Market Farming

["Brigette Leach" <avalonfarmshomegrown AT earthlink.net>]

Just a response to the list regarding "Right to Farm" laws. Please realize that these laws vary a great deal from state to state.

 

When Michigan first inacted the legislation, it only afforded farmers protection from nuisance suits, and then only if the operation followed "GAAMP's", the acronym for generally accepted agricultural management practices. The GAAMPS are published and legal documents, and are reviewed on an annual basis under authority of the appointed state Agriculture Commission, so that they are current. 

 

After a few years the act was expanded to afford more protection to farmers. It was never intended to let farmers do anything and everything, rather to protect responsible producers from neighbors and environmental groups, such as the Sierra Club, from harassing them. Maybe you all haven't had rabid Sierra Club staffers in your area, but the one in Michigan has a philosophy that facts do not matter, and than no one and nothing is safe. We wouldn't have a farmer left of any size if she had her way.

 

Anyway, RTF also doesn't allow townships, the planning entity in Michigan, to enact more stringent requirements of farms than expressed in the GAAMP's. That had been a tactic used by townships to prevent any agricultural operation from changing practices or expanding. Because of the property tax and revenue sharing policies in Michigan, local governments favor any and all residential development, even 1000+ lot mobile home parks, rationalizing that such development increases revenues. At the same time they forget the back-end of the equation, the cost of providing services to all of that development, and our schools are financed largely by property taxes. We all know how well residential and agricultural uses fit together, especially if livestock is involved. I like to hear roosters crowing, and an occasional whiff of manure, but you can bet there is someone out there who doesn't.

 

All in all, RTF legislation has prevented much of the ridiculous complaining that was going on previously. One of our neighbors who operates a small greenhouse had 384 complaints at the township office filed by a persistent neighbor over a two year time span. (Yet another example of wasting local government resources.) Never once did that neighbor approach or talk with the greenhouse operator to discuss the problem or let the grower know what the problem was.

 

RTF also helps both our Department of Environmental Quality and Department of Agriculture operate more efficiently with our tax dollars since they no longer spend countless hours investigating non-existent problems. There is a process in place for correction of problems that are real, it doesn't involve years of litigation, and it actually resolves the issue in question.

 

In Michigan, we work hard to have a proactive and incentive driven system and process for agriculture and protection of our land and water resources. Permits have been seen as the way to go in other states, but permits are mostly a revenue steam for the permitting agency, and really do little to protect anything.

 

Thanks for listening...I had time to read e-mail and respond since our 70 degree weather has changed back to winter and we're getting snow.

 

Brigette Leach

Avalon Farms Premium Homegrown

 

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----- Original Message -----

From:

To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org

Sent: 4/22/2005 7:22:06 AM

Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Polytunnels

Massachusetts has enacted legislation to protect farmers in the form of a right to farm law

 

 

Karen Wallman
Green Market Farm
710 Daniel Shays Hwy
New Salem, Massachusetts 01355

TEL 978-544-7911
FAX 978-544-7587
greenmrkt AT aol.com