So what does it take to get our legislators to eat real food?  Take it to them!  Last Tuesday was the 4^th annual Maryland Independent Consumers and Farmers Association lobby and legislative brunch in Annapolis.  At this annual event, Marylanders take food from their farms or from other local farmers and we feed our legislators REAL FOOD.  Yes, that’s right, we feed them foods like fresh milk, ice cream made from fresh cream, deviled eggs from pastured chickens, full fat yogurt, chicken salad from pastured chickens and many other homegrown delights.

The brunch is designed to get our independent farmers and consumers connecting directly with their legislators on the issues surrounding food and food choices. Farmers and consumers come together to create a spread of food in one of the office buildings in Annapolis.  Farmers stand behind their products, serve the legislators and tell them about where this food came from.

We do this to educate our elected Delegates and Senators and inspire them to create laws that will reduce the regulatory burden on our small farms so that farmers and consumers can engage directly in private sales without bureaucratic interference.

This year, some small-scale pastured poultry farmers met with their legislators to educate them about the regulatory hurdles they must jump in order to sell their delicious, nutritious food.  Two legislators immediately offered to sponsor legislation overturning some of those burdens and supporting a reduction in regulations for these farmers.  We now have a bill that, when passed, will give farmers the opportunity to sell their poultry at farmers markets making it easier for consumers to get great, pastured poultry.  We’ve got a ways to go before the bill is signed into law, but the first steps were taken as farmers and legislators shared a meal in Annapolis.