The Richmond Register posted an article 11/23/11 — two days ago — inviting farmers to attend an outreach program happening this coming Wednesday 11/30/11 with the KY State Police, UK and the Madison, Jessamine, and Garrard County Extension offices . The stated goal is to “forge enhanced relationships between law enforcement and the agricultural community.”

I don’t doubt that. It’s the topic that has me a little concerned. Apparently, the DOT’s plan is to reclassify all farm vehicles and implements as Commercial.

If this happens, young family members and farm workers who don’t drive on public roads could not drive farm equipment on private property! Further…

…it will place significant regulatory pressure on small farms and family farms all across America – costing them thousands of dollars and possibly forcing many of them out of business.

The … DOT wants new standards that would require all farmers and everyone on the farm to obtain a CDL (Commercial Drivers License) in order to operate any farming equipment. The agency is going to accomplish this by reclassifying all farm vehicles and implements as Commercial Motor Vehicles (CMVs).

The move by the DOT appears to be “legislation through regulation.” By reclassifying all farm vehicles and implements as Commercial, the federal government will now be able to claim regulatory control over the estimated 800,000 farm workers in America, at the same time, overriding the rights of the states. [And giving the Feds the right to come onto your property at will to “inspect.”] Source: TheBlaze.com

What Can You Do?

• Attend the meeting Wednesday night, Nov. 30 at 6 PM in the community room of Central Bank, 550 W Main St., Richmond.

• Get your farm neighbors to attend and speak up!

• Write to Jamie Comer, our new Ag Commissioner, and tell him what you think of this. Click here for his Facebook page. His email addresses are repcomer @ live. com or james.comer @ lrc.ky.gov. You can click on the links or copy; take out the spaces if you copy.

• Print up a flyer (use ours here — DOT to make farm vehicles commercial flyer — or make up your own) and post at your local farm supply stores.

• Tell every farmer there IS a FarmFoodFreedomKY.org coalition. Put flyers in your farmers’ mailboxes or on fences: we have a couple ready to print here. Knock on doors, tell farmers to get on our email list so they know what is happening BEFORE it happens. So we can rally to support them should the need arise. If they don’t have email, get a mailing address and we’ll mail letters. Get phone numbers, too, please. You can send them to us — thank you!

Thank you!

P.S. While you’re at it, put a Farm Food Freedom KY.org bumper sticker on your car!