Subject: July Newsletter: Happy Birthday to Us!

Happy summer, Friend! Welcome to the July edition of our newsletter.


Today we'll kick things off with a note from our Executive Director Alexia before diving into some policy updates, a hotline blotter, and a call for member stories.


Thanks for reading and for your steadfast support for our mission.


IT'S OUR BIRTHDAY

As many of you know, FTCLDF was created on Independence Day, July 4, 2007, to protect the rights and viability of independent farmers, artisanal food producers and their consumers.


This year, as we celebrate 18 years of serving the regenerative agriculture community, we are reflecting on the consistently increasing demand for local, sustainably grown and raised food, and the continual resistance by government authorities.


FTCLDF will be keeping you updated with some exciting new changes in the coming months to assist in its efforts to protect our members’ rights.


In the meantime, if you wish to assist in our efforts to represent real food, please donate!

MEMBER SURVEY

It’s that time of year again! Tell us how we’re doing and what you need from us with this brief survey.


Your answers influence how we spend our team’s time and resources, so please take a few minutes to fill this out by the end of July.

FOOD & FARM POLICY UPDATE

Our policy team is hard at work preparing a full summary of the various federal and state food and farm bills they've been tracking this year. So much has happened, and many bills are still in motion.


The outcome of these policies will determine how food is produced and who can access it — so stay tuned, and be sure to open any Action Alerts that may come your way!


In the meantime, here's a teaser of what they're working on:

  • State: Wyoming

  • Bill: Wyoming Senate File 0120

  • Status: PASSED (Victory!)

  • What it does: Effective July 1st, 2025, the Wyoming PRIME Act authorizes producers of meat products produced from cattle, sheep, swine, and goats raised by the producer and slaughtered on the producer's premises or at a custom slaughter facility (where an inspector is not present) to sell the meat products as long as the products are produced from animals that are raised, slaughtered, processed, and sold directly to an informed consumer in Wyoming. The meat must also include a warning that it has not been inspected, so the meat product cannot be resold, donated, or redistributed.

  • Why we like it: Wyoming's PRIME Act protects the producer-consumer relationship from regulatory overreach, opens up a new sales avenue for meat producers, and makes it easier for consumers to purchase food from their neighbors. We’re also watching the progress of a federal PRIME Act that will open up similar sales avenues across the country, so keep an eye on our updates and action alerts to get engaged!

HOTLINE BLOTTER

Our Member Hotline consistently ranks as the benefit our members value most. This 24-hour resource is there for surprise inspections or short-notice regulatory interruptions of a member’s farm, ranch, or business.


Once a quarter, we summarize the calls we receive in our Hotline Blotter, as well as other, non-emergency requests for legal advice.


While we will always protect the privacy of our members, these anonymized summaries show the types of challenges facing your fellow farmers, homesteaders, and cottage food producers.


Head over to our website to check it out!

NEW FTCLDF STAFFER

Meet Dee, our team's newest member!


Hailing from Maine, Dee handles FTCLDF’s communications needs: action alerts, social media posts, website updates, member testimonials, and newsletters — just like this one!

MEMBER STORIES

Speaking of testimonials, do you have a story to tell about how FTCLDF helped you, your farm or ranch, or your business?

We want to hear from you! Your story could help us reach more producers in need of our services, influence policymakers, and educate consumers on why food freedom matters.


If you’re interested, contact Dee anytime at dee@farmtoconsumer.org.

TIPS FOR MEMBERS

Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund is here to protect, defend, and broaden the rights of farmers, ranchers, artisanal food producers and their consumers.


Below are a few tips to help make communicating with us work better, so that we have greater capacity to serve more members in their legal needs.

Contact us directly from your phone, computer or tablet.


💻 The best way to contact us regarding a legal need is through our contact forms! This helps document the inquiry in your own words so we can process it faster and speak with our members sooner.

  • You don’t even need to be logged in. We will link your inquiry to your membership profile!

  • You can also attach one file to a contact form, so if you have a citation or nontice of violation, please attach as this will streamline the process.

☎️ Of course, you can always contact us by telephone, at office number  (703) 208-FARM (3276)

  • If you are calling during working hours, 9:00 – 6:00 EST, please call the office phone, even if your inquiry involves an emergency. 

  • If the line is busy and directs you to voicemail, please leave a voicemail.  We will be in contact! 

🚨 Off hours emergency: during non-working hours, if you have an emergency ("inspector coming tomorrow!") please call the 24- Hour Emergency Hotline: (800) 867-5891. 

👋 FTCLDF provides preventive consulting!!! Do not wait until you receive a Notice of Violation before contacting FTCLDF.

  • Please contact us with any legal question you have regarding your farm, ranch, or food production business to prevent problems.

  • Please do not simply IGNORE notices from the government. We know, you may receive an unreasonable request, or a Notice of Violation that must be unlawful.

  • Contact us at the earliest stage of any kind of ordinance violation or government investigation – this is when it may be easiest for FTCLDF to help you resolve the issue.

📃 Contact us regarding any potential policy change in your state or local government.

👩‍🌾 And of course, we love to hear from our members even if you do not have a problem!

That's all for this month! Feel free to reach out if you need anything, and as always, we appreciate your support.


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