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  • From: "RDH" <rdhopkins AT americanpasturage.com>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Organic industry vs. organic movement
  • Date: Mon, 7 Oct 2002 21:57:12 -0500


Rick W.

The FB in Missouri works against any proposed legislation from the Missouri
Organic Association, the Missouri Farmer's Union (extremely rapid growing
and diligent organization), any sustainable funding for Extension, and are
desperately trying to keep the EQIP monies going to the corporate
confinement operations. Those in my opinion are not family farms. They may
be on farm land. Andy they may have been farmers at one time. But corporate
contracted confinement pork and poultry operations in this neck of the woods
are hardly what I would define as farming operations.

I would join FB myself so I could see first hand what is going on inside,
but I can barely keep up with the 14 or more organizations I work with at
present.

Rick H.

-----Original Message-----
From: Rick Williams [mailto:mrfarm AT frontiernet.net]
Sent: Monday, October 07, 2002 7:59 PM
To: Market Farming
Subject: [market-farming] Re: Organic industry vs. organic movement


Rick H wrote:
> Just don't think that FB is the same in all states. In Missouri they are
> not family farm friendly although a recent Wisconsin transplant confirms
> some of your comments about FB up there.

I have only been a member for about 4 years and a director for the past
three. And now off the board, whew! But Judy continues as the Women's Chair
for the County FB. Which shows you how desperate they are for warm bodies on
the board:) Actually, the real reason is that I got railroaded by a nearby
dairy farmer who knew me because of my environmental work and had talked to
me long enough to know that I will speak out on issues. You should have seen
him speak out!!! Unfortunately, and most tragically he died a few days after
becoming President of the Vernon County FB. Bob was
(

How could they not be family farm friendly? Almost all of the farms in the
U.S. are family farms? This just doesn't make sense to me. What are they
doing to the the family farmers to be unfriendly? I would think that the
family farmers would not put up with it.

We only have family farmers here. I don't know of any other farmers in the
entire state who are voting at the annual state convention than family
farmers. Not to mention the young farmer programs, the other school oriented
programs we sponsor to try and reach all kids about what farming is all
about.

> I have also heard
> similar comments
> from NY where the state FB has a faction that wants to separate from NFB.
> Missouri FB proclaims to represent farmers when in fact many of their
> "members" (read policy holders) are not farmers at all, but the
> numbers look
> good on paper.

I have heard this. We do NOT permit those who are just policy holders to be
voting members. This is a mechanism that we use to get money from the
non-farming public to support the FB programs. However, in order to be a
voting member, you only need to own some land or have some connection with
farming at almost any level. It is probably too liberal but that is the
current definition. If we only allowed those who made the majority of their
income from farming as members, we would only have a few dozen ? I am sorta
kidding here, but not by very much. Most farmers have at least one spouse
that works off the farm to earn benefits, especially health insurance.

Sincerely,

Rick Williams




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