2012 -- H 8264

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LC02831

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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2012

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H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N

RECOGNIZING RHODY FRESH FARMERS

     Introduced By: Representatives Naughton, Walsh, Valencia, Gallison, and Kennedy

     Date Introduced: June 12, 2012

     Referred To: House read and passed

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     WHEREAS, It’s hard to imagine that the delicious milk in the now-so-familiar blue

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carton that we pick up at our local grocery store each week wasn’t available just nine short years

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ago; and

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     WHEREAS, For many years, farmers across our country have been struggling to stay on

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their land due to numerous economic and social factors. Rhode Island alone had almost 80 dairy

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farms in the not-so-distant past; and  

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     WHEREAS, In 2002, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management,

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Division of Agriculture awarded the dairy farmers in Rhode Island a $21,370 USDA Farm

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Viability Grant. This grant started the ball rolling for Rhody Fresh Milk. In 2004, on the brink of

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extinction, a group of local farmers, who were deeply committed to farming and the traditions

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and values that it promotes, joined forces to save Rhode Island’s dairy farms and thus, Rhody

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Fresh was on its way; and

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     WHEREAS, Rhody Fresh Milk is produced by the Rhode Island Dairy Farmers

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Cooperative, an alliance originally consisting of five farmers. These founding farmers include

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Barry James of Tomaquag Farm in Westerly, Louie Escobar of Highland Farm in Portsmouth,

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Glen Cottrell of Cottrell Homestead in West Kingston, Melissa Breene of Breene Hollow Farm in

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West Greenwich, and Scooter LaPrise of Emma Acres in Exeter; and

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     WHEREAS, The Rhody Fresh Cooperative has grown to encompass nine dairy farms

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located throughout the state and now includes Kevin Breene and his son, Steven, and daughter,

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Melissa, of Breene Hollow Farm in West Greenwich, Trina and Gary Marsh of Elmrock Farm,

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Scooter and Cynthia LaPrise of Emma Acres in Exeter, and Rodney Bailey and his son, Paul, of

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The Baily Brook Farm; and

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     WHEREAS, This grass roots effort could not have succeeded without tremendous

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sacrifices such as that of the Escobars of Highland Farm, who used their farm as collateral for an

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EDC loan to cover startup costs, and the involvement of individuals like Ken Ayars, Chief of the

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Division of Agriculture, as well as the support of agencies like Rhode Island Department of

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Environmental Management, who were vitally important to the success of Rhody Fresh; and

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     WHEREAS, Because of the grass roots efforts of these Rhody Fresh Farmers and in

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response to the increasing demand for locally-produced food, the Cooperative will be expanding

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its dairy production to include products like butter and cheese; and

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     WHEREAS, Rhody Fresh farmers are responsible for providing the necessities of

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everyday life for many of us and their passionate commitment to agriculture and our state has

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distinguished them as persons worthy of our utmost admiration and gratitude; now, therefore be it

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     RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and

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Providence Plantations hereby honors and applauds Rhody Fresh Farmers and all those

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individuals who assisted in quenching Rhode Islanders’ thirst for local agriculture; and be it

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further 

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     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to

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transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to Barry James, Louie Escobar, Glen Cottrell,

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Melissa Breene, Scooter LaPrise, Ken Ayars, Chief of the Division of Agriculture, and the

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Director of the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management.

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LC02831

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