Hello all,
Just a reminder and some particulars on the emergency rally for organic dairy farmers this coming Thursday, July 16. The rally will be held from 11 AM through noon. The event will take place at the La Crosse Interstate Fairgrounds in West Salem, Wisconsin.
The fairgrounds are located on County M just north of Hwy 16. The easiest way to find the fairgrounds is to get off I-90 at the West Salem exit. Take the frontage road that runs parallel on the south side of the interstate. When you come to County Road M go north (right) and cross over the interstate. You will pass through one set of traffic lights (Hwy. 16) in the fairgrounds will be on your left side.
The rally in support of organic dairy farmers (see flyer below) will be held in the beer tent at the fairgrounds, located behind the building that holds the commercial exhibits and the fair office. You should be able to ask any of the exhibitors, or other officials, how to get to the beer tent and/or the office.
The fair itself is free and parking is free as well. Maybe you and your family might enjoy attending the fair in addition to the rally.
If you are a farmer please bring a quart of your own milk to “symbolically” dump and another quart for an out-of-state farmer. We will be spreading this milk on organic farmland to retain its nutrient value after the rally.
Also, please bring one or more nonperishable food items in an expression of concern for many others in our rural communities who are also suffering from the current economic downturn. We hope you will be generous as the need is great.
We will be video recording the entire event and a copy will be given to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack. All farmers will have an opportunity to make a brief statement. If we run out of time during the rally itself the video photographers will remain to take additional testimony. All farmers will be able to speak on the record if they desire.
All other speeches will be very, very short. Secretary Vilsack, who will be at the fair, has been formally invited to say a few words during the rally.
If you are not an organic farmer, or you are a farmer producing something other than milk, we hope you’ll attend this rally and stand in solidarity with the hard-working dairy families who now have their backs up against the wall, including some that are facing the loss of their farms.
We must send a message to the USDA that this is a legitimate emergency and that we need them to take immediate action to crack down on illegal factory farms producing “organic” milk.
This is not a “protest.” We’re not mad at Secretary Vilsack. So far the Obama administration has made some excellent choices for policymakers at the USDA and all their plans for managing the organic program have been positive. However, this is a “demonstration.” We hope to impress Mr. Vilsack with the immediacy of this crisis—illustrating that some farmers are about to lose their land—and asking him to take decisive action.
We encourage everyone to act in a dignified and respectful manner. But that is not to say that we shouldn’t be upset with the past performance at the USDA or the corporations that are now exploiting dairy farmers. Don’t be shy. Feel free to speak your truth!
We hope to see you in West Salem this Thursday,
Mark Kastel
The Cornucopia Institute
DONATE: Whether or not you can attend, your donation will help underwrite the rally and keep the pressure on the USDA, Congress and in the marketplace, so that when someone buys an organic product, they can be confident in its credibility and that the hard-working families, who get their hands dirty and crack a sweat, will be fairly compensated.
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Save the Organic Family Dairy Farm
EMERGENCY RALLY
Thursday, July 16 – West Salem, WI
11 am – La Crosse County Fairgrounds
A perfect storm has created a tidal wave of surplus organic milk that’s
now washing some organic family farmers off the land. A handful of
giant factory farms, milking thousands of cows each mostly in the
arid West, are flooding the market with suspect milk.
The USDA, during the Bush Administration, looked the other way while
these giant, industrial scale operations grew in number and influence.
Meet in West Salem, Wisconsin to deliver this strong message to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack: We implore you to clean up the mess
at the USDA’s organic program. Justice must be served.
1. Immediately investigate and shut down illegal “organic” factory farms
2. Ask the Justice Department to investigate antitrust violations (organic predatory pricing) by Dean Foods, the nation’s largest milk processor
3. Bring in new management at the National Organic Program who will respect and protect organic farmers and consumers
Organic Milk Dump!
Local family farmers will symbolically dump some of their beautiful organic milk, and shed a few tears. The value of their milk has deteriorated along with the value of their farms.
For the “symbolic” milk dump—farmers, please bring a quart from your bulk tank and a second quart for an out-of-state farmer. Everyone, please bring at least one non-perishable food item to share with others in our community who are also struggling in the current economic climate.
Farmers from out-of-state—send us an e-mail and a local farmer will donate milk to be dumped in your name and you will be acknowledged—the full proceedings will be recorded and given to key leaders at the USDA and in Congress.
Organic farmers (non-dairy), organic business people/employees, consumers and retailers are encouraged to attend—please support our hard-working farm families—a lot is at stake!
The rally will be held at 11 AM, July 16, at the La Crosse Interstate Fair in West Salem, Wisconsin. It immediately precedes a town hall meeting on rural issues with Vilsack, Commerce Sec. Gary Locke and Transportation Sec. Ray LaHood. Secretary Vilsack has been invited to say a few words to the farmers prior to the town hall session.
Please Make Your Voice Heard!
Location: La Crosse County Fairgrounds,
Hwy 16 & Cty Rd M, N4985 Cty Rd M, West Salem, WI
e-mail: [email protected] for directions and more information
Cosponsored by: The Cornucopia Institute, Family Farm Defenders, Midwest Organic Dairy Producers Alliance, Church’s Center for Land and People, Center for Rural Affairs, Missouri Rural Crisis Center, National Family Farm Coalition, Interfaith Program Action Council
Donate: Whether or not you can attend, your donation will help underwrite the rally and keep the pressure up at the USDA, Congress and in the marketplace so that when someone buys an organic product, they can be confident in its credibility and that the hard-working families, who get their hands dirty and crack a sweat, will be fairly compensated. –
— Thank you, The Cornucopia Institute
