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This is a serious blow to folks in Michigan, in my opinion.
Quote:
Lands that are located within 1/8 mile proximity to 13 neighboring homes, or that are 250-feet away from just one neighboring home, will no longer receive protection of the Right to Farm Act. The regulatory mess is going to shut down many small farms completely, and leave many others with large sections of property that is prohibited for farm use.
“They don’t want us little guys feeding ourselves. They want us to go all to the big farms. They want to do away with small farms and I believe that is what’s motivating it.”
Backyard farmers who raise their own chickens, goats, pigs, and honey may have to give up their operations and go back to shopping for mass produced meats at the supermarket.
This is a serious blow to folks in Michigan, in my opinion.
Quote:
Lands that are located within 1/8 mile proximity to 13 neighboring homes, or that are 250-feet away from just one neighboring home, will no longer receive protection of the Right to Farm Act. The regulatory mess is going to shut down many small farms completely, and leave many others with large sections of property that is prohibited for farm use.
“They don’t want us little guys feeding ourselves. They want us to go all to the big farms. They want to do away with small farms and I believe that is what’s motivating it.”
Backyard farmers who raise their own chickens, goats, pigs, and honey may have to give up their operations and go back to shopping for mass produced meats at the supermarket.
I think people misunderstand. Right to farm laws are not meant for trample over zoning laws. If you bought a house in a residential area that was zoned RESIDENTIAL - you do not have the right to farm it, keep livestock etc. If you want to farm, buy a place in an area zoned for agriculture. Plain and simple.
I think people misunderstand. Right to farm laws are not meant for trample over zoning laws. If you bought a house in a residential area that was zoned RESIDENTIAL - you do not have the right to farm it, keep livestock etc. If you want to farm, buy a place in an area zoned for agriculture. Plain and simple.
Agreed, this was decided way back with Jerome Township V. Milchi and dozens of cases since.
The problem is that many people in residentially zoned properties decided that they had some right under Right to Farm, to engage in agricultural/farming operations. The misunderstanding is because the law says a local municipality cannot enact zoning to stop framing. What that meant is the municipality can’t change your AG zoning to residential and force you to stop farming, or they can't prohibit any existing (1990) agricultural activity on residential property from continuing until it ceases.
The law is not complicated to understand. It’s plain and simple except for those dolts who either can’t read or comprehend English; those who purposely decided the law does not apply to them; or they were going to do what they want anyways. Those stupid folks are now trying to lessen their stupidity by making into some government suppression of their rights. I actually find the idiots who are running after them crying that same false tune to be the real sorry fools.
All I can figure is, these are very small properties. If you are not even 250 feet from another home, or 680 feet (1/8 mile) from 13 homes, you are living in suburban, even semi-urban areas. If you want to raise chickens, goats, and pigs, you need to move farther out than that, and need more acreage.
In this case, I think the rights of the neighboring homeowners should be respected. Livestock can get pretty smelly, pretty fast. I'll bet you anything it was neighbors who pushed for this law, not the agri-biz people.
So, a developer buys some farmland. Build homes on it. They're now within 250 feet of the neighboring undeveloped property. Now the long time farmer can be forced out by a bunch of city transplants.
The right to farm laws were passed precisely because of the problem with neighbors moving into rural areas and attacking the farmers.
The long-time farmer's property would still be zoned for agricultural uses and would be allowed to continue farming activity. Someone who bought one of the new homes would not be able to farm on their small lot because the land would have likely been re-zoned "residential" before installing the new housing development and they would fall under the new rules about distance from other houses.
The long-time farmer's property would still be zoned for agricultural uses and would be allowed to continue farming activity. Someone who bought one of the new homes would not be able to farm on their small lot because the land would have likely been re-zoned "residential" before installing the new housing development and they would fall under the new rules about distance from other houses.
What law are you talking about because you certainly are not talking about Michigan's Right to Farm Act.
First these changes only apply to CATEGORY 4 operations. Do you even know what the heck a Category 4 operation is? I hope you’re not just blindly repeating some bias BS that you were told or read but never used your own brain to research the truth.
What law are you talking about because you certainly are not talking about Michigan's Right to Farm Act.
First these changes only apply to CATEGORY 4 operations. Do you even know what the heck a Category 4 operation is? I hope you’re not just blindly repeating some bias BS that you were told or read but never used your own brain to research the truth.
Your category 4 was created this year to target these small operations.
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