Do you care about the quality of your food?  Do you care about the sustainability of farming and the health of our planet earth?  Do you want the freedom to choose your own foods?  Do you want our small family farms to be able to survive?  Do you believe the FDA (and other government agencies) have over-regulated our food supply?  Do you believe that domestic animals should be treated well and allowed to live a healthy, natural life?  There are many more such questions, but you get the idea.  If you believe in any of these or just the general philosophy that eating nutritious foods is good for our physical and mental health, you should seriously consider joining the Farm & Ranch Freedom Alliance (FARFA).

Here’s FARFA’s stated goal: The Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance (FARFA) is an advocate for independent farmers, ranchers, livestock owners, and homesteaders, as well as the consumers who support family farmers. By protecting independent producers, we protect the safety, quality, and availability of our food.

FARFA, founded by Judith McGeary, an attorney and sustainable farmer, is based in Austin, TX, and is active in Texas food freedom and farming issues.  Judith and her husband have a small grass fed cattle ranch just outside of Austin.

However, although FARFA is very active in Texas food freedom, it is not just a Texas organization; FARFA is very active at the national level. FARFA has been involved in many areas, including NAIS and Animal ID, food safety, and genetically engineered foods.  On the Animal ID proposed regulations, “FARFA led a coalition of 38 organizations in a letter to OMB, pointing out the many flaws in USDA’s cost analysis and urging OMB to send the rule back to USDA for a proper cost analysis.”  FARFA has worked with the Weston A. Price Foundation and the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund on the Food Safety Bills.  Also, FARFA has been very active in court cases supporting organic farmers against Monsanto.  FARFA is currently very active in support of California’s Proposition 37, the right to know what’s in our food, because of the huge potential impact on all of America’s food.

Locally in Texas, FARFA has been very active in working with the Texas legislature to improve access to raw milk and homemade foods, the Cottage Foods Rule.

I find that among the most important benefits to FARFA members are the email alerts on food issues.  The alerts provide good explanations of the problems and also suggest various ways we can help, from calling legislators to writing emails to donating funds.  Their newsletter is full of news and updates on the food freedom issues they are supporting.  The latest newsletter, October 2012, includes information about the current Farm Bill, Animal ID, and much more.  To help coordinate activities, FARFA has set up monthly conference calls on several subjects: GMOs (national), raw milk (Texas), and local foods (Texas).  Also, they’ve offered to help other states in areas where they have experience in working with legislatures.  This is just a small sample of what the FARFA offers.

If you really care about the quality of the food you eat, please consider joining FARFA.  They’re working for all of us.  Let’s support them in that work.  I’m proud to be a member.