5th Annual FARM FOOD VOICES DC 2011

Call and email or fax your Representative and two Senators to invite them to the Reception. [Scroll down to view sample invitation & reception details.]

Help reveal to Congress the disastrous ramifications of the recent "food safety" legislation and provide them the real food safety solution: unregulated local trade direct from producer to consumer. True food sovereignty means food security and national prosperity. In every country.

MAKE APPOINTMENTS WITH YOUR LEGISLATORS! Face-to-face meetings are a powerful way to connect with your legislators.

Steps:

- Check for existing appointments for your state; go to the FFVDC page and the blogsite

- If none are posted, call your legislators' offices and ask for the aide who handles agricultural issues. Request a meeting for March 16 (before or after the reception if possible) and also invite the aides to the reception.
- Please email the event coordinator Jack Moore ([email protected]) with your meeting information to post on the website and blogsite.

Never lobbied? No experience needed. Catch the Lobby Training Call, March 10 at 8:00 p.m. [Scroll down for details.]

Organized by the National Independent Consumers and Farmers Association (NICFA)

www.nicfa.org

ATTEND LEGISLATIVE RECEPTION

12-2 p.m. Farm Food Voices Feast

Kennedy Caucus Room, Russell Senate Office Building

The local foods reception highlights the day. Chefs and caterers from some of the finest restaurants in our region will serve dishes showcasing locally produced food.

SPEAKERS -

Emceed by well-known innovative farmer/writer and speaker Joel Salatin, the reception will feature distinguished speakers including:

   Jonathan Emord, Esq. - Attorney and author of The Rise of Tyranny and The Global Censorship of Health Information, he has defeated the FDA seven times in federal court.
   Bryan Voltaggio - Chef/owner of acclaimed VOLT restaurant and season six runner-up of the TV series Top Chef
   Kristin Canty - Producer and director of Farmageddon, the movie that depicts the dwindling food sovereignty in America and the extreme measures the state uses to attack farmers growing healthy food
   Mark Lilly - Founder and owner of  Farm to Family "farmbus", bringing fresh farm food to central Virginia communities and transforming the American food landscape "one stop at a time."

Congress needs to know where good food comes from. This opportunity lets them make the connection that will help our farming freedom thrive and continue giving us access to healthy, safe food. Each year, it has greatly impressed our legislators and their aides to have farmers and producers literally standing behind their products. It is through encounters such as these that we will begin to harvest, from our Legislators, and indeed our culture, a loyalty to local foods. And Congress will begin to realize that the safest food system is through neighbor-to-neighbor food transactions.

See "Peasants, Pitchforks and a Perfect Food Supply" by Kimberly Hartke with pictures!

GET INVOLVED

1. Sign-up for NICFA Alerts and take part in the lobby day training on Thursday, March 10 at 8p.m. Eastern.

2. Donate whatever you can through PayPal (it takes a few seconds for PayPal to load once you click) or mail a check or money order to:

NICFA

P.O. Box 239

Bowie, MD 20719

3. Volunteer to help with the event, contact:

Liz Reitzig, NICFA Secretary

[email protected]

301-807-5063

4. Attend the Lobby Day on March 16. Join a coalition of organizations, local food advocates, and small family farmers from across the country to lobby federal legislators on local food and food sovereignty. By overcoming our differences and linking up, we become the connected links of a chain: strong, efficacious and flexible.

Spread the word. Forward this email. Blog, tweet, and share details of this event with your network.

LOBBY TRAINING CALL

Thursday, March 10 at 8pm Eastern

Become an effective grassroots lobbyist

Professional lobbyist Howard Bedlin, who has over 25 years on Capitol Hill, will guide us through the basics of effective grassroots lobbying. An excellent step-by-step for newcomers and 'veterans'. Bring your questions about lobbying and about the issues.

CALL-IN NUMBER: To receive the phone number and passcode, send an email with "lobby training call" in the subject field to [email protected]

SAMPLE INVITATION

Dear (name of scheduling aide),

A group of constituents from [your state] would like to meet with Senator/Representative [name] on March 16, 2011 to discuss food and agriculture issues.

We anticipate several constituents to attend. This meeting will be in conjunction with Farm Food Voices DC, the National Small Farm and Ranch Grassroots Lobby Day and Legislative Reception hosted by the National Independent Consumers and Farmers Association.

We also would like to invite Senator/Representative [name] to attend the local foods reception in The Kennedy Caucus room in the Senate Russell Building from 12:00-2:00. If the Senator/Rep cannot attend, we request that Senator/Representative [name]'s aide attend.

Thank you and I look forward to hearing back from you soon.

Your name,

Address

City, State Zip

Phone number

Need More Information?

As this event grows, a solid foundation of experienced grassroots lobbyists grows. Each year, first-timers become "veterans" who build our coalition and our impact on legislators. Add your presence and voice to become part of the change. If you are new to Farm Food Voices DC and would like to know more, please visit the "Farm Food Voices DC" blogsite for background information.

The mission of NICFA is to promote and preserve unregulated direct farmer-to-consumer trade that fosters availability of locally grown or home-produced food products.

Unable to navigate this email with the hyperlinks? Go to

http://www.farmtoconsumer.org/2011farmfoodvoices.htm