it's 242 pages. and from what i've read so far, it's mostly legalese and hard-to-follow changes to the existing regulations.
what i would like to do would be to take each section separately, provide the summary and a link to the actual text for anyone brave enough to slough through it, and then...
anyone interested in trying to do an in-depth discussion of the actual bill? i would like to go through it section by section with other smart, sufficient people and really know what we're looking at.
it's QUITE long though.
tried and failed. the writing was going good but life kept getting in the way. but everyone should try it next year (wish it wasn't in November) because it is a really great mental and creative exercise.
so............ super FAIL on my part. November is a TERRIBLE month for me to write. too many birthdays (9, including my own), Thanksgiving, S 510 to worry about, turkeys to butcher and sell, Harry Potter weekend...
i did get quite a bit of writing done and i'm feeling good about it. if nothing...
as Buster pointed out, the Tester-Hagan amendment was passed, even though Big Ag pitched a HUGE hissy fit. so YAY!
but that doesn't mean Big Ag didn't get their claws into it. the amendment originally exempted farms that direct marketed their products to consumers, stores, or restaurants...
here's the part that scares and infuriates me:
so, i hope you weren't planning on doing what small farms have been encouraged to do for decades to increase revenues (like selling value-added products) because then you loose your exemption. and isn't it lovely that they aren't even sure what a...
there is no language directly about ANY of those things. which is what is frightening. the Tester-Hagan amendment was SO IMPORTANT because it took the ambiguity out of the wording and set clear limits on what is a "small farm" and therefore exempt. the problems will come later when the FDA gets...
apparently it has passed 73-25. it's interesting that they had to delay the vote because of so many calls about this bill and yet it still passed by overwhelming majority. they only needed 60 votes...
they are discussing the bill on the Senate floor on CSPAN 2 right now.
the CSPAN 2 ticker says "vote to move forward expected at 6:30pm" it needs 60 yeses.
here's a good article by Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser about S 510. they are basically saying what i'm thinking- that S 510 is good (not perfect) AS LONG AS the Tester-Hagan amendment is included to protect farms that gross under $500,000 a year.
of course, the federal changes can only be...
unfortunantly, i'm looking for the 5 or 6 quart, which are a lot more expensive. they do have the 4.5 quart for $199 (the $150 is now sold out), but i need the bigger one with more power... my grandmother has the 4.5 and it's not quite enough.
there are a lot of refurbished ones for sale on...
i have no idea where the figures in this video came from, but i think it's interesting information. how much were your Senators "contributed" to by pro S 510 interest groups?
video
there is one Goodwill that i always make it a point to hit up. it's near the really rich neighborhoods in Knoxville and all the wealthy people send their stuff there. so you can usually find good quality stuff that's been well cared for for a few dollars. i've gotten some really great serving...
1. If someone offered a year long trip around the world to all the places I wanted to go and to do all the things I wanted to do and it was on sale for less than $5,000 (I'll be fair and not insist on $1)
2. If someone was having a Black Friday farm sale and they were practically giving away a)...