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Linda Faillace

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Mad Sheep: The True Story Behind the USDA's War on a Family Farm Hardcover – September 1, 2006

by Linda Faillace (Author)

28

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In the mid-1990s Linda and Larry Faillace had a dream: they wanted to breed sheep and make cheese on their Vermont farm. They did the research, worked hard, followed the rules, and, after years of preparation and patience, built a successful, entrepreneurial business. But just like that, their dream turned into a nightmare. The U.S. Department of Agriculture told them that the sheep they imported from Europe (with the USDA's seal of approval) carried a disease similar to the dreaded BSE or "mad cow disease." After months of surveillance--which included USDA agents spying from nearby mountaintops and comically hiding behind bushes--armed federal agents seized their flock. The animals were destroyed, the Faillace's lives turned upside down, all so that the USDA could show the U.S. meat industries that they were protecting America from mad cow disease--and by extension, easing fears among an increasingly wary population of meat-eaters. Mad Sheep is the account of one family's struggle against a bullying and corrupt government agency that long ago abandoned the family farmer to serve the needs of corporate agriculture and the industrialization of our food supply. Similar to the national best-selling book, A Civil Action, readers will cheer on this courageous family in its fight for justice in the face of politics as usual and the implacable bureaucracy of the farm industry in Washington, DC.

Print length

324 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Chelsea Green
Publication date

September 1, 2006
Dimensions

6.25 x 1 x 9.25 inches
ISBN-10

1933392096
ISBN-13

978-1933392097
See all details

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

If this were a novel, you probably wouldn't believe it. But the story of a Vermont farming family driven out of business by a government agency is true--and truly frightening. When the Faillaces (author Linda and her husband, Larry) went into the sheep-farming business, they followed every USDA guideline. Then, once their operation was running, that same agency told them their sheep would have to be destroyed because they might spread "mad cow" disease. Despite the Faillaces' abundant proof that their sheep were disease free--and, moreover, posed no risk whatsoever--the USDA forcibly shut the farm down. The agency's actions ultimately had nothing to do with the health of the Faillaces' sheep but much to do with the health of the American beef industry, which could be adversely affected if people believed there was mad cow in the U.S. The author has every right to be bitter, but she maintains an even tone, presenting us with the evidence and letting us see what happened and why. But if you can read the book without getting mad, you're not reading it carefully. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"If you think your government wouldn't really lurk in the bushes to spy on you and use its police power to bully you--get ready for a rude awakening. Mad Sheep sounds like a crime thriller Agatha Christie would dream up, but it's a real life nightmare lived by the Faillace family." --Jim Hightower, Hightower Radio

"From the hearthside warmth of children farmer-entrepreneurs to the arrogant, hardhearted, tyranny of government bureaucracy, Mad Sheep touches the soul with tears and righteous anger. Though it reads like a fiction political thriller, this story of intrigue, bureaucratic falsehoods, and tyranny is true. Linda Faillace gives Americans yet another reason to mistrust every official announcement from the United States Department of Agriculture." -Joel Salatin, founder of Polyface Farm and author of You Can Farm: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Start & Succeed in a Farming Enterprise

"Mad Sheep is one of those books that makes going to sleep at a decent hour unthinkable."--ACRES USA

"Linda Faillace's Mad Sheep is a tragic tale--tragic for the lives of those poor sheep, tragic for the shattered hopes of a family, but above all tragic for America. If you have ever been part of a family farm, Ms. Faillace's gripping account of how political-corporate corruption assaults the integrity of our system of democracy and free enterprise will seem hauntingly familiar. If you have not been part of a family farm, Mad Sheep will be downright terrifying." --Eugene Jarecki, Filmmaker (Why We Fight, The Trials of Henry Kissinger, and others)

"If this were a novel, you probably wouldn't believe it. But the story of a Vermont farming family driven out of business by a government agency is true-and truly frightening.... If you can read the book without getting mad, you're not reading it carefully." --Booklist

"In the end the madness was found not in the sheep or with their shepherds, but in a society that has forgotten the importance of its own food and the purpose of its own governance. A riveting read." --George Schenk, founder of American Flatbread

"[Mad Sheep] shows how far a corrupt government agency will go to protect industry. This is a truly Kafkaesque story." --Dr. Tom Pringle, founder, Sperling Foundation

"Mad Sheep documents the ugliest display of governmental ass-covering and the manipulation of questionable scientific data for political purposes that I have ever read. It will make your blood boil."

--Gene Logsdon, organic farmer and author of The Contrary Farmer, among many others

"Mad Sheep will enrage you. The real crazies in this true and tragic tale are the bureaucratic bullies who tortured and tormented heroic Vermont farmers while allowing a deadly dementia--mad cow disease--to emerge in America. The sheep are dead, lives destroyed, mad cow disease here, and the worst is that these bunglers are still running the show." --John Stauber, co-author, Mad Cow U.S.A.

From the Publisher

"If you think your government wouldnt really lurk in the bushes to spy on you and use its police power to bully youget ready for a rude awakening. Mad Sheep sounds like a crime thriller Agatha Christie would dream up, but its a real life nightmare lived by the Faillace family."

Jim Hightower, Hightower Radio "From the hearthside warmth of children farmer-entrepreneurs to the arrogant, hardhearted, tyranny of government bureaucracy, Mad Sheep touches the soul with tears and righteous anger. Though it reads like a fiction political thriller, this story of intrigue, bureaucratic falsehoods, and tyranny is true. Linda Faillace gives Americans yet another reason to mistrust every official announcement from the United States Department of Agriculture." -Joel Salatin, founder of Polyface Farm and author of

You Can Farm: The Entrepreneurs Guide to Start &

Succeed in a Farming Enterprise

From the Inside Flap

"[Mad Sheep] shows how far a corrupt government agency will go to protect industry. This is a truly Kafkaesque story." - Dr. Tom Pringle, founder, Sperling Foundation

"Mad Sheep documents the ugliest display of governmental ass-covering and the manipulation of questionable scientific data for political purposes that I have ever read. It will make your blood boil." - Gene Logsdon, organic farmer and author of The Contrary Farmer among many others

"Mad Sheep will enrage you. The real crazies in this true and tragic tale are the bureaucratic bullies who tortured and tormented heroic Vermont farmers while allowing a deadly dement 'mad cow disease' to emerge in America. The sheep are dead, lives destroyed, mad cow disease here, and the worst is that these bunglers are still running the show." - John Stauber, co-author, Mad Cow U.S.A.

About the Author

Linda Faillace is a writer, shepherdess, songwriter, and owner of a country store dedicated to supporting local farmers and locally grown food. She has studied mad cow disease since the early 1990s. A champion of organic and sustainable farming, farmer's rights, and strong local communities, Linda lives with her husband, Larry, and their three children in East Warren, Vermont.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Chelsea Green; 1st edition (September 1, 2006)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 324 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1933392096
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1933392097
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.48 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.25 x 1 x 9.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #968,748 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #915 in History of Technology
- #936 in Animal Husbandry (Books)
- #4,090 in U.S. Political Science

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Linda Faillace is a writer, shepherdess, songwriter, and owner of a country store dedicated to supporting local farmers and locally grown food. She has studied mad cow disease since the early 1990s. A champion of organic and sustainable farming, farmer's rights, and strong local communities, Linda lives with her husband, Larry, and their three children in East Warren, Vermont.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5

28 global ratings

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Alex Brown, Jr

Health and Food Freedoms

Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2015

Verified Purchase

It shows very clearly how the agiibisness and food industrie have become cartels which uses the police powers of the government to rujin organic family farmers. We should consider OCCUPY moverments directed at the Federal Reserve System, the FDA and the USDA so that "we the people" can have health freedom and food choice.

3 people found this helpful

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Suzanne Prescott

not just about sheep

Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2006

Verified Purchase

If I had told friends I was reading about alleged disease in sheep they would have missed the true significance of this book. It's about big government intervention against the rights of citizens. It's about a Vermont family's creativity and dedication and how all of that was trampled by the USDA run amok. It's also about what happens when special interests and lobbyists overwhelm a government agency.

It really was a page turner.

19 people found this helpful

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Al

Four Stars

Reviewed in the United States on January 3, 2015

Verified Purchase

A sad and scary story.

One person found this helpful

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gregory ludlum

One eye opening example amongst the many of how big ...

Reviewed in the United States on September 4, 2014

Verified Purchase

One eye opening example amongst the many of how big businesses' sway over our public policy makers
threatens both small businesses everywhere and the health and well being of all Americans.

One person found this helpful

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robert l owens

A story that needs to be told

Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2013

Verified Purchase

It's a true story - the book is reality. My wife met the real life person and told her the story. It's like the story of Ruby Ridge - gov't failure

Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2012

Verified Purchase

This book explains why government cannot be entrusted with oversight of agriculture or food. Only the free market is reliable enough to ensure our safe food supply, and this book explains why.

2 people found this helpful

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Loisann Brady

Excellent read

Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2014

Verified Purchase

Excellent material! Very interesting. Very very factual and good details. Great job! On a difficult subject, the auther was extremly well informed!!!