Dear Folks,
I am deeply concerned that in the process of living our daily lives, we have forgotten the importance of being involved in what is occurring in the world around us. Agriculture is suffering one of worst attacks that I have seen it suffer in the past 26 years I have been a contract poultry grower. The majority of the attack are propagated by water melon environmentalists ( a phrase coined by Ted Wycall a organic farmer who has regulated out of the state the ) they are green on the outside and red on the inside.
I came to the Eastern Shore from Baltimore County towards the end of the Savings and Loan Crisis; I was an operations manager for Citi Bank N.A. I came here with the dream of having a farm of my own, an opportunity that I could not have afforded to get into with out integrated poultry. My husband and I were able to get a federally guaranteed mortgage to buy an existing poultry operation an old one, but it was a start! We raised our son on this farm and since the 1980s have, added 2 more chicken houses to the existing 6 and built a nice house to replace the 800 square foot one we lived in for the first 5 years. We sent our son off to The United States Naval academy after a good education in the Wicomico County schools. My spouse learned everything he could about poultry and went off to work in Allied industry for several years. I stayed home and managed the farm. This farm has afforded me the opportunity to work at home raise our son and provided a good and comfortable life style. We will never be rich, but are comfortable. This is how most independent small business operates and functions. Over the years, we have had good years and made lots of money other years have not been so good. I have never had to go to Packers and Stock Yards to have an integrator problem resolved. I am aware they there if needed, the need has just not arisen. When problems occur, I have found most integrators are willing to resolve them. If you are not satisfied with an integrator, you have choices.
I love what I do and take pride in the birds I produce; I care deeply about the agricultural community. When people who do not understand our way of life and work to make changes that are detrimental to this lifestyle I take personal affront and so should you. Currently there are many bills that are being presented this week and next week in Annapolis. Many have the potential to forever change how we live, what we do and in time will eradicate it. I have outlined the bills below by priority and I hope you will take the time out of your schedule to at least send an email or phone these legislators and if possiblego up to Annapolis this week or next to let them know how you feel in person. If you need help or directions please call me or contact the DPI office.
The Farmers Rights Act
This bill will allow the Maryland State Government to control, review and monitor you contract with your poultry company. It will in essence:
See that you are paid a set amount of money for your chickens. The same as every other grower, no matter how hard you work or how much money you have put into your farm.
Is this what you want? I do not want this; I work hard as most of you do. I want compensation for the extra efforts I put out. Only in a communistic society does this occur. In a democracy small businesses compete, some flourish some do not.
If you have a problem with your integrator, the state will now help you. Have you ever noticed how long it takes to get anything done with the state?
Legislators from over the bridge are pushing these bills. They hail from Montgomery, Prince Georges, Baltimore City and the surrounding parts. The environmental community is informing them of our needs most likely. These legislators do not know what we do or how it works. I doubt if any of them have ever visited a chicken farm. Look at their profiles at the Maryland site for the bill. Most of these folks are on the environmental committee.
This is open-ended legislation, meaning the Attorney General can step in and add to this at anytime.
Next, it is possible they will tell us how many birds can be put in our houses, how many flocks we can have a year and possibly set up an inspection system with fees.
You must decide if this is how you want to live, even more deeply controlled by Government than you already are, If not then you must get up get out and do something about it before it is too late.
Do not assume some one will take care of this; we are the one who need to take care of this.
The Repeal of the Agricultural Sales Tax exemption
This is a real simple one.
Do you want or can you afford to pay 6 percent more for all the farm equipment and supplies you use on you farm?
The State is broke; they are ready charging you a fee for a Cafo permit. Do you want to hand over more of your hard-earned money (the same money the want to regulate in the bill above)?
Best Regards,
Michelle
Below I have added the information from DPI about the Bills
Maryland Senate Bill 532 and House Bill 1019, (Farmers’ Rights Act) unnecessarily inject the state of Maryland into voluntary contractual arrangements between chicken growers and chicken companies. They have been introduced by several senators and delegates from Montgomery County and Prince George’s County.
Senate Bill 532 http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/webmga/frmMain.aspx?pid=billpage&tab=subject3&id=hb1019&stab=01&ys=2015RS will have a hearing in the Senate Finance Committee on Thursday afternoon, March 5.
House Bill 1019 http://mgaleg.maryland.gov/webmga/frmMain.aspx?pid=billpage&tab=subject3&id=hb1019&stab=01&ys=2015RS will have a hearing in the House Environment and Transportation Committee on Wednesday, March 11.
Delmarva Poultry Industry, Inc. will be opposing the bills at the hearings. Prior to the hearings, we encourage you to share your comments about Senate Bill 532 and House Bill 1019 with committee members.
Comments on SB 532 can be sent to Senate committee members shown below.
thomas.mcclain.middleton@senate.state.md.us Committee chair 410-841-3616
john.astle@senate.state.md.us Committee vice chair 410-841-3578
joanne.benson@senate.state.md.us 410-841-3148
brian.feldman@senate.state.md.us 410-841-3169
steve.hershey@senate.state.md.us Eastern Shore senator 410-841-3639
jb.jennings@senate.state.md.us 410-841-3706
delores.kelley@senate.state.md.us 410-841-3606
katherine.klausmeier@senate.state.md.us 410-841-3620
james.mathias@senate.state.md.us Eastern Shore senator 410-841-3645
catherine.pugh@senate.state.md.us 410-841-3656
edward.reilly@senate.state.md.us 410-841-3568
Comments on HB 1019 can be sent to House committee members shown below.
kumar.barve@house.state.md.us Committee chair 410-841-3990
dana.stein@house.state.md.us Committee vice chair 410-841-3527
carl.anderton@house.state.md.us Eastern Shore Delegate 410-841-3431
pamela.beidle@house.state.md.us 410-841-3370
alfred.carr@house.state.md.us HB 1019 sponsor 410-841-3638
andrew.cassilly@house.state.md.us 410-841-3444
bob.flanagan@house.state.md.us 410-841-3077
david.fraser.hidalgo@house.state.md.us HB 1019 sponsor 410-841-3186
barbara.frush@house.state.md.us HB 1019 sponsor 410-841-3114
jim.gilchrist@house.state.md.us 410-841-3744
anne.healey@house.state.md.us 410-841-3961
marvin.holmes@house.state.md.us 410-841-3310
jay.jacobs@house.state.md.us Eastern Shore Delegate 410-841-3449
tony.knotts@house.state.md.us 410-841-3212
stephen.lafferty@house.state.md.us 410-841-3487
clarence.Lam@house.state.md.us 410-841-3205
cory.mccray@house.state.md.us 410-841-3486
anthony.odonnell@house.state.md.us 410-841-3486
shane.robinson@house.state.md.us HB 1019 sponsor 410-841-3021
kathy.szeliga@house.state.md.us 410-841-3698
cathy.vitale@house.state.md.us 410-841-3510
Individuals and groups opposed to the chicken industry will be supporting these bills. We need persons involved with and supportive of the chicken industry to oppose them.
Please send your comments to the legislators listed above as soon as possible. If you wish, share your comments with DPI at satterfield@dpichicken.com
If you would like to attend the bill hearings to offer oral comments, that would be wonderful.
Please let Bill Satterfield in the DPI office know if you would like to participate on March 5 and/or March 11. satterfield@dpichicken.com and 302-856-9037.
9 comments:
This letter would be more appropriate if it were titled-
FACTORY Farm Survial Information.
Not by anyone's stretch of the imagination can a CAFO (Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation) be considered a "Family Farm."
WELCOME TO MARYLAND
What's in Your Chicken House.
5:05, some of the regulations/laws only effect the poultry farms, but many more affect ALL farms. In the last 5 years this state has become hostile to ALL farmers and landowners and many don't realize it yet, but they will the next time they want to do anything on their property. This is economic warfare by the environmentalists against the farmers. The bulls-eye may be on the poultry industry, but all farms are on the target.
It's not really farming in a true sense and is more of an industrial operation that happens to have a product regulated by the USDA.
Your not really a farmer either when you raise under these conditions. You are more like just someone who oversees the flocks. You don't even have the control to feed the chickens what feed you choose. That's not farming. It's being dictated to.
I listen to extreme rightwing internet radio and according to them all these regs and whatnot is the governement doing the dirty work for the big companies. They say the democrats are in cahoots with big business because both want only a handful of large companies doing all trade, commerce and services.
This will then limit choices for the farmers (and consumers) and then the companies can dictate even more of what they can do and can pay them less. They say the farm bureau is just a mouth piece for big industrial farming and that they want all farmers to have to be under contract with what they call big food. They want all small business gone like small independant slaughter houses.
Simply regulations should not be a one size fits all.
It's time I have a few chickens to add to my veggie garden on my half acre.I;ll need the pad to make my getaway when the SHTF.
Hopefully they will enjoy the insects they are eventually going to have to eat
getting rid of the environmentalists would serve all much better.
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