Market Farming

["Wyatt Jones" <wyatt_jones AT netzero.com>]

 

 

 

"The issue is not primarily about food "safety" but rather control.  The large AG companies and grocery stores have margins so thin that small, direct-sales farmers are hurting their bottom line."

That's part of it but it's not just about food,  its also about bitter competing political factions that don't like their party not having complete control over the rule of law at the state level so they undermine the state laws through the counties.  When I called up the state heath department they said they are trying to get the laws changed so the counties can't subvert what the state allows but I doubt it will help given what I've seen.  In a number of cases I noticed the county just arbitrarily does what they want to without even a county law to back up their actions and there doesn't seem to be much that can be done about it except complain and be ignored

 

Some of the food rules here are really ridiculous.  Here the state allows things like granola to be sold under cottage industry laws but the county won't even allow commercially produced dried fruit such as raisins in it. I've been shut down selling bread because they didn't like the order in which I listed the ingredients on the label or the fact that I listed a phone number and not my address, which is perfectly legal according to the state cottage industry laws.  State law states ingredients must be listed in order, most to least, of ingredients by volume OR by weight.  I listed mine by weight and got shut down, One inspector says one thing and another says something else.  I don't know how the heck they would know the proportions of ingredients anyway.  Besides they require the weight to be listed in both US and metric so why isn't listing the ingredients in order by weight ok anyway.  Personally I think the inspectors are just being jerks.  And for all this they distribute raw milk at another farmers market a block away and those people don't get bothered.  Those people also distribute eggs without a permit, refrigeration or anything which is illegal even by state law.  They claim they can do it because they are bought in advance but the regulations say the only way you can sell eggs without a permit is if the customer picks them up from the property where they were produced, in which case there are NO regulations governing sales, You can't take them off your property one foot or the beaurocratic laws kick in.  Pretty crazy and makes no sense at all and calling these actions to be in the interest of public safety is the biggest joke around.  When I asked how many small Mobile Egg sale permits (the one you need for farmers markets or other small scale operations) they have issued they said they have only issued one new one in the last 8 years and its no wonder why.

 

Anyway I started hatching the eggs and selling chickens, no permit required for that,  If I get above a certain volume or get noticed I'm sure that will change but for now they seem to be pretty easy to sell.  Just got a batch of French Black Copper Marans, not sure how they will do but they are pretty cool, somewhat rare, chickens that lay these very dark brown eggs, supposedly the favorite of James Bond LOL. 

 

On a side note I saw a recent study that proved links of roundup to birth defects.

 

Well I didn't mean to hijack the thread so I'll shut up

 

Take care

 

Wyatt

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