Have yall seen this? Michigan loses the right to farm.

[helomech]

http://www.inquisitr.com/1235774/michigan-loses-right-to-farm-this-week-a-farewell-to-backyard-chickens-and-beekeepers/

[Katrina]

It's only going to get worse, helo. They'll probably go after the residential veggie patches next. God forbid I grow a little food on my residential property, might drive down the property values don'cha know.

[Kesephist]

Was there any actual justification for such numbwittedness? or just a bunch of HOA ho's and collective-farm activists joining farces, I mean forces?

Agriculture is how this country feeds itself. Large AND small. I'm VERY pleased to see the important-to-small-ag step Gov. Pence has taken, by getting the State of Indiana the F out of the way of the small farmer.

I'm not up to date on whether MI has any Hutterite/Mennonite/Amish populations, but this piece of filth decision stands to destroy them. felchin' paper warrior ...

I'll shut up now, I read this with my wake up coffee and still cleaning up the spew....

Last few years I'd heard about the Upper Peninsula wanting to become North Michigan as a separate state. Also some mutters about letting Detroit and the rest of the Thumb (the term I saw used) become a state other than the state it is now... a state of disrepair.

Now I see why.

Guerilla gardening just took a new turn.

Katrina, is this gonna hit any of you and yours?

A very much bemused Kesephist.

[Socalman]

Reading this, it is hard to believe that it is not in California. Many years back we had about a dozen chickens and a rooster. Even though we were in the suburbs, my neighbors loved hearing the rooster. Unfortunately the second time our flock was wiped out by coyotes, we never restocked.

[jamesneuen]

wtf? Another wonderful reason to live away from cities.

[Katrina]

Kesephist
The only "farmer" in the family was my grand uncle who ran a small herd of jersey's(cows) but he is gone now and the farm is just another subdivision. We have a few small farms here. One of the farms grows Non-GMO and organic vegetables, the farm is only about 2-3 years old. I believe they have a few chickens and a couple of goats too. I call the owners young kids, they're in their late twenties trying to do sustainable farming. They probably will be targeted. I hope not as we are going to sign up for their monthly delivery of veggies and eggs this year. We do have a good population of Amish and Mennonites in Michigan. I don't know if they will be targeted as it has something to do with their religion and way of life AND where they are in the state. they have large farms here so they probably won't be considered under the ban.

[Stormfeather]

The way I am reading this, people havent lost the right to farm, there is just a regulation put into affect where local governments can allow local ordinances to arbitrarily ban goats, chickens and beehives on any property where there are 13 homes within one eighth mile or a residence within 250 feet of the property, Now granted, that in itself it big, but doesnt necessarily mean that local governments will enact it. It could have implications in the future, and I will follow it closely, thats for sure.

[mitunnelrat]

From what I've read, tbis was way sensationalized and out of context. MI right to farm doeant, and hasn't granted individuals the right to plant crops or raise livestock. What it did was establish aset of criteria and a legal defense for farmers against civil lawsuits in the 1980's. In 2014 these criteria were changed, and those changes did work to exclude some urban/ suburban farmers from using right to farm as a legal defense in civil suits. This is independent of local governments ability to create zoning laws/ ordnances either for or against raising livestock and crops.

Unless I've missed something I don't see right to farm as being any issue at all. It was certainly misrepresented in that article.

[jamesneuen]

Misrepresented or not, it's how the asshat lawyers will try to get a judge to interpret it that will become the main factor.

[Stormfeather]

Misrepresented or not, it's how the asshat lawyers will try to get a judge to interpret it that will become the main factor.

True