1. BUY LOCAL
There are many ways that YOU can help support local sustainable
farming practices. Of course, the most basic way is to buy as much of your food as possible from local farms practicing ecologically-friendly
sustainable agriculture. This not only keeps small farms such as ours in business but also helps increase demand for healthy
food and encourages the long-term viability of small, local producers while pushing for a higher standard in the food industry
as a whole. Our present day agri-business model will never change until there is a shift in demand along with an informed
public outcry against the industry as a whole. To learn more about farms in Floyd County
please visit our links to local producers. If you do not live near Floyd County, VA, you can visit our links page and find
producers close to you through websites such as eatwellguide.com, eatwild.com, and localharvest.com.
2. BECOME EDUCATED
Another way to support local sustainable agriculture is to educate yourself on
contemporary issues about the food industry. There are a number of great websites and books on this subject. To find out more
please visit our links page to view some of the books and websites that we have found particularly helpful.
3. TAKE ACTION
If you become convinced, as we have, that the standard factory-farm methodology is unhealthy
and unethical, then please take a few minutes to visit the following websites and sign petitions against current legislation
that could destroy local sustainable farming.
The most serious pending legislation that we know of is:
THE USDA NATIONAL ANIMAL IDENTIFICATION SYSTEM (NAIS)
The plan with the NAIS is to have every animal in the United States tagged by 2008 in order to ‘track disease.’ The USDA plans to make owners of even one horse, cow, pig, goat, sheep, chicken, or pigeon register in a government
database and subject their property and animals to constant federal and state government surveillance. The animal owner will
have to pay for the privilege of owning animals.
This plan is taking place, in part, in order to help large corporations export to countries
who are understandably concerned with the health of animals raised in U.S.
factory farms. Small farms will, in effect, be penalized the most even though they are not the source of the diseases wishing
to be tracked. If the NAIS is enacted, it could effectively put small farms out of business – and you will no longer
be able to purchase healthy local food from farms such as Weathertop Farm.
Here are a couple of websites with more details about the NAIS:
