charli_horse@...

For Immediate release please

From: Darol Dickinson
Barnesville, Ohio 43713
740 758 5050 5-28-09

NAIS ~~~~ Death in the rural USA

by Darol Dickinson 6-29-09

---

Over 1000 livestock producer's businesses die each month in the USA. Many of these family farms and ranches have survived the great depression and weathered the droughts and blizzards. Today a different storm of a political nature is planning to deal the death blows.

Less than 2% of all US residents are involved in livestock production. If our elected Congress and Senate were average, and they aren't, there would be about a dozen profitable livestock producers in office. Not so. Most are attorneys, or professional politicians who have never understood the basic business of farm production, growing of raw materials, ownership of land, water, and crops. Most have young staff members who handle their phone calls about farming concerns. They have less experience in livestock production than the elected ones, but perhaps a degree in political science.

Recently Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro said about livestock producers that they were "fool hearted" and "misinformed" when refusing to surrender to NAIS premises enrollment. Although her area of the US is one of the least dependent on agriculture production in the nation, she is a key player in US agriculture policy. She has never invested in livestock nor shown a profit from any segment of the US agriculture industry. She is working wholeheartedly to pass laws to increase enforcements against farmers.

The US rancher, and farmer (there is a difference) will work from dawn to dark, turn on the tractor lights and continue. They will risk drought, dangerous personal jobs, and invest in crops that will be harvested years into the future. They will compete for faithful ranch employees when local government jobs pay two and three times more than farm labor. They will do business with large amounts of borrowed money and expect slow returns.

Regardless of risks, the hours, and the dangers of farm life the US livestock producers work with continually increasing taxes and new federal regulations sucking the last blood of life out of farm families.

There are occasional tractor accidents, truck break-downs, crop failures and livestock that die for various reasons. That is a calculated factor. The good comes with the bad.

During the last five years the USDA has continued hammering NAIS enforcements the direction of livestock owners. They have spent over 150 million dollars promoting NAIS sign ups. Over three million animal owners have refused to surrender to NAIS. Current listening sessions have repeatedly proven that over 95% of participants are totally opposed to NAIS. If, after the listening sessions are ended, USDA determines to have their selfish way, and proceeds with NAIS-----that will be the straw that breaks the rancher's back.

A tractor wreck is understandable, but why would non agricultural elected ones intentionally wreck the livelihood of farm families with expensive costs and enforcements of no common sense value? If Congress and the Senate approve NAIS, or anything close to it, under any tricky name, their political approval rating with farmers will be considered totally treasonous, and less appreciated than historically infamous, General Benedict Arnold.

For more facts on NAIS, www.naisSTINKS.com.