Press Conference, Rally and Public Hearing Tomorrow in Augusta

May 6, 2013

CALLING FARMER BROWN COALITION!

PRESS CONFERENCE comes on the heels of Blue Hill farmer Dan Brown losing case against the Maine Department of Agriculture and State of Maine for unlicensed food sales.

Tuesday, May 7: Press Conference hosted by Food for Maine’s Future at 12:00pm in the State House, Welcome Center

Scheduled to speak:
Rep. Craig Hickman, Winthrop
Farmer and small business owner. Sponsor of LD1287 An Act to Deregulate Face-to-Face Transactions between the People and Small Farms and Small Food Producers.

Emma Simanton, Brooksville
Licensed dairy farmer and co-coordinator of Blue Hill’s Local Food Exchange.

Rep. Brian Jones, Freedom
Co-sponsor of LD 1287 and LD 475 An Act to Increase Food Sovereignty in Local Communities

Farmers, patrons, legislators, and representatives of Maine towns that have passed Local Food & Community Self-Governance Ordinances, TBA

Followed by public hearings in Room 214 of the Cross Bldg.:

Tuesday, May 7: Public Hearing on LD-1287 An Act to Deregulate Face-to-Face Transactions between the People and Small Farms and Small Food Producers will begin at 1pm in Cross Building, Room 214.
Bill Summary: This bill facilitates direct sales between Maine farmers and consumers. It allows persons preparing food in their own homes to sell directly to consumers or to offer homemade food at certain events without being licensed as food establishments.

Public Hearing on LD-1282 An Act To Help Small Farmers in Selling Raw Milk and Homemade Food Products

Bill Summary: This bill exempts from state licensing and inspection requirements homestead food operations and raw milk producers who sell small quantities of certain food products or raw milk products made or produced at the person’s residence or farm if the food products or raw milk products are sold directly from the person’s home or farm or farm stand or at a farmers’ market within the State.

Leave a Comment » | Saving Seeds | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by savingseeds

Fast for Fair Food – Breaking the Fast – Day 6

March 10, 2012

Day Five of the Fast for Fair Food has winded down and an update of “fast postcards” pictorial has been posted.  It has been a week of high energy, spiritual bonding, a shared struggle for peace and justice.  As we head into Day Six, the eve of which we will break fast, there is tireless commitment, and relentless hope that the end of the fast will see also the end of the fight with Publix for “a penny a pound” and signing of Publix to the Fair Food Program.  Read the rest of this entry »

3 Comments | Migrant Farmworkers, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by savingseeds

Fast for Fair Food – Day 3

March 8, 2012

Greetings from Immokalee, Florida! Since Monday I have been fasting alongside the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and their allies in support of justice and dignity for Florida farmworkers in front of grocery giant Publix in Lakeland, Florida. It has been an honor sharing this time with the CIW, members of the Student Farmworker Alliance, numerous clergy from many faiths, and supporters from around Florida and the U.S.. Our fast is going well and everyone is in high spirits. We take strength from knowing that it is not a question as to “if” Publix will sign the Fair Food Agreement and help end poverty and abuse of Florida farmworkers, but “when”. Over the past year Food for Maine’s Future has marched and protested in solidarity with the CIW and I am often asked, “what does it have to do with us here in Maine?” Well, if you’ve eaten a tomato, an orange, or a strawberry this winter you can thank CIW members and others who work in the fields tending and harvesting these crops, because it’s likely come from Florida and even possibly from here in Immokalee, where I sit awaiting the weekly meeting at CIW headquarters. Food for Maine’s Future’s growing alliance with the CIW is bringing together the shared struggle of farmworkers and family farmers, because we understand that it is the same agricultural policies, the same foreign policies, and the same corporations who keep family farmers and farmworkers in poverty and prevent us from creating the kind of food system we know is fair, sustainable, and just. Standing together we will win justice and dignity for all who work to feed us, from seed to table. Please take a moment to share the CIW’s inspiring story with friends and family. Here’s a link to video of Day One of our 5 day Fast for Fair Food — http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPd_ttxDwx0&feature=youtu.be

In peace and solidarity,
Bob

Leave a Comment » | Migrant Farmworkers, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by savingseeds

“Fast for Fair Food” – Supporting Coalition of Immokalee Workers

March 5, 2012

Today is day one of the “Fast for Fair Food” in support of Coalition of Immokalee Workers 150 participants, who include Food For Maine’s Future Executive Director, Bob St. Peter, are fasting in front of Publix’s Headquarters in Lakeland, FL. Fasters will have “daily medical check-ups, music, presentations, and standing in witness to the daily struggle for survival of their fellow farmworkers in the fields of Florida.” Support is coming in from all over the world. Many are holding their own fast where they live in solidarity for the workers.

Read the rest of this entry »

2 Comments | Migrant Farmworkers | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by savingseeds

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 1,506 other followers