Now it’s your turn! Call today in support of SB 47

Posted on January 27, 2012 by communityfarmalliance

Call Your Kentucky State Senator Today and Urge Passage of Senate Bill 47

Tell your State Senator that you support the right of individuals to enter into contracts with farmers for meat, fresh milk and other animal products!

Don’t delay!  Call the message line straight away and let your State Senator know that you want SB 47 to pass!

 

Message line #: 1-800-372-7181

Who’s my KY State Senator?

(detailed search for those in Louisville and Lexington with split districts)

What is Senate Bill 47?
Senate Bill 47 affirms the right of individuals to enter into contracts with farmers for meat, fresh milk and eggs. Continue reading →

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Senate Ag Committee passes bill allowing for herdshares

Posted on January 26, 2012 by communityfarmalliance

Kentucky raw milk advocates claimed a small, first victory today.

This morning, the Senate Agriculture Committee reported favorably on Senate Bill 47, a bill sponsored by Senator John Schickel (R-Union) that would allow for individuals to contract with farmers for animal products such as meat, fresh milk or eggs.

The bill now moves to the full Senate where it awaits a vote on the floor, perhaps as early as next week.

The committee voted 9-2 in favor of passage with only two members, Senators Joey Pendleton (D-Hopkinsville) and Paul Hornback (R-Shelbyville) voting in dissent out of concern for public health.

The bill originally allowed for limited retail sales of raw milk off of the farm by permitted producers.  However, after consultation with a group made up of raw milk advocates, Senator Schickel agreed to revise the bill resulting in the substitute bill language for SB Continue reading →

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Comer, Edelen announce audit of Kentucky Department of Ag

Posted on January 11, 2012 by communityfarmalliance

Auditor Adam Edelen (left) with KDA Commissioner James Comer

Following an electoral season that saw one story after another bearing allegations of malfeasance at the Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA) by former Commissioner of Agriculture Richie Farmer, the Department’s new head, James Comer has teamed up with new state Auditor Adam Edelen to conduct a “sweeping review” of the Department.  This will hopefully clear a few of the clouds that have hung over KDA for the past year.

During that year, the former Commissioner of Agriculture, Richie Farmer, came under greater scrutiny during his run with Senate President David Williams (R-Burkesville) for Lieutenant Governor.  Numerous reports surfaced throughout the campaign highlighting seemingly unnecessary expenditures made Continue reading →

Posted in Kentucky Department of Agriculture | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Last Chance for the Annual Meeting–Register Today!

Posted on January 10, 2012 by communityfarmalliance

We are coming into the last day before we end registration for our 26th Annual Meeting to be held at the E.S. Good Barn on the campus of the University of Kentucky, Saturday, January 14th.  If you have not registered, but would like to, please do so online.  You may pay at the door, but please let us know in advance that you plan to attend.

We have put the menu and the agenda online.  Please visit our Annual Meeting registration page for more information.

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Mark Winne to speak in Louisville on Food Policy

Posted on January 9, 2012 by communityfarmalliance

Mark Winne is the author of "Closing the Food Gap: Resetting the Table in the Land of Plenty"

What: Food Policy Forum
When: January 31st 2012
Time: 3:30 – 5:30PM
Where: Metro United Way (334 E. Broadway)

The Mayor’s Food Policy Advisory Council (FPAC) takes great pleasure in inviting you to our 2012 Food Policy Forum. The mission of FPAC is to develop policies in support of a just, sustainable food system that will improve public health, spur economic development in urban and rural communities and increase access to healthy food for all Louisville Metro citizens. This Forum will be an opportunity for FPAC to engage decision-makers in the community around efforts to create a healthier, local food system.

Our keynote speaker is esteemed author and food policy expert, Mark Winne, who will address the role of policy in changing our food system, our health and our lives. A panel discussion with local stakeholders will follow. Please RSVP to Josh Jennings, FPAC Coordinator, at joshua.jennings@louisvilleky.gov or 502-574-5716. Locally-sourced refreshments will be provided.

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Comer sworn in as ag commissioner

Posted on January 3, 2012 by communityfarmalliance

It’s official–Kentucky has a new Ag Commissioner.  James Comer, the former Republican State Representative from Tompkinsville was sworn in at the Capitol yesterday after handily defeating his Democratic opponent, Bob Farmer, in November’s election.  Comer takes over the helm from the outgoing commissioner, Richie Farmer.

Not long passed before Comer announced a few of his new appointments.  Of particular interest to CFA members is the appointment of Kristen Branscum as the executive director for marketing.  This was a post formerly held by Mac Stone during Commissioner Farmer’s tenure.  Until her appointment, Branscum had been in charge of value-added production at the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, overseeing the agencies’ organic agriculture and viticulture work. Continue reading →

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A lot’s changed since 1952

Posted on December 29, 2011 by communityfarmalliance

On January 3rd, Republican voters in Iowa will show up at caucuses across the state to nominate their candidate to run against President Obama in the 2012 elections.

Amid all the election coverage, C-SPAN has been running a special series featuring the contenders from past presidential elections, or, in other words, the candidates who challenged incumbent presidents.  This particular episode featured Adlai Stevenson, the Democratic Party challenger to the popular Republican party candidate and World War II general, Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower in both the 1952 and 1956 presidential elections.

What was perhaps most striking, was this television ad from Adlai Stevenson, one of the first political TV ads ever: Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Commodity | Leave a comment

“Raw Milk Bill” pre-filed in KY Senate

Posted on December 19, 2011 by communityfarmalliance

A little over a week ago, Senator John Schickel (R-Union) pre-filed BR 294, a bill that would allow “permitted producers” to engage in on-farm sales of raw milk.  The “permitted producer” must be “in compliance with all applicable administrative regulations” as determined by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS).  Further, the milk must be labeled and may not be “sold… at any location other than the farm on which the milk is produced.”

There have been several concerns raised regarding the bill as it is currently written.  HB 294 gives CHFS broad authority to promulgate administrative regulations pertaining to the on-farm sale of raw milk.  While this power is in and of itself  not extraordinary, many small scale dairy farmers and consumers are wary of the Milk Safety Branch’s antipathy Continue reading →

Posted in Agriculture, Dairy, Food Policy | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Dinner at Harvest a Success!

Posted on December 9, 2011 by communityfarmalliance

CFA Executive Director, Martin Richards shares a story from the early days of CFA

For those of you who weren’t able to attend, CFA hosted a splendid local food dinner at the new Harvest restaurant in downtown Louisville Monday evening.  Turnout was just perfect with nearly 80 people packed into the cozy little space on  624 East Market to hear CFA leaders tell their stories about how CFA has affected their lives and to make the case that Kentucky needs a powerful citizen-led organization to address food and farm policy in Louisville and across the state.  Following the stories from our members, we listened to CFA friend Ed McClanahan tell a few from his latest book, “I Just Hitched in from the Coast.”  Will anyone ever watch “Westside Story” again the same way after hearing Ed share his experience of watching it in a theatre in California in the early 1960′s?  We were also quite pleased to have the Mayor of Louisville drop by at the end of the evening to mingle for a little while.

Here’s a small sample of some of what you might have missed: paddlefish caviar and potato cup pork loin as appetizers; one of the entrees consisted of chicken confit, Continue reading →

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Agriculture revs up for the 2012 session of the Kentucky General Assembly

Posted on December 9, 2011 by communityfarmalliance

Apologies for the wintry reminder! The 2012 session opens on January 3rd and will end on April 9th.

It’s getting to be that time of year again.

With less than a month left to go before the January 3rd start date for the 2012 session of the Kentucky General Assembly, policy makers and lobbying groups are beginning to get their ducks in a row, pre-filing bills, staking out policy positions, and publishing reports.  Agriculture–and by extension Community Farm Alliance–is no exception.

What follows below is a survey of some of the agricultural issues that may come before the 2012 Kentucky General Assembly (in the coming weeks, we will post an up-to-date version of CFA’s priorities for the 2012 session.  In the meantime, you can refer back to our November testimony before the Interim Joint Committee on Agriculture to learn more about some of our positions). Continue reading →

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