Help Stop NAIS

You may or may not have heard about the National Animal Identification System. But if you support local farmers, you'll do what you can to stop it. Our friend Judith McGeary from the Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance points out two websites that are allowing people to speak up about issues they want President-elect Obama to address when he takes office and both are running questions related to NAIS.

The private website, www.change.org, will present the "Top 10 Ideas for America" to the Obama Adminsitration on Inauguration Day.   The first phase of the voting ends today, and the top 3 ideas in each category will be selected for the second round of voting. 

"Stop NAIS" is currently in second place in Agriculture, and the voting is very close!  A few votes may make the difference between the Stop NAIS message making it to the next round, or not!    

Step 1: If you are not already signed up for the site, register at:  https://www.change.org/admin/sign_up  

Step 2: Go to http://www.change.org/ideas/view/stop_nais   Be sure to click the box labeled "vote!" to the left of the Stop NAIS!  Simply leaving a comment does not count as a vote.

And the Obama Transition Team has set up a section calld "Open for Questions" on the official website.  They have not specified the deadline for submitting or voting on questions, but said they will respond to the top issues "in the new year." 

Step 1: Go to http://change.gov/page/content/openforquestions20081229/  

Step 2: Type "animal identification" into the box next to "Search Questions"  There are currently 8 questions that involve NAIS that can be found by searching those terms.   

Step 3: Click on the checkmark by the question to vote "yes".  If you are not already signed in, you will  be asked to, with a link at the top of the box.

Slow Food Sunday Pot Luck at Sloans Creek Farm Cancelled

The promise of sub-freezing temperatures and 30-40 mph wind gusts have forced the cancellation of the Slow Food Holiday pot luck at Sloans Creek Farm.  The farm visit has been rescheduled for March 22.   Should be warm enough by then.  

Deconstruct Chili with Grass-Fed Beef

Peter Schaar, of Slow Food Dallas, shows how to make a "deconstructed" chili that is more like a traditional chili with grass-fed stew beef.

View it here at the Dallas Morning News.

See our web site for grass-fed beef and other local foods.

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Petition for U.S. Secretary of Agriculture

Quoting from an e-mail from Slow Food president Josh Viertal: 

"In these final days before President Elect Obama makes his selection for Secretary of Agriculture, we urge you to spread the word to your members about a petition they can sign to express their support for dynamic and sustainable choices for the post.  The petition lists six suggestions, including Gus Schumacher, Former Under Secretary of Agriculture for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services at the U.S. Department of Agriculture; and Slow Food leader Neil Hamilton, the Director of the Agricultural Law Center at Drake University.  

"Erika and I are on the list of original signers, as are several SFUSA board members and leaders around the country. You can find the petition here: http://www.fooddemocracynow.org/. 

"Even if the new administration doesn’t pick one of the listed candidates, signing the petition sends a strong message that we want a good, clean and fair food system and that we expect our new administration to make choices that support that vision."

So what are you waiting for?

Read the Gourmet Interview with the New Slow Food USA President

We have a new leader in the US and Gourmet Magazine interviewed him recently on his plans for the organization.   A quote: 

"I can imagine Slow Food over time having a membership and a reach that enables it to put real pressure on federal policymakers in the next food and farm bill discussion in the same way the Natural Resources Defense Council or the Sierra Club could affect policy for the environmental movement." 

It's worth taking a few minutes to read.