IMPORTANT FACTORY FARM MORATORIUM CALL TO ACTION!

Have you had a chance to write testimony to support the Factory Farm Moratorium yet? If yes, THANK YOU! Your voice is so important! If not, legislators are hearing from farmers and farm lobbyists who feel that these Mega-CAFOs are the path forward for agriculture in our state and should benefit from regulatory exemptions, and if you disagree, now is the time to speak up!  We have provided instructions, a template and key talking points so it will only take only a few minutes to join our collective voice. We want to move this bill forward and YOU (especially looking at you, Oregon farmers!) are essential in that process!

SB 85-1 Factory Farm Moratorium – CALL FOR TESTIMONY!

There was a second hearing on 3/13 at 8am so the written testimony deadline is on Wednesday, March 15th at 8am. 

You should submit written testimony if:

You are a farmer

You are a rural Oregonian

You have experience living near a factory farm

You are a food system advocate living in an urban center

You are a healthcare professional concerned about these facilities and public health

You are concerned about the climate change impacts of factory farms in Oregon

We need to show strength in numbers! During the informational hearing on 2/28, Senator Golden said that his committee feels obligated to pay close attention to written testimony when they have to limit the length of spoken testimony. We need to send as many pieces of written testimony in as possible to show the broad support for this bill.

We must take action to halt the expansion of factory farming in our state until we have protections in place for the environment, animal welfare, family farms, and frontline communities. 

Are You a Farmer in One of the Districts of a Ways and Means On Natural Resources Committee Member? WE NEED YOUR HELP!

The next step forward with the Factory Farm Moratorium is to let the committee members know you care about this issue. If you are a farmer in a district of one of the members of the Joint Committee On Ways and Means Subcommittee On Natural Resources, they need to hear from you! If you are not a farmer, please share with your farmer friends!

Here are the members:

Senator Michael Dembrow

Representative Khanh Pham

Senator Dick Anderson

Senator Lew Frederick

Representative Paul Holvey

Representative Bobby Levy

Representative Emerson Levy

Representative Mark Owens

This is an important moment for SB 85-1! If you can take a minute to encourage your legislator to support SB 85-1, we can help move this bill forward. As a farmer and a member in their district, your voice will be the loudest and most influential. We have language ready to go for you and by just clicking a couple of buttons your legislator will be contacted, BUT we encourage you to personalize the email because it is important for legislators to know why YOU care about a factory farm moratorium in Oregon. Please share why you personally want to stop the expansion of factory farms in Oregon, or how living near factory farms has impacted your life. Thank you for taking the time to be a part of a path towards a more local, diversified, and interconnected agricultural future.

***A special note to folks in Emerson Levy’s district (House District 53, which includes north Bend, south Redmond, Tumalo, Sisters, Eagle Crest and Black Butte) – we need extra support in this area so please help us spread the word!