NPA leaders in front of the USDA Secretary Ann Veneman's House.

Family farmers and urban leaders joined together again this year to fight for environmental justice.

At the Environmental Justice workshop, leaders told stories about their fights against factory farms, garbage transport stations, waste treatment facilities, and other toxic waste sites. Charles Lee, of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) attended the workshop and committed to investigating the complaints.

Unfortunately, Jim Moseley-second in command to US Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman, declined an invitation to the workshop. A fake, stand-in Moseley was promptly kicked out of the room for trying to flush family farms down the toilet.

On Sunday afternoon, six busloads of NPA leaders went to visit Veneman’s home. NPA held people’s court on her front steps, and the NPA judge, the Honorable Vern Tiggis, and jury found her guilty of implementing policies that support factory farms and trying to flush family farms down the toilet.

Leaders left a few calling cards: a toilet (representing her flushing policies) and a bone (that leaders had to pick with her).
“The USDA’s corporate-friendly policies have got to stop,” said Bill Christson, livestock and grain farmer from Chillicoth, MO. “We’re fighting for policies that support family farmers and we expect the USDA to do the same.”

Family Farm leadership also met with representatives from several Iowa and Minnesota Congressional offices. Then family farmers and urban leaders met with top officials from the EPA to tell them what’s going on in their local communities and to demand they take action on our issues.