake Forum on America's New Farmers and accompanied him to meetings with the USDA and at the office of his congressional representative. If you'd like to learn more about Luciano, you can see our profile and video interview of him by clicking here.

Farm Aid Supporters Call on FDA to Stop the Abuse of Antibiotics on Industrial Farms

2010-08-26T16:59:00.003-04:00

Today, more than 180,000 letters signed by concerned citizens across the United States were hand-delivered to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration sending a clear message: antibiotics are a vital foundation of public health in the United States and should not be misused to prop up an industrial system of livestock production that puts us all at risk.

The letters, collected by Farm Aid and a broad coalition of consumer and family farm groups, were in response to the agency's request for comments on rules governing the use of antibiotics on industrial farms.

For years, Farm Aid has been warning about the dangers of industrial or "factory farm" livestock operations and their impact on family farms, the environment and our health. Chickens, pigs, and beef cattle raised on industrial farms are routinely fed antibiotics to make them grow faster and compensate for overcrowding and unsanitary living conditions. In other words, to keep industrial farms as productive and profitable as possible, animals are fed a diet of drugs — the same drugs we rely on to keep ourselves and our families in good health.

This overuse of antibiotics creates stronger and more drug-resistant bacteria that can cause tragic results. Serious, painful illnesses and even death are too often the outcome in both vulnerable and healthy individuals. At Farm Aid, we understand that antibiotics have a place on the farm — when they're needed to treat sick animals, not to promote an industrial system that compromises animal health, human health and the livelihood of family farmers who manage their animals more responsibly.

Thanks to all our supporters who participated in this critical campaign. Although the formal comment process has now closed, we will continue to collect and submit signatures to demonstrate the overwhelming public support for responsible livestock care and protecting human health by limiting antibiotic use in animal feed.

To receive email updates of future Farm Aid actions promoting resilient agricultural practices that are healthy for animals, family farmers and eaters too, click here to sign up for our action alerts.

Want to learn more? Check out Farm Aid Farmer Hero Russ Kremer's inspiring personal story about the threats of antibiotic resistance and his transition to more sustainable methods on his hog farm in Osage County, Missouri.

National Honeybee Day

2010-08-21T12:11:00.000-04:00

Today, August 21st is National Honeybee Day! The documentary film Vanishing of the Bees, narrated by Ellen Page (Juno), explores the mysterious worldwide honey bee disappearances and offers solutions to protect the bees and our ecology. These fuzzy pollinators are of vital importance to our food supply and the environment! Check out the buzz at www.vanishingbees.com.

New Artists Announced for Farm Aid 25: Growing Hope for America

2010-08-11T10:59:00.009-04:00

Last week at our concert announcement at Miller Park, we announced the Farm Aid 25: Growing Hope for America headliners, Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young and Dave Matthews. This morning we announced some of the additional artists who will join Willie, John, Neil and Dave for this year's concert, many of whom are Farm Aid friends eager to take part in our 25th anniversary. Those artists include Farm Aid veterans Jeff Tweedy (of Wilco), Kenny Chesney, and Jason Mraz, and first time Farm Aid-ers Norah Jones, Band of Horses, Amos Lee, Robert Francis and Milwaukee natives The BoDeans.

Farm Aid 25: Growing Hope for America tickets go on sale on Saturday, August 14th, at 9 am CST. Get them by going online at www.tickets.com, dialing 414-902-4000 or visiting the Miller Park box office.

If you're not in the Milwaukee area, you can catch Farm Aid 25: Growing Hope for America live on DirecTV's The 101 Network beginning at 6pm ET/5pm CT.

Stay tuned to www.farmaid.org for additional announcements about our 25th anniversary concert.

Policy Workshops for Organic Farmers coming to Massachusetts, Nebraska and California

2010-08-09T16:17:00.003-04:00

Looking to add to your summer to-do list, or help an organic grower with his or hers? Here's an idea: take a few minutes to alert your organic farming friends and acquaintances to an upcoming series of workshops designed to explain how organic growers can apply to serve on State Technical Committees or Local Working Groups, and why it's crucially important that they do so.
The 2008 Farm Bill contains several provisions that expand federal support for organic agriculture, especially around conservation and natural resource issues. Successful implementation of these new organic provisions requires the expertise of those who best understand why and how the new provisions matter - organic farmers and ranchers themselves! For this reason, we're urging organic producers to share their expertise by serving on their State Technical Committee (STC) and/or Local Working Group (LWG).

Want to learn more? Workshops on how to participate on STCs and LWGs will be held at key locations and conferences around the country in August and November.

The first occurs at the Northeast Organic Farming Association's (NOFA's) summer conference in Amherst, Massachusetts, August 13-15. The NOFA workshop, called "Growing Organic in USDA Conservation Programs," is being held this Friday, August 13th from 4:00-5:30, and put on by Farm Aid partners the Center for Rural Affairs and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. Farm Aid's Alicia Harvie will be in attendance, and can be contacted for more details via email.
Another workshop on STC and LWG participation will be held at Ponca State Park in Ponca, Nebraska, on Monday, August 23rd. For more information on this one, contact Traci Bruckner at the Center for Rural Affairs at (402) 687-2100 or tracib@cfra.org.
Finally, in November, a third workshop will be held, this time in Davis, California, at the UC Davis Agriculture and Natural Resources Building. The date and time for this workshop is TBA, so stay tuned.

Meanwhile, here's a primer to get you started.

State Technical Committees serve in an advisory capacity to the Natural Resource Conservation Service and other USDA agencies, providing information, analysis, and recommendations directly to USDA officials. These recommendations significantly shape the way federal conservation programs are prioritized and managed within the state and how dollars are allocated to pay for these activities. Since 1996, STCs have been required to include producers who represent the variety of crops and livestock raised within the state, including the increasing number and diversity of organic producers. What this means is that organic producers throughout the country have a greater chance than ever of serving on STCs and advocating for organic interests.

Organic producers can also serve on Local Working Groups. LWGs are, in effect, localized subcommittees of the STC charged with providing recommendations on local natural resource issues and criteria for conservation activities and programs. Serving on an LWG gives organic producers the chance to share their expertise on land, soil, and water stewardship in their region.

Interested organic producers (or groups, including sustainable and organic farming organizations and conservation groups) should submit a request directly to the NRCS State Conservationist in your state. Requests should explain your interest and outline your relevant credentials for membership. Contact information for your State Conservationist can be found on your state's NRCS website. Visit www.nrcs.usda.gov to find a link to your state's NRCS website.

Also, a new handbook, "A Guide for Organic Farmers and Ranchers to Participating on USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service State Technical Committees and Local Working Groups," will be available soon on the websites of several groups Farm Aid has been working with (thanks to a generous grant from Organic Valley's Farmers Advocating for Organic Fund) to urge organic producers to get involved in shaping USDA policy concerning organic agriculture. You'll be able to download the new "Guide" (and share it with your organic producer friends!) at any one of these sites in the coming months (we'll keep you posted!): National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition; Center for Rural Affairs; Organic Farming Research Foundation; Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service; and, of course, Farm Aid.

Farmers Market Recipes: Corn & Zucchini Enchiladas with Chile Sauce

2010-08-06T14:55:00.005-04:00

Our celebration of National Farmers Market Week continues, with these delicious vegetarian enchiladas. Like most of the other recipes we've featured, you could make these throughout the year, but the bright, fresh, delicious flavors of summer are at their best.

Cornelia's Corn & Zucchini Enchiladas with Chile Sauce
Courtesy of Food & Wine

Ingredients

1 pound tomatillos, husks removed
1 large unpeeled garlic clove, plus 1 peeled and minced
2 dried de árbol chiles, stemmed
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh oregano
1 zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 cup corn kernels
Eight 6-inch corn tortillas
1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese (about 3 1/2 ounces)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat a grill pan or a large cast-iron skillet. Grill the tomatillos and unpeeled garlic clove over moderately high heat, turning often, until the tomatillos and garlic are soft and blackened in spots, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the chiles to the grill and toast just until lightly charred, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool slightly. Coarsely chop the chiles.
Remove the papery skin from the garlic clove. Transfer the garlic to a blender, add the grilled tomatillos and chiles, the water and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and blend to a coarse sauce.
In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the onion, minced garlic, oregano and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook over moderately high heat until the onion has softened, about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes longer. Stir in the corn and cook just until heated through, about 1 minute.
Pour half of the tomatillo sauce into a 13-by-9-inch baking dish. In a medium skillet, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil over moderately high heat. Using tongs and working with 1 tortilla at a time, dip both sides of each one briefly in the hot oil just until the tortilla softens; let any excess oil drip back into the pan. Lay the tortillas on a work surface and spoon about 21/2 tablespoons of the zucchini filling across the center of each; sprinkle each one with 1 tablespoon of the cheese. Roll up the tortillas and transfer them to the baking dish.
Pour the remaining tomatillo sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Cover the dish with foil and bake for about 10 minutes, or until heated through. Serve immediately.

Beer recommendation: Beer is the best choice with these tart, mild, cheesy enchiladas. Stick with the southwestern theme and serve something like Santa Fe Pale Ale.

"First Tomatillo!!!1111!!!!" photo courtesy of flickr user urtica through use of Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

Farmers Market Recipes: Cool Cucumber Soup

2010-08-05T11:18:00.003-04:00

It's been a very hot summer in Boston (the second hottest July on record, actually), so there have been a lot of nights when you don't feel like cooking. This soup is just what we need right now.

Cool Cucumber Soup
Serves two.

Ingredients

2 cucumbers
1/2 cup fresh mint
1/3 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 Teaspoon to 1 Tablespoon rice vinegar, to taste
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
pinch cayenne pepper

Directions

Peel cucumbers. Blend all ingredients until it reaches a smooth consistency. Taste to see if you want more salt, vinegar, or cayenne pepper. Chill in refrigerator. Enjoy!

"Cucumber photo in public domain. Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons.

Farmers Market Recipes: Celebrating the simplicity of corn

2010-08-04T13:25:00.003-04:00

I'm a simple person.

I like plain corn on the cob, and off the cob.

Each week when I go to the farmers market, I buy extra corn. When I get home, I shuck the corn husks into my compost bin.

I start a big pot boiling, toss in 6 to 8 ears of corn, and when it boils again, I remove the corn with my handy hand-made wooden tongs.

After cooling the ears a bit, I cut the kernels off, put the equivalent of 3 or so ears in a freezer baggie, chill, then freeze.

Come midwinter, corn combined with edamame beans or lima beans, with butter, salt and pepper becomes the center of a quick meal.

Or use it as a basis of corn chowder, or corn bread, or corn and black bean salad, or...

Good. Simple. Plain.

"corntastic" photo courtesy of flickr user Darwin Bell through use of Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Farmers Market Recipes: Asian Cucumber Salad

2010-08-03T20:15:00.007-04:00

Summer in Boston is no joke. Especially this summer! Heat, humidity and exhaustion from concert planning...I rarely feel like cooking once I make it home. This is an easy and quick cucumber salad with an Asian twist that I found on eatingwell.com. It stores well and is a nice, refreshing snack to tide me over until my husband has made dinner!

Asian Cucumber Salad!

Ingredients

2 medium cucumbers
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 t sugar
1/4 t salt
2 T toasted sesame seeds

Directions

Slice cucumbers in half lengthwise, scrape seeds out. Cut cucumbers into very thin slices. Lay out on a paper towel and squeeze any excess moisture.

Combine vinegar, sugar and salt and stir until dissolved. Add the cucumbers and sesame seeds; toss. Serve immediately.

"Beetlejuice Cukes" photo courtesy of flickr user Zeetz Jones through use of Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic.

Farmers Market Recipes: Beet Stacks with Minted Goat Cheese & Fava Bean Bacon Vinaigrette

2010-08-02T08:13:00.002-04:00

This recipe was inspired by a HOMEGROWNer, Rachel, and comes from my weekly series: "CSA Cookoff", where I create a new dish from the just-picked veggies in my farm share.

Beet Stacks with Minted Goat Cheese and Fava Bean Bacon Vinaigrette
(From HOMEGROWN.org)

Ingredients

1 bunch beets
1 lb. fava beans
5 oz. softened goat chèvre
1/4 lb bacon
2 T. fresh peppermint, finely chopped
2 T. Extra-virgin olive oil
1 T. champagne vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Boil beets until just tender, then let cool. Once cool, peel beets and cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds.

2. Combine chèvre and mint with a fork until creamy.

3. In the same water in which you boiled the beets, blanch fava beans - in their pods - for 5 minutes.

4. Transfer favas to an ice water bath to stop their cooking.

5. Shell the fava beans, then peel tough outer skin by slitting one end of the skin, then squeezing the tender bean out. Also retain the tender little lobe that connects the bean to the pod — it's tender and tasty, too!

6. Cook bacon until crisp and chop finely. Combine with oil and vinegar, adding salt and pepper to taste. Pour vinaigrette over fava beans and gently mix.

7. Spread a thick layer of the chevre-mint mixture on top of each beet slice, taking care to stack them in a way that they form the "original" beet shape again.

8. Serve with fava bean vinaigrette mixture and mint garnish.

National Farmers Market Week: Farm Aid Celebrates With Recipes

2010-08-01T09:20:00.000-04:00

I'd like to think of summertime as "National Farmers Market Season," but I guess that's being a little greedy. Instead, the USDA has announced that August 1-7 is National Farmers Market Week (see the very official proclamation at this PDF link). Last year, we celebrated the week with some of the Farm Aid staff's favorite recipes made from farmers market ingredients (to see them, scroll to the bottom of this page and work your way up) and this year we'll continue that tradition.

To start our recipes off, I'd like to highlight one of my favorite activities after a long day at the Farm Aid office as we prepare for the concert: relaxing with a tasty beverage (or two, in this case)! Yes, fresh herbs, fruits, and even vegetables enhance cocktails of all types.

One of the first things I realized when I started making drinks was the difference using fresh-squeezed juices makes to the end product—no neon-green "sour mix" or "cosmo mix" with a list of artificial ingredients three paragraphs long are allowed in my house. So that's a good start and then adding something like fresh cucumbers and fresh basil, like in these two recipes, takes things over the top. When I visit the farmers market, I'm always looking out for anything I can experiment with eating or drinking.

Irma La Douce
(Created by LUPEC Boston)

This is enough to make one drink and it features a light and delicious cucumber flavor perfect for summertime sipping.

Ingredients

1 ½ oz gin (Hendrick's brand, with a subtle cucumber flavor is best, but a brand like Plymouth or others would also be delicious)
½ oz Green Chartreuse
½ oz fresh lemon juice
½ oz fresh grapefruit juice
2-3 slices of peeled cucumber
¼ oz simple syrup (1 part sugar mixed with 1 part water – shake or stir to combine)

Directions

Put the cucumber and simple syrup in the bottom of a cocktail shaker and muddle with a muddler or back of a wooden spoon or other tool. Pour other ingredients in and top with ice. Shake the mixture 10-15 seconds and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a slice of cucumber (and a sprig of mint if you've got some lying around).

Basil Limeade Slushies
(Adapted from Food & Wine)

And now a non-alcoholic drink the whole family can enjoy! These are also good made with a little light rum or vodka if you are so inclined.

Makes 6 servings.

Ingredients

4 cups ice
2 cups water
1 ½ cups fresh lime juice
1 ½ cups lightly packed basil leaves
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup soda water or sparkling water

Directions

Combine all ingredients (except soda water) in a blender and blend until it's as slushy as you want. Pour the limeade into chilled glasses and top with 2 tablespoons of soda water and garnish with a couple more basil sprigs.

Come back all this week for more recipes (and the rest are all food, I promise). If you've got a favorite farmers market recipe or ingredient, feel free to share in the comments!

"Chartreuse" photo courtesy of flickr user Jeremy Brooks through use of Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic license. "Basil" photo courtesy of Wikimedia author Fastily through use of Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

The Tour de Farms: See Boston's Farms on Two Wheels

2010-07-29T11:20:00.007-04:00

Farm Aid is once again proud to be a partner in the fourth annual Tour de Farms. This year's Tour will be held on Sunday, August 1.

The Tour de Farms is an organized bike ride that explores the agriculture of the Boston-area. This year’s route explores urban agricultural projects and farms just outside of Boston, in Somerville, Waltham, Newton and Brookline. Join us on Sunday August 1 to learn about the innovative farmers and growers bringing good food to all of us in the Boston area.

Farm stops include:
Groundwork Somerville’s school and community gardens
Waltham Fields Community Farm
Newton Community Farm
Boston’s oldest working farm, Allandale Farm

The weather is supposed to be spectacular this weekend, perfect for riding and seeing the bounty of Boston. To join us for this delicious ride, which includes a farm-fresh lunch, register here.

Farm Aid's new intern explains how college students can eat well

2010-07-26T16:04:00.009-04:00

Hi, I’m Jessica Gagne and I’m Farm Aid’s new communications intern. This is my third week as a member of the Farm Aid staff. Before I started here, I didn’t really know much about what the modern day American farmer was up against. I never gave much thought as to where my food was coming from, or how far my food had to travel to get to my plate. I assumed farmers received a decent wage for the food they produced, and that the problems they face are the same economic problems that the rest of the country is struggling with at the moment.

I was very far off-base. In my first week here, I learned that our country has lost millions of farmers in the past few decades, and currently, hundreds of farmers a day are leaving the land in search of a profession that can actually pay their bills.

Even more unsettling is the fact that the US lacks the laws and regulations needed to protect family farmers from going under due to pressures from big corporations. There is a lot of information to take in about the state of agriculture in the U.S., and a lot of things that need changing. One of the important things I’ve learned so far here at Farm Aid is that I can make a difference by changing the things that I have control of. Where I spend my money is one of those things. By choosing to purchase locally grown food, I am helping to make a positive change for local farmers and in the food system overall.

As a college student in Boston, I realize the difficulties that young adults are facing when it comes to trying to eat more local food. One of the biggest issues is time, or a lack thereof. Trying to balance classes, homework, a job, and a social life doesn’t leave college kids with many spare hours to track down healthy, local meat and produce. Well no more excuses, because I have tracked it down for you. Check out this list of over 20 farmer’s markets located all over Boston, accessible by foot or by T.

Many of these markets are open on both weekdays and weekends, so no matter how busy you are, you can find a farmers market that fits your schedule. Hey, you have to eat sometime, so why not take thirty minutes to pick up healthy food and prepare a fresh meal, instead of taking five minutes to scarf down fast food, then spending two hours in the gym trying to burn it off?

Another major issue is expense. I am no stranger to living on a budget. I can recall times when I had to make $3 stretch for a week. It is easy to run to the ramen noodles in a situation like this, but there are ways to be frugal, and still eat fresh produce. From personal experience and a bit of research, I’ve discovered some money saving market tips:

1. Buy in Bulk – I have three roommates who love to eat just as much as I do, and are just as busy as I am. When one of us goes to the market, we generally grab food for everybody in the apartment to save time. It turns out, that usually saves us money too!

2. Buy Adventurously –You may go to the market with certain foods in mind, but they may be the most expensive things there that week. Why not try what is on sale? You may find a new favorite food!

3. Shop at Peak Season – If there’s an abundance of a certain food, it usually has a discounted price to help sell it while its fresh. Do a five second Google search to see what is in peak season, and plan your meals around that.

4. Make Friends – If you go to market more than once, you will probably encounter the same farmers over and aver again. Be respectful, and make friends! After all, people are usually more willing to do favors for their friends.

Even if you are spending a bit more at the farmers market than you would spend at the big box store, try to keep in mind the extra 50 cents you are spending is going to help keep farmers doing what they are good at: growing good, healthy food.

I know we students have all heard of the benefits of following the Food Pyramid, but unless you are a nutrition major, you may tend to forget from time to time that pizza and beer aren’t on it (I forget a lot.). Here at Farm Aid, I get the benefit of learning something new about my food and family farmers everyday, and I hope to pass some of that information on to fellow students (or anyone who cares to know for that matter!).

Sustainable, local farming has health benefits, economic benefits, and reduces pollution. I know I am not going to change my twenty-three year old eating habits overnight, but with the information I am getting here at Farm Aid, I can make a more educated decision about what I am eating, and hopefully help our country gain more responsible farmers back in the process.

Check out HOMEGROWN at Kickapoo this weekend!

2010-07-22T10:16:00.007-04:00

The midwest's largest organic food and sustainability festival, The Kickapoo Country Fair, is this weekend in LaFarge, Wisconsin, and I’ll be there talking with folks, making seedballs and sharing goodies from HOMEGROWN.org and Farm Aid. Those goodies include the new HOMEGROWN How-to Cards that teach seed saving, build-your-own self-watering planters, and making pesto from all that kale we’re finding in our CSA shares and gardens. Do you have events going on this summer? Please feel free to download and print the HOMEGROWN How-to Cards to distribute to people – they were made for sharing!

Highlights from this year’s Kickapoo programming include a talk with animal welfare and autism activist Dr. Temple Grandin, music from Miles Nielsen and Michael Perry and The Long Beds, and a whole slew of workshops, farm tours and cooking demonstrations. Set on the grounds of Organic Valley Headquarters in the lovely Kickapoo Valley, the Fair has been called “The Sturgis of organic,” so how can you go wrong? Ha!

I hope to meet some of you Wisconsinites there– come by and say hi.
It’s going to be an awesome weekend!

An exciting announcement from HOMEGROWN.org

2010-07-21T10:20:00.006-04:00

This is going to be so cool.

Today we are thrilled to announce a regular series here on the HOMEGROWN blog called Living HOMEGROWN. Every week you'll hear from a passionate, creative person who has chosen to take the road less-traveled. Whose standards of quality, independence and accomplishment require that they do it themselves, and, ideally, on terms they can feel good about.

We HOMEGROWNers find joy in being connected to the sources of our food, to the land and to each other. These folks (some familiar faces, some are new to the community) will be sharing their joy with you in ongoing conversations every week.

Introducing the Living HOMEGROWN Contributors:

Danielle Leszcz, Yellowtree Farm

"I’m half of YellowTree Farm, an urban homestead that I founded with my husband in late 2008. Together, my husband and I grow vegetables and raise animals on less than 1/10 of an acre in St. Louis, Missouri. We speak publicly about urban farming, sew, and make our own toiletries. I don't have children. I have animals, which is kind of the same thing as being a parent, except I eat my babies."

Yellow Tree Farm's web site: http://yellowtreefarm.blogspot.com/

Tory Cross, Sequim, WA

I live in the Pacific Northwest with my non-tree hugging, environmentally friendly, dreamin'-of-farming husband and our four wild, dirt lovin' kids. When I’m not writing of the adventures (or misadventures) on our micro-homestead, you might find me stalking Craigslist, Freecycle, or Facebook. And since I’m all about multi tasking, I’ll probably be out gardening, baking, menu planning, home-educating, exploring with the kiddos, and scheming on how to get chickens past my HOA.

Tory's blog: Champagne Wishes and Coupon Dreams

Steve Parker, Parker Farm

I grow vegetables on 35-acres in Lunenberg, MA. My farm - Parker Farm - has been operating for 19 years and, if it doesn’t kill me, I’m planning to farm this land for many years to come.

More about Steve: "Common Ground: The Farmer and the Musician".

Rachel Brinkerhoff, Dog Island Farm

My friends in college used to call me a Renaissance woman. I was always doing something crafty, creative, or utilitarian. I still am. My focus these days, instead of arts and crafts, has been farming as much of my urban quarter acre as humanly possible. With my husband, we run Dog Island Farm in the SF Bay Area. We raise chickens, goats, rabbits, dogs, cats, and a kid. We're always keeping busy. If I'm not out in the yard I'm in the kitchen making something from scratch. Homemade always tastes better!

Dog Island Farm's web site: http://www.dogislandfarm.com/

The Living HOMEGROWN column begins today with Danielle's introductory post on what it's like to urban farm: long hours, angry neighbors, and more good times.... Read it now!

Time is Running Out for Farm to School

2010-07-16T17:13:00.006-04:00

Every five years the federal Child Nutrition Programs, including both School Breakfast and School Lunch, are given a fresh look in an effort to ensure our nation’s schoolchildren are provided with nutritious and safe meals. The major legislation that authorized these programs in 2004 will expire in September of this year after a one-year extension. If action isn’t taken soon in reauthorizing and improving these programs we may lose some important momentum gained in recent years (thanks in great part to Farm Aid partners and funded-groups, including the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and Community Food Security Coalition) to get fresh, family farm-food onto more lunch trays across America.

The House of Representatives Education and Labor Committee yesterday passed a bipartisan Child Nutrition bill, otherwise known as the Improving Nutrition for America’s Children Act, which includes $50 million in mandatory funding over five years for Farm to School programs connecting local farmers to school lunch programs nationwide, as well as many other important improvements to child nutrition programs.

Please make a call to your Representative in support of moving this crucial bill forward NOW with the $50 million in funding for the Farm to School program included. For info about contacting your Representative, click here.

An investment in Farm to School programs will help schools to serve fresh and healthy food produced by local and regional farmers. That’s an investment that will pay dividends in improved child health, scholastic achievement and farm and rural economic vitality.

For more information on how to jumpstart a Farm to School program in your own community, check out Farm Aid’s Farm to School Toolkit.

What do a six-pack of beer and a box of cereal have in common?

2010-07-12T12:05:00.010-04:00

For those of you who are thinking “Mmm…dinner,” I’m glad you’re reading this blog--we have much to teach you!

Before I give the answer away, let’s talk a bit about farmer’s share of the retail dollar (hint, hint).

The simple food chain of days past, in which a farmer grows food and sells that food directly to the consumer, is cropping up again all over the nation. The growth of farmers market and Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) programs is at an all time high, and more and more people--farmers and consumers alike--are getting involved in direct markets. As a result, farmers are able to capture a greater share of the retail food dollar and consumers are able to avoid many of the processing, distribution and marketing costs typically tacked on to the price of supermarket goods.

The majority of our food, however, has a much longer path from farm to table – getting all the more complicated every day. Think of a pin-ball machine, the ball bouncing from lever to lever, working its way through chutes and channels, up and down, even side to side, depending on the whims (and luck) of the person at the controls. Our food, oddly enough, often takes a similar path, being passed from player to player in an effort to both add “value” (via processing, packaging and other marketing strategies) and to keep up with the erratic trends and demands of an increasingly global food system. Through each hand our food passes, a part of the food dollar is snatched, and the gap between what we pay at the checkout stand and what ends up in our family farmers’ pockets is widened.

Thanks to the number crunchers at National Farmers Union (NFU), we now have some current stats to give us a better idea of the farmer’s share of our grocery bill. NFU looked into a select market basket of goods, ranging from carrots to cheddar cheese to top sirloin steak. (Now back to the riddle…) Turns out a six-pack of beer and box of cereal contribute very little to the farmer’s bottom-line – farmers receive about two cents per each dollar we spend on those items. In other words, when we’re purchasing these products we aren’t really paying for the food so much as the transport, processing, packaging, wholesaling, retailing, etc. etc.

Fortunately for our family farmers, these products aren’t representative of the average cut, which, according to NFU, is around 20%. Yet, if we look at historical data, we find that the farmers’ share of the food dollar has been slipping for years. According to Bruce Gardner, author of "American Agriculture in the Twentieth Century: How it Flourished and What it Cost,” farmer share fluctuated around a mean of 40 percent between World War I and 1970, but has declined ever since to its current state.

Furthermore, this 20% average isn’t referring to farmer profit, per se, but what the farmer receives and then must use to repay farm expenses (expenses that have skyrocketed to record highs in recent years).

So, what can you do to ensure that more of your food dollar is actually paying for food and making its way back to the family farmer?

Go straight to the source! Through farmers markets, roadside stands, CSAs and even internet-sales, look for increasingly available opportunities to shorten the food chain and buy direct from a farmer.

Support domestic fair trade. Groups like Equal Exchange are well on their way in developing a domestic version of the international fair trade program that guarantees fair prices and a living wage for farmers.
Look for local food in restaurants. When you buy meals made from locally sourced food you can cut a number of links from the food chain and, in turn, ensure more of your money is making it back to the local farm economy.

And, finally, buy fresh, unprocessed, unpackaged goods. Not only do these foods have fewer additives and packaging, making them a healthier choice for you and the environment, they have fewer added processing and marketing costs, saving more of your food dollar for the farmer and your own pocketbook.

Sources:

Gardner, Bruce L. “American Agriculture in the twentieth century: how it flourished and what it cost.” Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2002. (pg 155).

Farmers need advocates!

2010-07-06T12:52:00.005-04:00

Perhaps because of Farm Aid’s focus on family farmers themselves, we sometimes neglect to give props to the very wide range of people who assist in helping to keep family farmers on the land. “Farmer advocate” is the term we use to describe those people who are willing and able to communicate directly with farmers--sometimes at the farmer’s kitchen table--about fundamental matters around business planning, credit, risk management, disaster, technical assistance, and policy issues. They are often (though not always) farmers themselves, and many have been through the wringer of applying for loans, grants, and disaster relief. Some have even fought back from bankruptcy or foreclosure to keep their own farm in operation.

Those of you who read our recent profile of North Carolina blueberry farmer Luciano Alvarado may have noted his mention of the help he received from the Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA (RAFI-USA), based in Pittsboro, N.C. RAFI-USA is a longtime partner and grantee of Farm Aid, partly because of the excellent on-the-ground work of its farmer advocates,Benny Bunting and Scott Marlow. Because of the help he received from Benny and Scott in seeing through the bureaucratic maze of farm loan applications, Luciano is now willing to help other farmers in his area, and thus is well on the way to becoming a farmer advocate himself.

Another longtime and dedicated farmer advocate is Betty Puckett of the Louisiana Interchurch Conference, another Farm Aid funded group. Betty is a go-to farmer advocate for the region around Louisiana, and has helped hundreds of small farms over the years (and through numerous hurricanes). Arlie Sholes of the Rural Response Hotline of the Interchurch Ministries of Nebraska is another farmer advocate, and over the years Arlie has been taking calls and helping struggling farmers and ranchers in Nebraska and surrounding Plains states.

At Farm Aid, we are always looking for new farmer advocates from around the country. Folks like Stephan Walker of the University of Arkansas/Pine Bluff Cooperative Extension, Leigh Adcock of the Women, Food and Ag Network in Iowa, Wayne Allen of the National Farm Crisis Center in Oklahoma, Lou Anne Kling with the FSA National Indian Credit Outreach program, and Steve Schwartz of California Farm Link have all been critical and dependable referrals for us over the years. But the unfortunate reality is that farmer advocates are generally underpaid (if paid at all) and over-worked, and we have just too few of them to serve the tens of thousands of struggling farmers and ranchers around the country.

No matter their own situation, it seems that farmers are always lending a hand to their neighbors. I think that’s the same spirit that moves these farmer advocates. If you or someone you know is a potential farmer advocate, willing to act as a “second pair of eyes and ears” in helping farmers work with private lending institutions, local FSA offices, grant applications, and so on, we’d love to hear from you! You know how to reach me: 1-800-FARM-AID or farmhelp@farmaid.org.

"I've gotta get me one of these!" - Reflections from a cow suit

2010-07-01T10:19:00.021-04:00

Last week, Carolyn, Glenda and I headed to Madison, Wisconsin, to stand alongside struggling dairy farmers at the June 25th US Department of Agriculture and Department of Justice workshop on competition in the dairy industry. The workshop was the third in a series of five joint workshops examining antitrust abuses in agriculture as related to the consolidation and concentration that has come to typify our food system.

When Jen Nelson, from Farm Aid-funded group Wisconsin Rural Sustainability Network, asked if anyone would be willing to don the handmade (by a puppeteer!) cow suits she had in her car, my arm shot up into the air. I love costumes and I figured I’d take one for the team and go “bovine” despite the sweltering Wisconsin summer heat.

As farmers, advocates, industry reps, consumers, reporters, and government officials filed into Union Hall on the University of Wisconsin campus, I suited up. Security was all over me – and confined my “antics” to an empty deck on the lake, just outside of the building. I did a little dancing and waving of my arms to capture some attention, since hardly a soul was glancing my way. I barely got a smile out of some people. But, that wasn’t so much the point.

The point, rather, was to generate some press on the very serious issues facing America’s dairy farmers today, like this story here.

By lunchtime, when the deck where I was restricted suddenly became the place to eat and get some fresh air after a very intense morning of farmer testimony and panels, the cow suits began to work their magic. John Peck, of Farm Aid funded-group Family Farm Defenders, and Jen Nelson joined my “herd,” and together we paraded around with signs calling for justice (“Stop Milking Farmers!”). People were now smiling, students were stopping by to learn more, tourists were taking photos, but most importantly the press was eating it up!

“What are you doing here today?” and “What message are you trying to get across?” they’d ask... Music to any farm advocate’s ears!

Our message: America’s family dairy farmers are in crisis. They need a fair price for their milk and a living wage. The dairy system in this country is broken. Too few players control the market, which means the market lacks competition and in turn there are few or no options for farmers and consumers alike. The pricing system lacks transparency and is extremely prone to price manipulation and collusion. We need prompt enforcement of anti-trust regulations. And if we don’t act soon, we risk much more than just losing access to safe, local milk. It’s a matter of food security, of safeguarding productive farmland, of preserving America’s social fabric and keeping local and regional economic networks intact.

You can help! Tell Attorney General Eric Holder to move forward and take action to put a stop to abusive corporate practices and protect family farmers. With thousands more dairy farmers at risk of going out of business this year alone, there is no excuse for any more delays.

Hold the Presses! The Low-Down on Monsanto Co. v. Geerston Seed Farms

2010-06-29T13:00:00.008-04:00

Last week the U.S. Supreme Court announced its 7-1 decision in Monsanto Co. v. Geerston Seed Farms, a case that’s dominated the news (well, at least the news we tune into here at Farm Aid), with a flurry of conflicting, confusing headlines.

So, here’s a bit of straight talk on the case:

At hand is an appeal by Monsanto, the seed giant, against a lower court’s decision to issue a permanent injunction on the planting of Monsanto’s Roundup Ready alfalfa (a genetically-engineered variety of alfalfa designed to resist Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide). For those not addicted to Law & Order, it means the court issued a permanent order to stop the planting of Roundup Ready alfalfa. For more background on the controversy around Roundup, read about it here in blogs by our spring intern Caroline.

To understand what’s at stake, it’s helpful to review the original case Monsanto appealed.

In 2005, USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) deregulated Roundup Ready alfalfa (let’s just call it GE alfalfa for brevity’s sake). USDA’s “Finding of No Significant Impact” or FONSI (officially my favorite government acronym) allowed free reign to plant, harvest and sell GE alfalfa. But—whoops!—USDA failed to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on the novel crop, a violation, it turns out, of federal environmental law.

Enter Geertson Seed Farms, along with the Center for Food Safety and a slew of other parties. They filed suit in federal district court, citing violations of the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act and the Plant Protection Act in the failure to prepare an EIS. They also cited grave concerns about the environmental, health, cultural and economic impacts of GE alfalfa, most of which boil down to the issue of unwanted genetic drift, or in other words, spread of pollen.

GE alfalfa, which is a cross-pollinated plant, can spread uncontrollably since honeybees can carry its pollen many miles away, much farther than the 900-foot isolation distance required between GE and non-GE alfalfa fields. This leaves the potential for contamination of both conventional and organic alfalfa farms from foreign GE alfalfa DNA, patented by Monsanto.

The lower court ruled in favor of Geertson, issuing a permanent injunction (ban) that prohibited the sale of GE alfalfa until a full EIS was completed. This decision was upheld in a federal appeals court.

After two failed appeals in lower courts, Monsanto, backed by groups including the American Farm Bureau, Biotechnology Industry Organization, American Petroleum Institute, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and CropLife America, brought the case to the highest court of the land—the Supreme Court of the United States.

In their appeal, Monsanto challenged the process used to set the permanent injunction. The Supreme Court agreed, there should have been a hearing conducted prior to permanent injunction, and in turn the ban set by the lower court was removed. Big win for Monsanto?

Certainly Monsanto’s press release on the matter says so:

"This is exceptionally good news received in time for the next planting season. Farmers have been waiting to hear this for quite some time," said Steve Welker, Monsanto's Alfalfa business lead. "We have Roundup Ready alfalfa seed ready to deliver and await USDA guidance on its release. Our goal is to have everything in place for growers to plant in fall 2010."

But wait... not so fast.

Monsanto’s strangely optimistic media spin conceals the larger facts in the Supreme Court decision. What the Supreme Court essentially ruled was that the permanent injunction was unnecessary, since USDA had violated federal environmental law by deregulating before an EIS had been conducted. Hence, the sale of Roundup Ready alfalfa remains illegal until USDA completes an Environmental Impact Statement.

Granted, the win Monsanto can claim is that USDA can now allow restricted or partial planting of the seeds while it completes the Environmental Impact Statement. A permanent injunction would have prohibited that. However, USDA has stated it does not plan to allow partial planting before it completes the EIS next year. And what’s more, farmers and consumers have the right to challenge partial plantings.

The Supreme Court opinion, delivered by Chief Justice Alito, also affirmed that genetic contamination is a legitimate environmental and economic concern, worthy of being considered harmful under the law. This affirmation gives farmers a legitimate basis to challenge future biotech crop commercialization in court.

Said Phil Geerston of the decision:

"We brought this case to court because I and other conventional farmers will no doubt suffer irreversible economic harm if the planting of GE alfalfa is allowed. It was simply a question of our survival, and though we did not win on all points of the law, we are grateful that the practical result of today's ruling is that Monsanto cannot take away our rights and Roundup Ready alfalfa cannot threaten our livelihoods."

What does it mean for family farms? This is mostly good news for conventional and organic farmers who have no interest in planting GE alfalfa and face possible environmental contamination and severe economic harm to their operations. It’s mostly a win for dairy farmers who don’t want their cows to eat GE alfalfa, especially organic dairy farmers who would no longer be able to call their milk organic if their cows did so, intentionally or accidentally through pollen drift. Consumers concerned about a lack of transparency surrounding GE products in the food chain can also consider this a victory.

This, however, is by no means the end of this story. The fate of GE alfalfa falls squarely on the shoulders of USDA, which must perform a thorough review of its potential impacts. Most recently, 56 Congresspeople, led by Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont and Representative Peter Defazio of Oregon, sent a firm letter to USDA Secretary Vilsack, asking him to seriously rethink previous evaluations of GE alfalfa. They cite several cases of contamination during the two years it was permitted for commercial growing. I highly recommend the read.

For more information:

Food Safety News has a good overview of the case, available here.

The Center for Food Safety will be keeping track of USDA’s progress on the Environment Impact Statement. Check them out here.

Join us for a book reading tonight!

2010-06-28T10:59:00.006-04:00

Join us at 6:30 p.m. tonight at the Middlesex Lounge in Cambridge, MA, to hear Michelle Hoover read from her debut novel, The Quickening. Michelle will generously donate $1 from each book sold to Farm Aid. As the granddaughter of four farm families, Michelle thought Farm Aid was the perfect fit to partner with to launch her first book.

The Quickening tells the story of two farm families trying to save their farm during the Depression. As the back cover tells it, "...Michelle Hoover explores the polarization of the human soul in times of hardship and the instinctual drive for self-preservation by whatever means necessary. The Quickening stands as a novel of lyrical precision and historical consequences, reflecting the resilience and sacrifices required even now in our modern troubled times."

To read more about The Quickening, check out this review in today's Boston Globe.

Michele will be traveling across the country this summer on a book tour. Check here to see if she's coming to a town near you.

2010-06-25T16:55:00.001-04:00

Right now, top officials at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) are sitting on recommendations from their antitrust task force to take action against two of the biggest firms in the U.S. dairy industry: Dairy Farmers of America (the nation's largest dairy cooperative) and Dean Foods (the nation's largest fluid milk processor).

With thousands of dairy farmers going out of business this year alone, there is no excuse for any more delays. Take action to tell Attorney General Eric Holder to act now to restore fairness to the marketplace and save our dairy farmers.

The crisis in the dairy industry may seem confusing, but the numbers tell it all. Since the mid 1980s, the gap between farm milk price and retail milk price has steadily widened. It's outrageous that over the last 20 years, farmers have received less and less for their milk even as consumers have paid more at the grocery store. The middlemen are making all the money!

America has lost over half its dairy farmers in the past sixteen years, with fewer than 60,000 dairy farmers remaining. During that time, the DOJ has repeatedly allowed unrestrained takeovers and market abuses in dairy at the expense of both America's dairy farmers and consumers, and it's time we put a stop to it.

Fight back against corporate control of dairy — send your message to Attorney General Holder right now.

So what happens if we don't take action to save our dairy farmers?

We risk losing tens of thousands more farmers from the land and billions of dollars from our rural economies. We risk being forced to rely on more factory farms and imported milk substitutes that compromise public and environmental health and safety. We risk losing our choice for safe, local milk from family farmers we trust.

Thanks so much for standing with family dairy farmers. We'll keep you updated on how your action today makes a difference — and please, after you send your letter, don't forget to tell as many friends as possible to get involved. We need all the help we can get on this one.