Take Action: Tell Congress to Take NAIS Out of the Farm Bill and Protect Competition! 

The Senate members of the conference committee have been named.  The final list overlapped with the "probable" list, but not completely.  We have updated the information in the alert below to show the named Senate conferees.  The House members still have not been named, although meetings are already happening.
 
Regardless of where you live, please call the Chairs and Ranking Members of the Senate and House Committees.  Then, if you live in a state with a named Senate or probable House conferee, take a few minutes to call that person as well.  Contact information and suggested talking points are below. 

Take Action 

Below is a list of the named Senate members and probable House members of the conference committee.  Call or fax any member who comes from your state.
 
Ask to speak to the staffer who handles agricultural issues.  Start with a clear, basic message:
 
I want Senator (or Representative) _____  to work to take NAIS and Section 10305 out of the Farm Bill because it implies approval of USDA's implementation of NAIS.   Section 10305 also provides false reassurance that the information in the databases will be confidential, when experience has shown that information in databases is vulnerable to both hackers and marketing misuse.  NAIS should not be in the Farm Bill.  Except for the NAIS provision, I support the competition provisions in the Livestock Title.
 
Then have a conversation with the staffer.  Ask them the Congressperson's position on NAIS, and try to address the reasons they may support NAIS or why they're on the fence.  Give them personal stories about how NAIS will impact you and your community, along with solid facts about the flaws with NAIS.  We can provide follow-up information to address these issues - just email info@FarmAndRanchFreedom.org or call 866-687-6452
 
Some reasons NAIS needs to be stopped, not encouraged:

• There is no evidence that it will improve animal disease control
• It will not increase food safety, because food contamination happens at the slaughterhouses and processing plants
• It will cost billions of dollars that individual farmers and our economy cannot afford
• USDA's implementation of the program, through funding of state programs, has resulted in fraudulent and coercive methods being used to increase registrations.
• Regardless of whatever regulations are adopted, having the government or private entities compile this information leaves us open to harassment or worse by people who hack into that database or use the information for purposes other than what is intended.

For information and talking points on the competition provisions, go to http://www.sustainableagriculture.net/fb08conf.php

Conference Committee Members

All phone and fax numbers are in the (202) area code.  Please take a few minutes and call or fax any member who is from your state, as well as the Chairs and the Ranking Members.
 
Named Senate members:
 
Chair, Senate Ag Committee: Tom Harkin, IA, (p) 224-2035, (f) 224-1725
Ranking Member, Senate Ag Committee: Saxby Chambliss, GA, (p) 224-3521, (f) 224-0103
Blanche Lincoln, AR, (p) 224-4843, (f) 228-1371
Charles Grassley, IA, (p) 224-3744, (f) 224-6020
Richard Lugar, IN, (p) 224-4818, (f) 228-0360
Pat Roberts, KS, (p) 224-4774, (f) 224-3514
Debbie Stabenow, MI, (p) 224-4822, (f) 228-0325
Thad Cochran, MS, (p) 224-5054, (f) 224-9450
Max Baucus, MT, (p) 224-2651, (f) 224-0515
Kent Conrad, ND, (p) 224-2043, (f) 224-7776
Patrick Leahy, VT, (p) 224-4242, (f) 224-3479
 
Anticipated House members (still not named):
 
Chair, House Ag Committee: Collin Peterson, MN, (p) 225-2171, (f) 225-8510
Ranking Member, House Ag Committee, Bob Goodlatte, VA, (p) 225-0029, (f) 225-0917
Jo Bonner, AL, (p) 225-4931, (f) 225-0562
Joe Baca, CA, (p) 225-6161, (f) 225-8671
Dennis Cardoza, CA, (p) 225-6131, (f) 225-0819
Marilyn Musgrave, CO, (p) 225-4676, (f) 225-5870
Leonard Boswell, IA, (p) 225-3806, (f) 225-5608
Jim Moran, KS, (p) 225-2715, (f) 225-5124
Mike McIntyre, NC, (p) 225-2731, (f) 225-5773
Bob Etheridge, NC, (p) 225-4531, (f) 225-5662
Robin Hayes, NC, (p) 225-3715, (f) 225-4036
Charles Rangel, NY, (p) 225-4365, (f) 225-0816
Frank Lucas, OK, (p) 225-5565, (f) 225-8698
Tim Holden, PA, (p) 225-5546, (f) 226-0996
Randy Neugebauer, TX, (p) 225-4005, (f) 225-9615

Helpful Hints for Contacting Legislators

If you are calling, and don't have unlimited long-distance, here are some toll-free numbers for the Capitol Switchboard:
866-340-9281
800-417-7666
877-851-6437
866-220-0044
 
Remember to ask to speak to the staffer who handles agricultural issues.  If he or she is not available, leave a detailed voice mail message, including the fact that you are a constituent and your phone number.
 
If you prefer to write a letter, it is best to FAX the letter to your Senator or Representative.  Because of security measures, letters mailed to DC take weeks or months to get there.  If you can't fax, then either mail a letter to the local district office or use email.  With email, we recommend that you follow up with a call, to make sure the email does not simply get overlooked.  (Or just use the talking points above and call.)
 
Sample Letter:
 
Dear _________:
 
I oppose Section 10305 of the Farm Bill because it implies approval of the USDA's National Animal Identification System (NAIS).  NAIS has never been approved or even debated by either branch of Congress and few members of the Senate or House know the details of the program.  The USDA has not provided any scientific basis for this "feel good" program that will cost farmers and taxpayers billions of dollars, resulting in irreparable harm to independent agriculture in this country.  Although USDA claims the program is voluntary, it has funded coercive and misleading methods used by both states and private entities to force people to participate. 
 
I urge you to remove section 10305 from the Farm Bill and to hold hearings into how the USDA has been implementing NAIS despite the objections of thousands of animal owners.

Sincerely,
Name
Address
City, State Zip

Double Your Donation as a New Member!

A generous donor has provided a $1,000 matching donation for new members!  That means that, when you donate to FARFA for the first time, your donation will be doubled!!
 
Join at http://farmandranchfreedom.org/content/join-farfa
 
Please consider becoming a member today!  The more members we have, the more the legislators will pay attention to what we have to say!!  And, of course, we need money to keep doing this work.  Printing costs, the website, telephone, mailing costs, exhibits at conference, and travel for lobbying are not free.
 
Please help us to protect your rights and your food supply.  Join today!

Working together, we can make our voices heard.
 
Sincerely,
 

Judith McGeary
Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance
www.farmandranchfreedom.org
866-687-6452