Local Food Policy Council

Folks from the agriculture community met at the Department of Agriculture today to discuss SB1067 which deals with the promotion of local food through a Local Food Policy Council. I was present at this meeting today and played "catch up" on this bill as I was not at the meeting that was held last week. Representatives from the organic agriculture industry as well as those from the traditional agriculture industry were at the table. I trust that as a result of these meetings, we will all come to a consensus on the contents of the bill.

Annexation

The House Judiciary II Committee was to meet yesterday after session to discuss the annexation issue. Upon arriving at the Legislative Office Building after session, the meeting was cancelled and moved to today. Arrived at the LOB today after session and the meeting was cancelled and moved to tomorrow. Rep. Rick Glazier, Chairman of the Judiciary II Committee tells me the meeting is set for tomorrow and there are no known conflicts. He regrets that the budget has taken precedent over this issue. Due to conflicts with my schedule, I am unable to attend the meeting tomorrow... if it takes place this time around.

And I'm off...

to Washington, NC for the State Grange Board meeting. I will present a legislative update for our board member as well as tour PCS Phosphate. In light of recent difficulties in obtaining permits, we are touring the plant to gain a better understanding of the facility and the work being done there.

Tune in for updates, pictures, etc. next week!

NC's aging population

The state isn't ready for a doubling of its elderly population over the next two decades, according to a study by the N.C. Center for Public Policy Research. The study says that the number of state residents who are at least

65 years old will grow from 1.1 million in 2006 to 2.2 million by 2030. Like other parts of the country, North Carolina faces the retirement of the Baby Boomers. One of every five Americans will be 65 or older by 2030, according to the public policy center. The increase is expected to be greatest in rural communities, which could strain to provide transportation for a dispersed elderly population. And the needs of rural seniors will differ greatly from those who live in urban counties, where seniors are and will continue to be most numerous, according to the study. The population increase could lead to job shortages, the center said. Also medical costs to the state will rise as Baby Boomers age. North Carolina pays 27 percent of the cost of Medicaid, the health insurance for low-income residents that is now the main source of long-term care coverage for elderly people, according to the center.(Jordan Schrader, ASHEVILLE CITIZEN-TIMES; THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, 6/16/09).

Budget Conference Committee

Conference committees are put together when there is disagreement on a bill. These committees have members from both the House and the Senate and they will emerge with a bill that both chambers can be satisfied with. A conference committee is put together when dealing with the state budget. The members of this committee are:

SENATE
Linda Garrou - Forsyth - Co-Chair
Charlie Albertson - Duplin, Lenoir, Sampson - Co-Chair
Charlie Smith Dannelly - Mecklenburg - Co-Chair
A.B. Swindell - Nash, Wilson - Co-Chair
Bob Atwater - Chatham
Doug Berger - Franklin, Granville, Vance, Warren
Stan Bingham - Davidson
Dan Blue - Wake
Julia Boseman - New Hanover
Daniel G. Clodfelter - Mecklenburg
Don Davis - Greene, Pitt, Wayne
Katie G. Dorsett - Guilford
Tony Foriest - Alamance, Caswell
Steve Goss - Ashe, Watauga, Alexander, Wilkes
Malcolm Graham - Mecklenburg
Fletcher L. Harstsell, Jr. - Cabarrus
David W. Hoyle - Gaston
Clark Jenkins - Edgecombe, Martin, Pitt
Ed Jones - Bertie, Chowan, Gates, Halifax, Hertford, Northampton, Perquimans
Eleanor Kinnaird - Orange, Person
Floyd B. McKissick, Jr.- Durham
Martin L. Nesbitt, Jr. - Buncombe
William R. Purcell - Anson, Richmond, Scotland, Stanly
Joe Sam Queen - Avery, Haywood, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Yancey
Tony Rand - Cumberland, Bladen
Larry Shaw - Cumberland
John Snow - Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain, Transylvania
R.C. Soles, Jr. - Brunswick, Columbus, Pender
Josh Stein - Wake
Richard Stevens - Wake
Don Vaughan - Guilford
David F. Weinstein - Robeson, Hoke

HOUSE
Mickey Michaux - Durham - Chair
Alma Adams - Guilford - Chair
Martha Alexander - Mecklenburg - Chair
Jim Crawford - Granville, Vance - Chair
Phillip Haire - Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain - Chair
Maggie Jeffus - Guilford - Chair
Joe Tolson - Edgecombe, Wilson - Chair
Douglas Yongue - Hoke, Robeson, Scotland
Paul Luebke - Guilford - Chair
Pryor Gibson - Anson, Union - Chair
William Wainwright - Craven, Lenoir - Chair
Jennifer Weiss - Wake - Chair
Hugh Holliman - Davidson - Chair
Bill Owens - Camden, Currituck, Tyrrell, Pasquotank - Chair
Bruce Goforth - Buncombe
Larry Womble - Forsyth
Deborah Ross - Wake
Robert Grady - Onslow
Rick Glazier - Cumberland
Ray Rapp - Haywood, Madison, Yancey
Marian McLawhorn - Pitt
Larry Bell - Sampson, Wayne
Marvin Lucas - Cumberland
Earline Parmon - Forsyth
Cullie Tarleton - Ashe, Watauga
Laura Wiley - Guilford
Susan Fisher - Buncombe
Alice Graham Underhill - Craven, Pamlico
Russell Tucker - Duplin, Onslow
Jane Whilden - Buncombe
Elmer Floyd - Cumblerland
Fred Steen - Rowan
Beverly Earle - Mecklenburg
Bob England - Cleveland, Rutherford
Verla Insko - Orange
Jean Farmer-Butterfield - Edgecombe, Wilson
William Brisson - Bladen, Cumberland
Randy Stewart - Nash
Jeff Barnhart - Cabarrus
Alice Bordsen - Alamance
Jimmy Love - Harnett, Lee
Tim Spear - Chowan, Dare, Robeson, Hyde
Ronnie Sutton - Robeson
Ray Warren - Alexander, Catawba
Melanie Wade Goodwin - Montgomery, Richmond
Darren Jackson - Wake
Annie Mobley - Bertie, Gates, Hertford, Perquimans
Tim Moore - Cleveland
Pricey Harrison - Guilford
Garland Pierce - Hoke, Robeson, Scotland
Edith Warren - Martin, Pitt
Winkie Wilkins - Durham, Person
Michael Wray - Northampton, Vance, Warren
Angela Bryant - Halifax, Nash
Carolyn Justice - New Hanover, Pender
Nelson Cole - Rockingham
Grier Martin - Wake
Lucy Allen - Franklin, Halifax, Nash
Lorene Coates - Rowan
Ty Harrell - Wake
Margaret Dickson - Cumberland
Nick Mackey - Mecklenburg
Phillip Frye - Avery, Caldwell, Mitchell, Yancey

FDA Regulation of Tobacco - Take 2

The Senate voted overwhelmingly to give the FDA control over tobacco products. Senators Burr and Hagan both voted against the bill. However, it passed 79-17, with 3 not voting. The House, earlier in the week, supported this bill too. The votes from NC delegation are as follows:

YES: Butterfield, Etheridge, Price, Miller, Watt
NO: Coble, McIntyre, Foxx, McHenry, Kissell, Myrick, Shuler
NOT VOTING: Jones

President Obama is looking forward to signing this bill as is shown in the video below:


The Grange opposed FDA regulation of tobacco.

State Budget

ASSOCIATED PRESS:

The House gave final approval early Saturday to an $18.6 billion state budget proposal that includes more than $780 million in new taxes, clearing the way for negotiations to begin with the Senate on a compromise plan. The bill passed on a largely party-line vote of 64-53 following a three-hour debate. Democrats who drew up the House plan called it a balanced approach to handle the state's worst fiscal situation in a generation: more than $2 billion in cuts, combined with the taxes and federal stimulus money. "With the new revenues focused squarely on education and helping those who genuinely need our help, we have avoided the worst of the cuts," said House Speaker Joe Hackney, D-Orange. The House tax package would raise the sales tax by a quarter-penny so that most residents would pay 7 percent. It would also add two new marginal income tax rates for the wealthy and create or raise taxes on liquor, movies and digital downloads.

Passage of the House plan allows Democrats in the House and Senate to begin negotiating a final two-year spending plan in earnest this week. The Senate passed a budget bill in April. Senate Democrats are lobbying hard for their own tax package that would raise more revenues but change dramatically sales and income taxes and lower their rates. Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue wants to have input on the bill, and wants it ready to sign before the new fiscal year begins July 1. But that deadline may be hard to meet. "I'm expecting it to be a long process," said Rep. Mickey Michaux, D-Durham, senior co-chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. "I'm hoping that it's not."

The competing House and Senate plans are far apart in sheer size, the result of the Senate drawing up its proposal weeks before lawmakers were told dwindling tax collections had deepened the budget hole by $1.5 billion.

Michaux said a key fight in negotiations may center on the University of North Carolina system, which historically has had strong allies in the Senate. Despite the differences in the plans, some cuts were in both proposals and appear likely to make it into the final budget. They include:

* Elimination of funding to pay salaries for 3,400-6,000 public

schoolteachers as average class sizes are increased.

* Elimination of an undetermined number of vacant and filled jobs

within state government. Remaining employees should expect no pay raises, and furloughs are possible.

* Coverage reductions for Medicaid patients and frozen or decreased

payments for doctors who treat them.

* Closing of several prisons.

Lawmakers acknowledged that any tax hikes carry political risks. "A lot of folks in my area that contacted me, they couldn't afford additional taxes at this time," said Rep. Van Braxton of Lenoir County, one of two Democrats who voted with Republicans in opposing the House budget bill. And raising income tax rates that are already the highest in the southeastern U.S. may be a deal-breaker for some Democratic senators who believe it would discourage companies from moving to the state. The rate was raised temporarily in 2001 but didn't expire for six years. "I'll never vote for that - ever, never,"

said Sen. David Hoyle, D-Gaston, one of the authors of the Senate tax plan.

Republicans, who are in the minority in both chambers, have argued unsuccessfully the budget could be balanced without new taxes that would delay the economy's recovery. "I am convinced there are hundreds of millions of dollars in cuts that wouldn't harm citizens," said House Minority Whip Thom Tillis, R-Mecklenburg.

On Governor Perdue's desk today...

The 3-year old gas tax cap has been replaced with a tax floor. Gas taxes should have been reduced by 2 cents per gallon on July 1. Current law would have lowered the gas tax to 27.9 cents per gallon. When Governor Perdue signs the bill (and she is likely to sign it into law, according to her spokeswoman Chrissy Pearson), the minimum gas tax would be set at 29.9 cents up until the middle of 2011. The tax will rise to the floor next month and rise to 30.4 cents next January. This could generate $67.5 million in the next fiscal year and would be used to build highways and bridges. The gas tax is readjusted twice a year based on the wholesale price of gas.

Dairy Meeting in Statesville

Just returned from the NC Dairy Producers Association meeting which was held just down the road here in Statesville. We were given an update by Matt Lange who is the Dairy Development Coordinator for NC Dairy Advantage. Dairy Advantage is a program which is intended to stabilize and grow the dairy industry in the state. Through this program, there have been contacts with folks from the northeast and western areas of the nation who are interested in relocating their dairy industries in our state. They are also in the process of putting together Farm Transition workshops which will take place in November, December and January. This summer, the Farm Assessment Profit Teams will kick into gear with assisting dairies in increasing profitability. Coming in September, there will be a fully functioning, interactive website and listserv to better reach the masses!

Don't forget that June 19 is the Dairy Appreciation Dinner. If you are a producer and are interested in attending this event, please RSVP by calling 1800-343-4693. The dinner will be held at 6PM at Deerview Jerseys, 300 Lutz Ln, Mocksville. Please bring your lawn chairs with you. They will be serving barbecue & ice cream and Amanda Trice, Integrated Communications Director for Southeast United Dairy Industry will be one of the featured speakers. This event is sponsored by: NC Cooperative Extension, Dairy Advantage, Farm Credit, Hunter Farms, Piedmont Milk Sales and SUDIA.

On Governor Perdue's desk today...

A bill which will outlaw texting while driving. This law will go into effect December 1, 2009.

Annexation Reform: Grassroots v. Astroturf

If any of you have heard me talk about the Grange and our process of adopting and advocating for policy, you've heard me talk about grassroots. Like roots, these types of movements are planted on the local level or in a community. Grange policy is formulated within local Granges, brought forth at State Convention for consideration and moved along to National Convention for consideration there. We are truly a grassroots organization. When we advocate for policy, we not only work from the State Office to support or oppose legislation - we take it back to the communities and local level. We ask for your support in contacting Representatives, Senators, Congressman, etc.

Our organization has been pushing for significant annexation reform by supporting bills like SB 494 which will provide a vote for affected property owners, oversight by County Commissioners and definition of and requirement for meaningful services. We have developed our policy based on a grassroots process and brought it back to our members for grassroots action.

Astroturf is another term that's used to describe political movements. Just like astroturf, these movements are not rooted or grounded locally. They're artificial and manufactured by a higher power structure.

The League of Municipalities is supporting an alternative bill (SB 472/HB 727). It simply tweaks the current annexation law, but is NOT significant reform. It does not address oversight, a voice for affected property owners or meaningful services. They have begun a "Bring 5" campaign which is a movement for city and town leaders to bring citizens to the legislature to support this bill. Sound like astroturf to you?

We cannot allow an astroturf campaign of municipal leaders overshadow how citizens really feel about this issue.

The Senate Finance Subcommittee will deal with all of the annexation bills. They will deal with the good and bad all at once. Please contact them as soon as possible. (List/contact info below) It is more important than ever that you contact your Senator to lend your support to SB 494. For more information on this bill, please refer to this previous post.

Finance Subcommittee
Daniel Clodfelter - Mecklenburg - daniel.clodfelter@ncleg.net
Larry Shaw - Cumberland - larry.shaw@ncleg.net **SPONSOR OF SB494**
Fletcher Hartsell - Cabarrus - fletcher.hartsell@ncleg.net
Richard Stevens - Wake - richard.stevens@ncleg.net
Floyd McKissick - Durham - floyd.mckissick@ncleg.net
Josh Stein - Wake - josh.stein@ncleg.net
Bill Purcell - Anson, Richmond, Scotland, Stanley - william.purcell@ncleg.net

Please contact co-sponsors of SB 494 and thank them for their co-sponsorship and leadership on this issue!
Larry Shaw - Cumberland - larry.shaw@ncleg.net
Phil Berger - Guilford, Rockingham - phil.berger@ncleg.net
Andrew Brock - Davie, Rowan - andrew.brock@ncleg.net
David Rouzer - Johnston, Wayne - david.rouzer@ncleg.net

Just because your Senator is not listed does not mean you shouldn't contact them. Let them know how you feel about involuntary annexation and the provisions found in SB 494.

For analysis of this bill & other annexation bills, please read Cathy Heath of StopNCAnnexation's articles:
What S494/H645 would change
Compare S494/H645 to other bills submitted
Why NC needs S494/H645 to reform the law

FDA Tobacco Regulation

When it comes to the FDA regulating tobacco, North Carolina has 2 advocates in the US Senate - Senator Richard Burr and Senator Kay Hagan. Legislation pending in the US Senate will bring tobacco under the control of the Federal Drug Administration. The legislation will also restrict chemical components in tobacco and cigarette smoke. It will require the agency to review new tobacco products and ban the descriptions of "light" and "low tar" which can suggest that these products are safer than others. Larger health warning signs will show up on cigarette packs and there will be tighter marketing and advertising restrictions. Senator Hagan, in a press release stated:

“FDA is overburdened already, and lacks the capacity or the expertise to take on a large, complicated new industry. Rather than merely oppose FDA regulation, Senator Burr and I have offered an alternative proposal that protects the tobacco industry while also imposing stringent new restrictions that will prevent children from smoking. I will not stand idly by while the FDA is put in charge of such a critical industry to North Carolina.”

North Carolina is the largest tobacco producing state. Senator Hagan has also brought to light the farmers in North Carolina whose livelihood is deeply embedded in the tobacco industry. The Burr-Hagan bill, which would create an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, has not moved along and instead, the "FDA bill" has. This prompted Senator Burr to try to filibuster, or to delay the process or delay the vote. He stated:

"What we're getting ready to do in the Senate is the worst thing we can do."

In order to stop a filibuster, the 2/3 of the Senate must vote for cloture. Just yesterday, the Senate invoked cloture - meaning there will no longer be debate or amendments to the bill. Unfortunately, this bill is likely to pass.

Where does the Grange stand?
The Grange opposes this bill on 2 major principles

• FDA has a significant amount of responsibilities and has not proven to be completely effective in accomplishing its current duties
• Regulation of tobacco by the FDA portrays an inaccurate representation of the safety of tobacco use

The Washington Post reported that independent assessments, as well as the FDA's own Science Board, have found that the FDA is overwhelmed with current responsibilities and is not completely capable of protecting the mass public from unsafe food and drugs. The most recent examples are the contamination of pet foods and heparin from China, contaminated weight loss products and a Salmonella outbreak in peanut butter. Tommy J. Payne, Executive Vice President of Public Affairs for Reynolds American, Inc. stated: "The FDA currently spends about $1.68/year per consumer on food safety. This bill, if signed into law, would have them spending $10/year per consumer on regulating tobacco products." Spending an inordinate amount of money on tobacco regulation will divert available funds from medicinal and food safety programs.

Despite blunders and criticism of the FDA, the agency still holds a significant amount of clout when confirming a product's safety. A 2004 CNN/USA Today/Gallup Poll showed that 70% of Americans had a great deal or moderate amount of confidence in the FDA to ensure prescription drugs are safe and a 2001 Harris poll found that 67% held favorable views of the FDA. Former Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt made the following statement: "Unlike the medical products FDA regulates, tobacco products cannot be made safe, and there is no medically established public health benefit associated with tobacco." The misrepresentation that the FDA is protecting public health is unsafe and dangerous.

If you are a member of a local Grange, please make every effort to contact Senator Hagan and contact Senator Burr and thank them for their leadership against this effort to bring tobacco under the jurisdiction of the FDA. Their hard work is greatly appreciated!

Short video recap of the issue

Local Foods

Rockingham County Grange, along with Rockingham County Cooperative Extension and others are taking a lead in their community. They are part of an up & coming initiative to create a local food market. Rutherford County has been a great model and offered a presentation and tour of their successes for a group from Rockingham County. Jimmy and I were invited to attend this event (thanks to Rockingham County Grange President Mark Davis!) and it was an awesome experience! We met at Foothills Connect, an organization that "supports the development and growth of small businesses and entrepreneurship in Rutherford County". There, we learned a bit about how their FarmersFreshMarket initiative was organized and the motivations for a program such as this. With this program, local farmers are connected via the web to restaurant owners, chefs and other customers so that local foods can find their way onto our tables. It's a type of "virtual" farmer's market! With grants that were awarded to the center, farmers are also given training on sustainable agriculture and entrepreneurship. Tim Will, Executive Director of Foothills Connect, brought his enthusiasm for this program to the group and everyone in the room was outwardly excited to see how their model could shape a program in Rockingham County.

Then, we walked down the street to an area that is being used for growing vegetables. This area is smack-dab in the middle of downtown and it was assumed that the soil wasn't conducive to growing anything. So untrue! They're leaving no open area unused and some folks even ate radishes pulled straight from this soil!

We visited a site near RS-Central High School where an Animal Science class has taken a hands-on approach to learning about agriculture. Their teacher, Brandon Higgins, said that sitting in a classroom learning animal science didn't resonate quite as well as getting outside and working with animals. Students were there for class and we got to see them in action! They were busy watering the hogs, feeding chickens and feeding and milking the goats. They take a sustainable approach to their farm as well... putting goats into the field to clear everything out, then the hogs root up the field and they have a moving chicken house which fertilizes the soil. Many students made an effort to make their passion and love for agriculture known. When asked what their favorite part of this class was their response was "Everything!"


We went to lunch at Cafe at the Mall where the food is brought in from local farmers in an effort to keep the economy growing within Rutherford County. If anyone is taking a trip to Rutherford County, I highly recommend this restaurant! The food was amazing and the staff was so happy to have us there! Jean Pierre Marechal, head chef of the Center City Marriot in Charlotte joined us for lunch and spoke to us about how this program has literally changed his life. What a big statement!

Jean Pierre also joined us for a tour of Always Somethin' Farm, a local farm owned by Richard Davis, that practices sustainable agriculture. They aren't certified organic, but are - by most standards - an organic farm. We learned how his operation works, including his CSA (community supported agriculture) which is a way for consumers to buy a "membership" in return for a bag or basket of seasonal produce each week through the farming season. This early payment allows for the operation to run efficiently. After a tour of the farm, we went back to the Cafe to have desserts and to debrief.

A big thanks goes out to the 5 members of Rockingham County Grange who are leaders in this project, Mark Davis for inviting us to be a part of this learning experience as well as everyone involved with Foothills Connect, Richard Davis, the staff of Cafe at the Mall and all of the farmers who make initiatives like this possible!