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brightmeadow
True Blue Farmgirl

2045 Posts

Brenda
Lucas Ohio
USA
2045 Posts

Posted - Feb 27 2006 :  04:53:56 AM  Show Profile
The weird thing is that chips for humans are overkill - with fingerprint, voice recognition, facial plane recognition software, iris scans, and all the other technology that's available now they don't need a chip to recognize us! What they do need to do is get our information into a database, cross referenced to the identifier.

The thing that I find the hardest to accept is the USDA is spending tax dollars (looks like tens of millions) to fund a program that ends up hurting family farmers, in favor of big agriculture or technology programs. I guess I need to look up the USDA's charter or mission statement...

You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands - You shall be happy and it shall be well with you. -Psalm 128.2
Visit my web site store at http://www.watkinsonline.com/fish or my homepage at http://home.earthlink.net/~brightmeadow
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MullersLaneFarm
True Blue Farmgirl

596 Posts


Rock Falls IL
596 Posts

Posted - Feb 27 2006 :  05:32:27 AM  Show Profile
We are required to have our poultry (other than ducks) tested for Pullorum/Typhoid before we take them to a bird sale. I don't have a problem with this. A simple blood test isn't the same as chipping a meat chicken (best place according to our vet would be in the breast) that will be in someone's freezer in 6-8 weeks. I'll have the added expense of chipping and ruined breast meat. We're not large enough to qualify for 'lot identification'.

Cyndi
Joshua 24:15

Ol 'MacDonald has nothing on us!
http://www.mullerslanefarm.com
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Hilltophomesteader
Farmgirl in Training

21 Posts

Pam
WA
USA
21 Posts

Posted - Mar 02 2006 :  4:10:49 PM  Show Profile
According to an article in Springboard (Washington Loggers), not only will our livestock be registered, but each location (your farm). Do you want the government scoping your place out with their GPS satellites? This will invade our personal privacy and violate the religious freedoms of Americans whose beliefs make it impossible for them to comply! DON'T participate in "voluntary" programs to register farms or animals. This will just help them justify making it manadatory. Inform and organize others. OPPOSE it!!!! Where will it end? We know the 'mark of the beast' according to the Bible is coming, but I for one do not want to facilitate the government in taking away all our freedoms and controlling each and every simple and upright move we make. It's already illegal to sell your raw milk to your neighbor here in Washington and rumor has it that it will soon be illegal to DRINK YOUR OWN!!! What's next The 'raw cookie dough' police How about the 'did you wash that carrot before you fed it to your kid' police? Scary to me.....

"As for me and my house, we shall serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15
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Hilltophomesteader
Farmgirl in Training

21 Posts

Pam
WA
USA
21 Posts

Posted - Mar 02 2006 :  4:22:21 PM  Show Profile
another quick note to add on...Ask yourself WHY they want to do this. I don't personally believe our food supply is in danger. How many people do you know of in the USA that have contracted Mad Cow disease? how about bird flu? You don't see them chipping every foreigner who comes in carrying diseases. Our government was not put in place to monitor our every move and tax us out of our homes with all these 'programs'. We're in more danger from the sugar industry, the soft drink industry, alcohol manufacturers, (endless list) than we are from the backyard farmer's bunny, goat or milk cow. How ever did we get this far when our forebears drank all that raw milk and NO ONE COULD SEE THEM FROM A SATELLITE???? Sorry, I feel really strongly about our constitutional rights and we have the right to not be over-governed!!!

"As for me and my house, we shall serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15
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ThymeForEweFarm
True Blue Farmgirl

705 Posts

Robin
An organic farm in the forest in Maine
USA
705 Posts

Posted - Mar 02 2006 :  5:24:14 PM  Show Profile
quote:
Originally posted by Hilltophomesteader

According to an article in Springboard (Washington Loggers), not only will our livestock be registered, but each location (your farm). Do you want the government scoping your place out with their GPS satellites?


Farms have been monitored by satellite for years.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10839820/from/RSS/

http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/january2006/140106monitorfarmers.htm



Robin
www.thymeforewe.com
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jmac1711
Farmgirl in Training

49 Posts

Jane
Lost Nation Iowa
USA
49 Posts

Posted - Mar 02 2006 :  5:27:49 PM  Show Profile
Cyndi- Yes, I agree with you about the Pullorum/Typhoid testing. I think avian flu testing will follow shortly. We test all our poultry over 4 months old. It's required here if you are selling eggs for either hatching or to consumers. Do you test your own birds or have someone come in and do it?

Jane

Lord, let me be the kind of person my pig thinks I am.
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therusticcottage
True Blue Farmgirl

4439 Posts

Kay
Vancouver WA
USA
4439 Posts

Posted - Mar 02 2006 :  5:54:30 PM  Show Profile
I was reading Countryside Journal today. There was an article in there regarding this subject. Guess who makes up the NAIS? The large meat corporations and companies that make chips! They are the ones that have lobbied congress to get this passed. Guess no big surprise there, huh?

Mine is just a little old fashioned garden where the flowers come together to praise the Lord, and teach all who look upon them to do likewise.
-- Celia Thaxter


http://therusticcottage.etsy.com

http://rusticcottage.blogspot.com/
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MullersLaneFarm
True Blue Farmgirl

596 Posts


Rock Falls IL
596 Posts

Posted - Mar 06 2006 :  09:29:33 AM  Show Profile
quote:
Originally posted by jmac1711

Cyndi- Yes, I agree with you about the Pullorum/Typhoid testing. ... Do you test your own birds or have someone come in and do it?



Jane,
I sell very few birds (heritage turkeys) for breeding. there is a gentleman at the bird show that will test for me.

Cyndi
Joshua 24:15

Ol 'MacDonald has nothing on us!
http://www.mullerslanefarm.com
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Christine in Clark Fork
Farmgirl in Training

34 Posts

Christine
Clark Fork Idaho
USA
34 Posts

Posted - Mar 17 2006 :  09:59:55 AM  Show Profile
This subject disturbs me because of the direction I see our country headed. We used to be "the land of the free and home of the brave". We are now becoming "the land of the regulated and home of the scared". Our founding fathers, never guaranteed us total security. They wanted to give us life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Registering every animal will not make us safe. It will, however, create a giant bureaucracy that will require paperwork and money.

The path to healthier animals is small scale farms that are low impact and manned by people who love thier animals.
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Horseyrider
True Blue Farmgirl

1045 Posts

Mary Ann
Illinois
1045 Posts

Posted - Mar 17 2006 :  11:25:22 AM  Show Profile
Hi, Christine! I see by the number of posts that you're new here. Welcome! I hope you'll stay awhile.

I am a small scale farm. I have horses. My place is manned (or 'womanned' ;) ) by someone who loves her animals. But I acknowledge that places like mine can be a reservoir for disease, regardless of the amount of love I give.

I've been currently working with several veterinarians and other livestock owners, both large and small, to put together something called a CART--- a County Animal Rescue Team. One of our primary duties would be to handle livestock in case of disaster like fire, flood, or tornado. When animals get mixed in with the neighbors, or animals are driven far away by storms, or when they have to be set free to keep them from danger like a barn fire or grass fire, sooner or later we have to sort out what belongs to who. When a producer has 150 beef cattle, he knows a few individuals, but not every single one on sight; nor can he identify them and separate them out of a group of several neighbor's stock. Chips would be a way to identify them, and know which ones get loaded up and go home to which farmer. The farmer wouldn't even need to be there; rescue people with chip readers can do it for him, and he can be free to see to his family and other concerns.

I live in a county that's very large and predominantly agricultural. We really only have each other to lean on, neighbor to neighbor. This group is no different than the volunteer fire department; it's just our skill is with animals. We can do the best job if we have good tools, and that includes good trailers, good portable fencing and corrals, people who are good hands with stock, and good identification systems.

You're right, it won't make us safe. But it can make things less stressful when a disaster has struck, and help getting life back to normal sooner.

"What another would do as well as you, do not do it. What another would have said as well as you, do not say it; written as well, do not write it. Be faithful to that which exists nowhere but in yourself, and there, make yourself indispensable." ---Andre Gide
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ThymeForEweFarm
True Blue Farmgirl

705 Posts

Robin
An organic farm in the forest in Maine
USA
705 Posts

Posted - Mar 17 2006 :  11:48:05 AM  Show Profile
I can see where people who *voluntarily* chip their animals becaue they *want* to for the reason you stated would be helpful. However, NAIS has nothing to do with rescuing animals and won't be voluntary.

Robin
www.thymeforewe.com
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MullersLaneFarm
True Blue Farmgirl

596 Posts


Rock Falls IL
596 Posts

Posted - Mar 17 2006 :  12:37:13 PM  Show Profile
Amen Robin.

I have nothing against a person who *voluntarily* wants to chip their animals for whatever reason BUT I can't afford the cost of chipping my paltry 200 chickens and few turkeys and geese a year just to have the processed off the farm and put in my freezer (and ruin the breast meat to boot!)

Cyndi
Say NO! to National Animal ID
http://www.NoNAIS.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Illinois_Against_NAIS

Joshua 24:15

Muller's Lane Farm
http://www.mullerslanefarm.com
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MullersLaneFarm
True Blue Farmgirl

596 Posts


Rock Falls IL
596 Posts

Posted - Mar 17 2006 :  12:39:50 PM  Show Profile
Couple more thoughts about this
.
.
.
what will happen to 4H and FFA fairs?? Most likely a lot less competitors because of the expense of reporting all livestock movement.

How about the local small time livestock auction house?? most likely will close down because they are not prepared to handle this.

Breeders of heritage animals? Feed stores and Farm stores that depend a lot on small farmers - their businesses will be hurt as less folks are able to afford to keep their own animals.

Rodeos? Petting Zoos?? A thing of the past.

Cyndi
Say NO! to National Animal ID
http://www.NoNAIS.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Illinois_Against_NAIS

Joshua 24:15

Muller's Lane Farm
http://www.mullerslanefarm.com
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MullersLaneFarm
True Blue Farmgirl

596 Posts


Rock Falls IL
596 Posts

Posted - Mar 17 2006 :  12:41:28 PM  Show Profile
One last thing:

NAIS Informational Meeting

Tuesday, March 21, 2006
7:00 PM
Rock Falls Holiday Inn
Rock Falls IL

815-625-2607 for more information

Think the large producers aren't afraid of us shutting this down?? Read how a few tried to sabatage our meeting:
http://www.mullerslanefarm.com/nais

Cyndi
Say NO! to National Animal ID
http://www.NoNAIS.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Illinois_Against_NAIS

Joshua 24:15

Muller's Lane Farm
http://www.mullerslanefarm.com
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jmac1711
Farmgirl in Training

49 Posts

Jane
Lost Nation Iowa
USA
49 Posts

Posted - Mar 17 2006 :  2:25:40 PM  Show Profile
Cyndi-
Is there a website that had recorded which senators/representative either are against or support the NAIS Animal ID bill?

Jane

Lord, let me be the kind of person my pig thinks I am.
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Horseyrider
True Blue Farmgirl

1045 Posts

Mary Ann
Illinois
1045 Posts

Posted - Mar 17 2006 :  2:51:24 PM  Show Profile
I really think there'll be the same number of fairs and rodeos. It'll be okay! People said the same thing about Coggins testing, and then about thirty day health certificates.

The world will still turn.

"What another would do as well as you, do not do it. What another would have said as well as you, do not say it; written as well, do not write it. Be faithful to that which exists nowhere but in yourself, and there, make yourself indispensable." ---Andre Gide
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ThymeForEweFarm
True Blue Farmgirl

705 Posts

Robin
An organic farm in the forest in Maine
USA
705 Posts

Posted - Mar 17 2006 :  3:03:28 PM  Show Profile
Is it illegal to not have Coggins tests on horses that never leave the farm?

Yes, the world will still turn, as long as we fill out the paperwork, ask for permission and hand over all our rights. You are willing to be told what to do. That's fine for you. Many of us are still individuals not willing to turn our rights over to the government. Will it be ok? No, not for many of us. You can't make such a blanket statement and speak for me. You have absolutely no idea of how this will affect myself and many others financially. You honestly don't have a clue what this will do to me and others like me. It won't be ok for me. It won't be ok for Cyndi and many others.

I think it's important to remember that many of us don't think raising pigs in germ-free environments, on cement, indoors, is a good thing. We don't believe in feed lots or CAFO. We don't believe in factory farming, the neglect, mistreatment and poor quality of lives dealt to those birds and animals. When you take away the small farmer's right to raise animals as she believes is healthier, and force factory farming on that farmer and her customers, you've change entire lifestyles. Farms shut down. No, it won't be ok.

Robin
www.thymeforewe.com

Edited by - ThymeForEweFarm on Mar 17 2006 3:21:06 PM
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Hilltophomesteader
Farmgirl in Training

21 Posts

Pam
WA
USA
21 Posts

Posted - Mar 17 2006 :  4:46:14 PM  Show Profile
Hurray for you, Robin! I'm with you all the way. We are being 'governed' to the extreme. It will NOT be ok. All the excuses for why we NEED to have our animals chipped are the same reasons they will give when they decide that you must be chipped yourself....first voluntarily, citing all the 'good' reasons and then it will become mandatory - welcome to 666, the Mark of the Beast. Animals have been identified for years by tatoo or brand...isn't that good enough? Our government isn't supposed to govern us right off our small farms - that's NOT the purpose of government!!!!!!! On my farm, each animal not only gets individual treatment, they are known by name; checked out individually twice (or more!) every day; fed according to individual need. No way are huge farms able to do that - why do they want to keep ME from it??? I'm for good old-fashioned freedom, just like our founders intended. Surely there must be more important issues for them to spend my money on!

"As for me and my house, we shall serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15
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Horseyrider
True Blue Farmgirl

1045 Posts

Mary Ann
Illinois
1045 Posts

Posted - Mar 17 2006 :  4:55:13 PM  Show Profile
quote:
Is it illegal to not have Coggins tests on horses that never leave the farm?



No. Not in Illinois. I have had in the past, and have right now, horses that have not been tested.

I don't see any rights being handed over. Will I lose my right to free speech? Assembly? To bear arms? Exactly what right am I losing?

Am I willing to be told what to do? Sure; within the boundaries of reason. That's what government's for; to make rules for the greater good. I'm no conspiracy theorist. I don't believe Big Business is out to get me, nor the USDA. I've known too many people in both.

Robin, I feel your stance is unnecessarily inflammatory to say I don't have a clue about so many things. What is your true awareness of what I know?

Please don't make such assumptions about me.

I'm happy for you if you've made lifestyle decisions that bring you satisfaction by producing food in a manner you see fit. However, not everyone feels the way you do about it, and feeling differently doesn't make them wrong. Until you're able to step up production and feed the country at an affordable price the way commercial producers do, and take the risks they do in order to feed them, perhaps the strident attitude should be one that's written and then deleted.

"What another would do as well as you, do not do it. What another would have said as well as you, do not say it; written as well, do not write it. Be faithful to that which exists nowhere but in yourself, and there, make yourself indispensable." ---Andre Gide
quote:


Edited by - Horseyrider on Mar 17 2006 5:04:19 PM
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Horseyrider
True Blue Farmgirl

1045 Posts

Mary Ann
Illinois
1045 Posts

Posted - Mar 17 2006 :  5:02:51 PM  Show Profile
Pam, there have been many references in the past to Revelations. I understand a concern about the End Times. We've been told that such things will be present. But avoiding such things will not prevent the End Times. It's as if someone warned you that a meteor would strike you in the head while you're driving a red car. Avoiding red cars will not keep us from being hit by the meteor.

I also feed my animals individually. There's a large hog producer a few miles away, and all his sows wear transponders on collars, and he feeds individually, too. Their rations are meted out through the day. The transponder tells the computer how much they're allowed per day, and they can feed at will. There's no trampling or rush, and the sows conceive and gestate well. You can walk among them without fear, even during feeding.

Sometimes it's easier to believe stereotypes than to look around with an open mind. Please, keep an open mind.

"What another would do as well as you, do not do it. What another would have said as well as you, do not say it; written as well, do not write it. Be faithful to that which exists nowhere but in yourself, and there, make yourself indispensable." ---Andre Gide
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ThymeForEweFarm
True Blue Farmgirl

705 Posts

Robin
An organic farm in the forest in Maine
USA
705 Posts

Posted - Mar 18 2006 :  04:16:04 AM  Show Profile
quote:
I don't see any rights being handed over. Will I lose my right to free speech? Assembly? To bear arms? Exactly what right am I losing?


Privacy. Yes, assembly in some ways. I agree with Cyndi. There will be fewer animals and birds at fairs. Fewer horses raced each weekend. The extra time and expense in doing the paperwork to take animals to a simple activity are going to make it more difficult for already busy farmers.

quote:
You have absolutely no idea of how this will affect myself and many others financially. You honestly don't have a clue what this will do to me and others like me.

I said you have no clue what it will do to me and others like me. Do you know what will happen to me? How it's going to affect the way I farm? Of course not. Without knowing private details of my business you can't know that. That is what I mean about not having a clue to what this is going to do. I'm not being inflammatory. I'm not at all angry. I'm not upset with you. In fact, I'm very sad over this whole mess.

I'm frustrated by the fact that there's no logical reason for me to tag my livestock. Not one. But I'll still be legally required to do so.

quote:
No. Not in Illinois. I have had in the past, and have right now, horses that have not been tested.

Then how does Coggins have any resemblance to NAIS? Coggins - voluntary. NAIS - mandatory.

quote:
Until you're able to step up production and feed the country at an affordable price the way commercial producers do, and take the risks they do in order to feed them, perhaps the strident attitude should be one that's written and then deleted.

I'm not going to delete my opinion. I have no doubt when I click that post button. I still have the same right to speech that you have. You have the right to respond to this topic and so do I.

I will never have any interest in trying to feed the country. I am a strong advocate for buying locally and supporting sustainable agriculture. I'm also not ever going to apply for the tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars most commercial farmers have to have every year to make their food "affordable." If we add the increase in taxes to the cost of buying that food it's not quite so affordable. We don't see it all at once in the checkout line but we're paying it. Not many businesses can get government hand outs year after year after year to stay open. There's a website that lists subsidies by county and state, who gets them and how much, but I don't have it bookmarked. If anyone would like it I can find it this afternoon when I get home from class. But that's not about NAIS. That's a topic of its own so I'll stop here.

Mary Ann, I'm honestly not upset with you personally. If I thought this was for the greater good I would have already registered my "premeses" with IDME, Maine's program. Maine got a large grant (that you and I and the rest of the tax payers paid for) to create this program. Only 400 premises have registered. There's no logical reason for me to register. When I'm forced to it's going to be additional work for me. I'm a wife and mom. I work here on the farm, have a part time job, and am a college student. There aren't enough hours in my day or money in my pocket to do something so unnecessary.

quote:
Breeders of heritage animals?

This is the part that hits me the hardest. The rest are just pets and aren't going any where unless they escape. I've selectively put together a nice flock of a heritage breed of birds. When I have to ID each one of them, their offspring, and track their movements I will probably not be able to continue breeding them for sale to others. I'll keep a few to breed for our meat supply. And my pigs? A critically rare breed that could easily become extinct with all our efforts. When you add the complication of NAIS and the already understaffed USDA (my state is grossly understaffed and need a lot more inspectors) we're likely to lose more breeds.

There are also the problems that come with refusing to register. I depend on three gov't licenses to operate my business and none of those licenses have anything to do with livestock or poultry. I license two buildings on my farm for business purposes, collect sales tax and turn it into the state (we are not reimbursed for our labor but are required to act as an unpaid agent for the state if we want to run a legal business), and I'm open to USDA inspection without notice. I've already submitted to a lot of gov't rules for things that aren't going to harm anyone or anything. Not complying with NAIS will put me out of business. I don't think I'll be given my licenses if I don't register with IDME when it's mandatory. This affects more than my livestock and poultry.

Time to go. I have a class this morning and then a greenhouse to putter in this afternoon while the sun's out. It was warmer here in January than it is now. Gotta get out in the sun while we have it.

Robin
www.thymeforewe.com
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Horseyrider
True Blue Farmgirl

1045 Posts

Mary Ann
Illinois
1045 Posts

Posted - Mar 18 2006 :  09:07:27 AM  Show Profile
Well I'm glad you're not mad at me personally. It'd be fruitless to make such an argument personal. I appreciate that.

Horses are required to have a Coggins test if they're taken to fairs, group trail rides, and shows. But not if they never leave your place. It's not voluntary, but it means my animals stay home without one. The vector for EIA (swamp fever, the disease that the Coggins test detects, and for which there is no cure) is mosquitoes, but it's unlikely that mosquitoes'll travel far; so it's a sort of self-quarantine. Horses are also required to have thirty day health papers if for any reason they cross state lines. The thing that got everyone in such an uproar, and where the similarity lies, is many said that requiring this would cause attendance at such events to shrink, a way of life would wither and die, that it'd be a morass of paperwork, etc. It didn't, and it isn't. Attendance is still the same, and everyone has adjusted.

Coggins can only be done by a licensed veterinarian, so mine sets aside several days in January to buzz through his client list. These tests are far more of a PITA for him than they are for me; he doesn't even charge for a farm call because he just wants them DONE. Otherwise everybody calls at the last minute for 'emergency' Coggins and takes up valuable road time he could be spending tending to sick animals.

Another comparison is rabies vaccination. It's also required by law. If we were facing a pandemic of rabies, officials might be more strident. But you can easily keep your dog, horses, cats, whatever unvaccinated. Who's local government has the $$$ in their coffers to go around and look in everyone's barns?

You know, in all the years since Coggins testing has been required, and in the half a dozen or so since they've required health papers, I've only ONCE been asked to produce them where the animal is there for comparison. And I'm on the road a LOT. Other times it was clear I could have brought ANY horse's Coggins or health certificate to the announcer's booth at registration. And I don't know if it was sad or funny; the one time it was requested, I was at a trail ride with a friend. I hauled her horse for her, but we neglected to put her mare's Coggins in the truck. When the inspector came along, I handed him my mare's. My mare is a sorrel with four white socks and a strip. My friend's mare was a gray. The guy looked at the papers, looked at the horse, looked back at the papers and said "Thankyou very much."

I think the only time anyone will ever bother you about them is when there's the very serious and imminent threat for disease outbreak. I see you have heirloom varieties, something you'd like to protect. I'm afraid that if they're not registered, they may be destroyed out of hand if the bird flu starts changing to something people can catch. If they are registered, has anyone discussed the possibility of bands instead of inserting a chip in the breastmeat? Banding would be much easier on everyone, and it would give you a method of watching your lineage and selecting for the best birds.

All of my horses are registered with their breed association except my pony. The breed registries hold the registration number, my personal information about where I live and some other stuff, too. There are transfer papers in case they're sold, so the information continues on the next owner. And we pay a fee for this, as well as membership dues. They know the genders of my horses, and due to the need for DNA typing, they even have genetic information on my horses. When I geld I have to let them know. And when they die, I have to let them know. Their recordkeeping serves the greater good for everyone. It's helping to curb and hopefully wipe out the prevalence of hereditary diseases like HYPP and CID. Yes, it's a loss of privacy; but it's okay. When I buy a horse, thanks to the registry, I have some knowledge of it's age and some of the things that go along with certain bloodlines.

I think the LAST thing they're going to be concerned with is small breeders and livestock owners. The guy with a herd of 1000; yeah, he'll get plenty of attention because he has the greatest concentration of stock under one management program. If they get sick and are dispersed prematurely, it could be a nightmare to retrieve them all or trace back where they all came from. Chances are people with farms under five or ten acres will be given a pass, or that make under $XXX per year will get a pass, or they'll use some other measuring stick to keep the return on their time reasonable, too.

I think people like you and me will be very much under their radar. And like the Coggins tests and health certificates, they'll be a small irritation. I feel time will show that it's much ado about nothing.

"What another would do as well as you, do not do it. What another would have said as well as you, do not say it; written as well, do not write it. Be faithful to that which exists nowhere but in yourself, and there, make yourself indispensable." ---Andre Gide
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happymama58
True Blue Farmgirl

1210 Posts

Patti
Missouri
USA
1210 Posts

Posted - Mar 18 2006 :  09:36:41 AM  Show Profile
I've read the information at the USDA site as to the reason for doing this, which seems to boil down to one purpose -- identifying where diseased animals are in the event of a breakout of some disease or another.

That's what I got from reading each and every article and linked information provided at the USDA site, but I'm only human, so I may have misunderstood or missed something.

With that in mind, here's my take on this. Those who sell animals for food are already regulated by the USDA, etc., right? Why the extra regulations. Every time there's been a problem with tainted food, the source and affected animals have been located very quickly, right?

I don't see the NEED for this. I'm not afraid of anything, but why in the world would taxpayers want to be burdened with higher prices that will inevitably be brought about by this practice, which seems totally unnecessary?

I see this same principle being applied in other areas, such as education. Over-regulation creates more beauracracy, higher costs, yet NOT better results.

I'm against this practice for purely logical reasons and will spread the word in my area.

Some people search for happiness; others create it.

http://happymama58.blogspot.com/
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happymama58
True Blue Farmgirl

1210 Posts

Patti
Missouri
USA
1210 Posts

Posted - Mar 18 2006 :  09:53:48 AM  Show Profile
Until you're able to step up production and feed the country at an affordable price the way commercial producers do


I saw this quoted earlier and can't figure out how to do a quote, so I cut and pasted. I wanted to respond to this. Small farmers WERE feeding the country at an affordable price until big business came in and "took over" much of the food production industry in this country. If you will go back and look at the PERCENTAGE of family income spent on food prior to the industrialization of food production and the PERCENTAGE of family income spent on food after large corporations took over, you'll find that feeding a family was much cheaper, even allowing for the difference in the spending power of the dollar, before food production became "big business".

Furthermore, according to some sources, big business does not = less health risk. THere have been more outbreaks of food borne illness, including fatalities, as a result of large corporations producing food than from small farmers producing food. I saw this stated in US News just a few months ago.

I also would hazard a "guess" that food produced by the small farmer is less additive/preservative/unhealthy chemical-laden than that mass-produced by a large corporation. Look at the rise of the incidence in cancer and other diseases in the past 50 or so years. More factories, more pollution, more chemicals, etc., etc. doesn't seem to have done us much good.

I know I got away from the original point somewhat, but to argue that the farmers weren't getting the job done just isn't right. They WERE getting the nation fed at an affordable price, to the point that we were even able to export large amounts of food to other countries. THere was no shortage, and prices were, %-wise, much lower than they are now.

Again, I am not afraid of anything here. I have no farm animals and no vested interest in this discussion. I simply do not see that the arguments in favor of this practice have any merit.



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MullersLaneFarm
True Blue Farmgirl

596 Posts


Rock Falls IL
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Posted - Mar 20 2006 :  07:15:05 AM  Show Profile
quote:
Originally posted by Horseyrider

I really think there'll be the same number of fairs and rodeos. It'll be okay! People said the same thing about Coggins testing, and then about thirty day health certificates.



A coggins test does not have the amount of paperwork involved as the NAIS. In addition to have Coggins test, the participants (both those entering events and the owners of the livestock (bulls/steers/broncs) will have to ID EACH animals and report EACH MOVE of EACH animal, probably for some small fee for the owner.

Not even in the same league as the Coggins test

Cyndi
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