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LONG txt. Help organic growers in Ca.



 Redirect Funding To Support Alternatives to Pesticides and California's
Organic Farmers California's pesticide 'mil tax" the major funding source
for the state's pesticide regulation programs, is slated to be cut in half
this year.  During the current session, the California legislature will
take up bills to reauthorize the 'mil tax' and determine both the level
and use of the tax.  Members of the sustainable community believe that a
significant portion of mil tax money should be dedicated to the
pesticide-use reduction.  Organic farmers are advocating that California's
organic growers be supported by the State for their significant
contribution in pesticide-use reduction and not burdened with a
registration fee to the California Department of Food and Agriculture's
(CDFA) California Organic Program (COP) . Encouraging organic farming in
California is one of the best strategies for reducing pesticide use in the
state.  With your help we can eliminate registration fees for the
California Organic Program and substitute COP funding with pesticide mil
taxes. 

 BE PART OF THE SOLUTION Chemical companies and other lobbyists
will be working hard to gut funding for programs that help farmers adopt
environmentally sound farming practices.  Farmers,environmentalists,and
other concerned citizens are working together to maintain mil tax funding
and redirect it to support alternative pest management approaches.  You
can be part of the solution by contacting a Ca. state representative. 


WHAT WE NEED Please write a letter to your /and or a Ca. Senator and/or
Assembly Member.  A brief informal note is fine-the most important thing
is that your voice be heard.

  WHAT ELSE YOU CAN-DO Share this alert with
others and encourage them to write.  Send a copy of your letter to a local
newspaper Meet with your legislator in Ca.  CCOF is a member of California
Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (SAWG). California SAWG can help you
set up and prepare for the meeting . Meeting are currently being arranged
in several counties-contact Nadine at CCOF right away if your interested. 
Also if you can find a CA. state Senator and /or Assembly member on the
internet please send them Email. Let your voice be heard. 

 Letter Writing
 and Email tips
 Keep it short,simple and to the point Identify yourself as
organic grower ,voter in your representatives district etc.  Urge him/her
to support legislation that earmarks a percentage of mil tax revenues for
programs that develop and extend alternative farm management techniques,
like Biologically Integrated Farming Systems(BIFS) Recommend that he/she
advocate elimination of the registration fees to the California Organic
Program by substituting funding with pesticide mil taxes.  Ask for a
prompt written response. Example:  (Please let me know if I can count on
your support of these programs) Send your letter to The Honorable (name of
Senator and/or Assembly Member) State Capitol ,Sacramento,Ca. 95814

Crucial legislators include:  Senate Agriculture and Water Resources
Committee: 
Ayala,Costa,Craven,Johannessen,Johson,Kelly,Kopp,Mello,Monteith,
Rogers,Thompson,Wright. 
Assembly Agriculture Committee: 
Alpert,Bates,Battin,Bordonaro,Brown,Brulte,Cannella
,Cortese,Friedman,Frusetta,Granlund,Harvey,Hog,Lee,McPherson,Vasconcelos. 

Key Senators:  Costa(Fresno,Kern,Madera,Tulare,Kings) Johnson
(Sacramento,San Juaquin) Maddy {Fresno,Kern,Tulare} O'Connell {San Luis
Obispo,Santa Barbara) Thompson(parts of Humboldt,Mendocino,Napa)

 Note:
This alert was developed based on one written by CCOF and one 
written by ,California Alliance
with Family Farmers (CAFF) and California Sustainable Agriculture Working
Group (SAWG)
 
thanks for taking the time to help us organic farmers. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


--

Sal Schettino,Organic Farmer,don't panic eat organic,sals@rain.org
or check out my homepage:            http://www.rain.org/~sals/my.html    .