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Good Morning from your farmer,
Hold on as you may find the ride a bit bumpy this morning....
Monday, Stephen, one of our long time customers sent me this podcast - stating that it is a very good listen.
After listening to the podcast, I replied to Stephen, "Many thanks for sharing. I will do the same to include Andy Gipson...You may have sensed the urgency in my newsletters of late that folks need to be much less dependent on grocery stores and more dependent on themselves and local farms!"
Stephen replied, "Gipson needs to listen and DO SOMETHING. I read Speaker White’s priorities and they are missing the boat, big time. I am sending this stuff to my policy friends. They are obsessed with school choice and lower taxes. Those are good, but not existentially important. Food is #1. Nothing else matters."
Frankly, every politician should listen to this podcast and read John Klar's book. Here is what one person had to say about his work:
“I have read at least 20 books a year for the past 25 years and Small Farm Republic is absolutely one of the very best that I have ever read. . . A must-read not only for those involved in all facets of agriculture but policymakers and consumers as well.”―Gabe Brown, regenerative rancher, author of Dirt to Soil
From farmer, lawyer, and political activist, John Klar comes a bold, solutions-based plan for Conservatives that gets beyond the fatuous pipe dreams and social-justice platitudes of the dominant, Liberal “Green” agenda―offering a healthy way forward for everyone.
Regardless of your political beliefs (does not matter) as humans we must eat regularly to sustain life!
Here are my three farm/food priority issues: (note that most likely each of these were restricted long before current politicians were in office)
- Pastured Poultry - Federal Law as well as Mississippi Law allows a single farm to grow, process, and sell into commerce up to 20,000 chickens per year (without a USDA plant). However, the MS Department of Ag has a regulation that restricts this number to only 1,000 per year. A strong influence is the president of MS Farm Bureau who I was told states he is against any uninspected meat entering commerce in MS. My question is WHY does his word carry more weight than you and me? Especially when 40 states allow the Federal limit of 20,000 per year.
- Raw Milk - currently 27 states allow the sale of raw dairy products. However, in MS the State Health Department hounds any small farmer who sells "Herd Shares" as a legal workaround to health department restrictions. WHY is it legal in 27 states and not in MS? And, WHY are MS politicians not interested in fixing this? Did you know that Oktibbeha County where MS State is located once had more than 800 small family dairies before regulations forced them out of business? Here is a good article titled, "Raw Milk Movement Goes Mainstream." Read it here.
- Sunn Hemp - is a high quality warm season legume known for soil building characteristics and ability to sequester more than 125 lbs. of nitrogen per acre. The USDA has studied Sunn Hemp since the 1930's and concurs the species offers no threat to our environment. And, 48 States concur! But, not Mississippi!!! Because, at MS State they have a professor named Dr. John Byrd, Jr. who is also the State weed specialist who continues to block the use of Sunn Hemp because he is concerned it will become the next Kudzu! I guess Byrd cannot read because the USDA has disproved this concern time and time again.
Last Spring I tried to learn more facts regarding Sunn Hemp. First, I spoke to the Director of the Bureau of Plant Industry. She would not even disclose who the advisory members are. Then I contacted the Farm To Consumer Legal Defense Fund for legal assistance to file a Freedom of Information Request which one of their lawyers did for me. On July 10, 2023, I received a letter from MS Department of AG's General Counsel that two of my requests for documents resemble questions and legally they were not required to answer questions. The other request could not be filled due to lack of documents. Really!!!
A few weeks ago I mentioned what I believe is the problem - WEF owns controlling interest of 94% of the S&P 500 PLUS Corporate Lobbyists PLUS Associations (like poultry, seed growers, etc.) which are responsible for many of the federal and state laws written to benefit their corporate best interest. And, that the LINK between this group and politicians must be broken. Politicians are supposed to work for We The People!
First, I hope you will take the time to listen to the John Klar podcast. Second, if you agree then let Speaker White and Commissioner Andy Gipson know your thoughts. And last, share with your family and friends. Hopefully, we can be the light that ends some of the restrictions on our individual food freedom and open the way so more younger folks can farm and sell direct to consumers.
At Nature's Gourmet Farm, our intent is to create a community that evolves around one of the most intrinsically important things of the ages, and that’s the provision of sustenance. That's our passion - to raise healthy food to nourish families and strengthen immune systems.
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