U.S. Food Security. Farmer Fair Practices Rules.. FARM BILL Preliminaries

Tell USDA to Restore Fairness for Farmers and Ranchers

	Action Alert
Dear friends & allies, After being blocked and delayed for years by Congress, the Obama Administration published new Farmer Fair Practices Rules in its final days and launched another public comment period. USDA heard, again, from family farmers and ranchers that these rules are essential to level the playing field between independent livestock producers and big packers. On April 11, despite widespread support from independent producers, USDA caved to industry pressure and delayed the effective date of the interim final rule on competitive injury for 180 days, until October 19. USDA has opened yet another comment period on one of the three rules, the interim final competitive injury rule, and is asking the public to vote on what should happen to this rule: let it become effective, suspend the rule indefinitely, delay the effective date further, or withdraw the rule. The competitive injury rule includes essential safeguards to restore fairness for producers seeking justice under the Packers and Stockyards Act.   Under the interim final competitive injury rule, ranchers contesting unfair meatpacker contracting and buying practices would not have to prove a practice harms the whole market to prove the practice is unfair. Take action today and tell USDA that the competitive injury rule must become effective on October 19. Comments are due June 12, 2017. Here’s how you can submit your comment: Step 1 Copy one of the draft comments below (or write your own): Draft Comment 1 I am writing to provide comments with regard to 9 CFR Part 201, Federal Register Number 2017-07361, posted on April 12, 2017. I urge the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to let the Interim Final Rule on Competitive Injury to become effective on October 19. This long-overdue rule takes important steps to ensure that ranchers and farmers are treated fairly and have some safeguards against unfair buying and marketing practices from meatpackers. Draft Comment 2 I am writing to provide comments with regard to 9 CFR Part 201, Federal Register Number 2017-07361, posted on April 12, 2017. The competitive injury rule is necessary to restore fairness for producers seeking justice under the Packers and Stockyards Act. I urge USDA to let the rule become effective On October 19. Draft Comment 3 I am writing to provide comments with regard to 9 CFR Part 201, Federal Register Number 2017-07361, posted on April 12, 2017. I strongly urge USDA to allow the Interim Final Rule (IFR) to go into effect, without any further delay. It’s time to restore the original intent of the Packers & Stockyards Act. Step 2 Paste your comment on this page: https://www.regulations.gov/comment?D=GIPSA_FRDOC_0001-0398 Step 3 – Submit the Comment Add any additional information you’d like to include, and click on the “Continue” button. On the next page, confirm you’ve read the statement and click on the “Submit Comment” button. If you have any trouble submitting your comment, please click here to email Rachel Zatterstrom.
Western Organization of Resource Councils 220 S 27TH ST STE B BILLINGS, MT 59101-4106 United States 406-252-9672

June 1, 2017. Hurricane Season Starts. FEMA Encourages People to Prepare Now

Private Sector Advisory

FEMA Encourages People to Prepare Now for the 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season

June 1, 2017

WASHINGTON – The Atlantic hurricane season starts today, and there is no better time to get ready than now. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) encourages residents and businesses across the nation to prepare by understanding their risk, planning together for the entire family, and downloading the FEMA App.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center seasonal outlook for 2017, released last week, states that the Atlantic could see an above-normal hurricane season this year. The full seasonal forecast is linked at www.noaa.gov/media-release/above-normal-atlantic-hurricane-season-is-most-likely-year.

Both hurricanes and tropical systems have the potential to cause serious damage to coastal and inland areas.  Their hazards could come in many forms including storm surge, heavy rainfall, coastal and inland flooding, high winds, and tornadoes. 

“The time to prepare for hurricanes and tropical storms is now, before a threat even exists,” said FEMA Acting Administrator Robert J. Fenton, Jr. “We want people who live in coastal and nearby inland areas to know where they can get reliable information; prepare their home and workplace ahead of time; know if they live in an evacuation zone and be familiar with evacuation routes. Knowing what to do and practicing your plan now can make the difference between life and death if a hurricane or tropical storm does strike.”

There is a lot of information available to help individuals and communities prepare:

Know Your Risk: Residents should learn what types of natural disasters are common in their state.  NOAA’s historical hurricane tracks tool provides information on the severity and frequency of past hurricanes. 

Learn Your Flood Risk: Flooding is the nation’s most frequent and costly natural disaster. Go to FloodSmart.gov and learn how to protect your home or business. Purchase a flood insurance policy if you do not already have one.

Make A Plan: Residents should speak with their family today about how they will communicate with each other during a significant weather event when they may not be together, or during an evacuation order.

Download the FEMA App: The FEMA App contains important information on what to do before, during, and after a hurricane. The App also allows users to receive weather alerts from NOAA’s National Weather Service, includes lifesaving safety tips, and provides access to disaster resources should survivors need them. The App is available in the Apple App store or the Google Play store, and is also available in Spanish.

Know your evacuation zone: Evacuation zones are areas that may be impacted by hurricane flooding. Many communities designate evacuation zones and routes to get citizens to safety. This information is typically found on the websites of state, county, or town emergency management offices. If a hurricane threatens a community and local officials say it's time to evacuate, residents should evacuate immediately. Do not wait for the next forecast.

While much attention is often given to the Atlantic hurricane season, there are tropical systems that can affect many other areas around the nation. To learn more about hurricane seasons in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, visit www.hurricanes.gov. To learn more on how to prepare before, during, and after a hurricane, visit www.ready.gov.

Additional tips and resources:

• www.ready.gov/animals
• www.ready.gov/business
• www.ready.gov/alerts

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Follow FEMA online at www.fema.gov/blog, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema and www.youtube.com/fema.  Also, follow Acting Administrator Bob Fenton's activities at www.twitter.com/bobatfema. The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.