Re: comments on UDSA/NOP cost and benefits to organic farmers

Douglas Hinds (dmhinds@acnet.net)
Sun, 05 Oct 1997 23:01:04 -0600

I sympathize with your position but believe you're the one to do the job
and get this changed. You don't need a law or science degree - you DO
need to get people behind this. How do you think it came to be that all
the commercial tunafish packers got on the band wagon so that fewer
dolphins were killed? It was a grass roots mobilization. It's your
decision but my point is that you have within your power the means to
make YOUR point heard, respected and hopefully, acted on, and that no
one else is in a better position to do so. YOU are being affected and
have taken the trouble to say so. But when more than 100 people are
involved in an issue, it gets beyond a town hall one man - one vote type
of thing and becomes necessarily a "representitive democracy" which is
NOT a democrasy. Some people who may NOT be knowledgeable are making
decisions that affect others like yourself and everyone else who eats
organic food or just plain cares about the issue. I'm trying to be
constructive in relation to your postings but if you don't buy it, I
won't bother mentioning this again. But I do hope SOMEONE who's as
involved as you are does what's needed, because the thing IS out of
control so just grap the god damn wheel - unless you'd rather just bitch
about it. You can probably get people to pitch in and help you spread
the word, make phone calls, collect signatures, send out letters, e-mail
and help you get grants for all that. So go for it. Sez me!

sal wrote:
>
> At 11:53 AM 10/5/97 -0600, Douglas Hinds wrote:
> >sal wrote:
> >>
> >> It has been said of me that I sound angry.I am
> >
> >It is clear to me that you raise valid points that should be presented
> >to a concerned public. Since you are the one that sees and feels these
> >things things (I myself am out of the U.S. most of the time and am not
> >presently farming in the U.S. so you are certainly taking the heat more
> >I am, for instance), you are the logical one to provide the leadership
> >needed to drive these points home to the people in policy making
> >positions.
>
> that is my whole point !organic growing is now a political football and it
> is in the hands for those folks that play the political game the best not
> me I only know how to farm organic. . I have enough problems now. I have
> all ready made the certifiers,inspectors and USDA mad at me. Good let them
> know what every organic growers feels every day . Mistrust ! That is what
> they show me and I am a mirror so I mistrust them sameway. and it is not
> for any wrong they have done or that I have done/ . I like my certifier
> and have for years but they are busy saving their own rear ends. They have
> to fight for every inch and they don't seem to mind sacrificing the small
> farmers money to get their way. They sold us out trying to save us. The
> inspectors are not going to ask that the farmer not pay because they get
> their pay from us. you see all these folks that are supposed to be
> representing us now have to represent themselfs. And the state and the
> government say they know there needs to be regulations but who will pay for
> it and our own certifiers and others in the movement say get it from the
> farmer who grows organic . I say WRONG So I have to say please don't
> speak for me anymore as you seem to have walked all over me and I put my
> trust in you all and supported you all for years and you left me holding
> the bag. This is not what organic growing is about. They were supposed
> to be our mouth peace and they have done a bad job as it is the organic
> farmer that has to pay for this whole deal . Most small farmers are not
> into politics and now organic growing is a political football. I think the
> public comment is
> Bull shit and that we organic growers have already been hung up to dry. I
> have seen enough public comments to know its a lot of noise signifying
> nothing. The USDA is going to do what they want no matter what. They own
> all the words. It is their agenda and they have the guns. You need a law
> degree and a science degree just to talk to them. They don't have hearts
> they don't care about morals or religion or even ethics .they don't mind
> oppressing the poor .Just look they made the small farmer thing only $5000
> every one that makes over that small amount is fair game for a tax. And it
> is not just one tax you have to pay off a whole lot of folks. If you
> cannot afford to pay off all these folks you are out of bussiness. You
> cannot reason with people like this. The only thing they know is "Show me
> the money." They don't want to see signatures they want to see the
> money!!!. The USDA says they want to help the small farmer yet in the same
> year they make up a special tax to drop right on them and them alone. Help
> like this I don't need.
>
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-- 


Douglas M. Hinds, Director General
Centro para el Desarrollo Comunitario y Rural A.C. (CeDeCoR)
(Center for Community and Rural Development) - (non profit)
Petronilo Lopez No. 73 (Street Address)
Apdo. Postal No. 61 (Mailing Address)
Cd. Guzman, Jalisco 49000 MEXICO
U.S. Voice Mailbox:  1 630 300 0550 (e-mail linked)
U.S. Fax Mailbox:  1 630 300 0555 (e-mail linked)
Tel. & Fax:  011 523 412 6308 (direct)
e-mail: cedecor@ipnet.com.mx, dmhinds@acnet.net, dhinds@.ucol.mx




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