Michigan Right to Farm Law, what does it mean?

[RTFchickens]

I'm sorry, but short of manufacturing drugs or hurting someone else, I think that what a person has or does in their own home is nobody else's business. If a person wants to raise chickens, or cockatiels, or any other animal in their home who cares?!? And without a search warrant, who would possibly even know?!?
Like I said, as long as its not hurting anyone else (and how could animals in a house) it should not concern others. People just need to worry about their own matters.

 

[CaraBear]

I'm gearing up for another round hoping for a chicken ordinance in Midland.... I've talked to the Planning Commission...they say I can bring the same amendment request that was voted down 3 1/2 years ago, but I have to show that I have support, and lots of it - I'll take any and all help I can get! Please spread the word through Midland - I'll be submitting the Petition for Zoning Amendment by March 20th for a public hearing on April 14th...then it has to go through the Planning Commission again and hopefully back to the City Council (the Planning Commission did recommend the amendment to the City Council, so hopefully that's not an issue this round...as long as we have SUPPORT!) I'll need people to write and call and show up to meetings.

I've started a GoFundMe to raise the $325 it takes to submit the petition. (even though I'm asking for the identical amendment they've already done all the work on....)

gofund.me/chickensformidland

Thanks for any and all help you might be able to provide

 

[MSMoore]

We have chickens against our township ordinance. We live on about an acre and have neighbors on each side of us. One neighbor two houses down, back in the woods, has a rooster, goat and goose (I know, because I can hear them). The man across the street has two ponies and next to him is a farm field. No farm animals are permitted at any of these residences, but they still exist. We also probably have a rooster, which we would really like to keep.

I ran across a hatchery in Brighton MI that mentioned the Michigan Right to farm act. Does anyone what this act actually means?:

* Learn the things city hall don't want you to know....

* Did you know?? There is no law that states the size of a farm. The supreme court of Michigan says that a farm is any place that commercially produces a product useful to

* humans... This means if you have a chicken and you sell or try to sell the eggs that that chicken lay's, you are a Farm...

* Everyone, Everywhere in Michigan has a right to Farm. This is your state Law but city hall won't tell you about it. I had this Battle and have learned so much about our right to grow, raise and share Any and All thing Beneficial to humans..

* Please take the time to look up MICHIGANS<RIGHT TO FARM LAW, Know your rights when that zoning guy shows up and tell you , YOU CAN"T DO THAT >>>

* Michigan has the strongest right to farm laws in the U.S.


MICHIGAN RIGHT TO FARM ACT
Act 93 of 1981

Thank you. I wish I had that information three years ago when we first had chickens.

 

[justplainbatty]

OK Folks,

Sonoran Silkies has been very helpful as we've been discussing this topic privately. I wanted to jump back in to the regular thread with that discussion as several things are developing and I want everybody out there to be able to join in on the conversation.

I've talked with numerous people over the last few days and I want to say "Thanks" to all of you. You've all been very helpful.

What I've gathered is that I just need to draft a letter stating 4 simple things:

1) My operation is a farm operation aimed at producing a profit; it has a name and I use that name in addressing the township in the letter. (ex. Bubba's Farm, Bubba's Family Farm, Big City Farms, etc.)

2) State that this operation is run in compliance with GAAMPS.

3) (In my particular case) State that the location on my property where the chicken coop and pens were placed was the best location for the operation due to sun, shade, etc...

4) Demand protection under the Michigan Right to Farm Act.

I was advised to hand deliver this to the township supervisor or city manager without scheduling an appointment. If you show up unannounced they won't have an opportunity to discuss a strategy for dealing with you prior to your discussion with them.

Now, everyone I've talked to about this issue believes 100% that they will have no choice but to leave me alone. However, none of them are attorneys so I contacted several of them to see if I could gain some insight there. I've spoken with 2 of them and am awaiting call backs from a few others. The 1 of the 2 that felt he could offer some assistance in the matter stated it would be about $400 to $500 to research it, draft a letter for me if he felt strongly that the situation was in my favor, and send it to the proper individuals. Additional charges would be relative to the level of resistance received from the township.

I'm not really sold on that one...

One of the call backs I'm waiting on is from a laywer that is familiar with farming issues so I'm hoping to get a little better input there.

I'm also still searching for any other attorney's in West Michigan that are well versed in Michigan agricultural law.

This whole event has left me with a very nasty taste in my mouth so I'm also considering launching an effort to develop a coalition of urban farmers to join forces in combatting the resistance to our fundamental right to produce or own food on our own property.

Are there any thoughts on that, or anything else in this post?

Thanks again...

Dave; dw_bubba

When I had my 20 acre farm in Lenox Twp. I had another issue with the twp. over a tax assessment. (they assessed my home by the asking price instead of the sale price which was 26,000 less!). So, one of the Twp. cronie ladies noticed chickens in my yard as she drove by. So, long story short, they tried to intimidate me. The 20 acres I bought had been half of a dairy farm since 1894! As it turned out, I knew the property was Ag zoned and all that. They asked me to submit a map, with measurements of where my chicken buildings, pens were in relation to other neighbors, my main dwelling, out buildings, ect, which I did. Still they found it necessary to send out a Twp. employee to measure it and take photos! they never bothered me again after that! according to zoning and codes, all of it, I was well covered by local, city and state. they did screw me on the assessment for 4 years, then the market crashed, our family owned ( machining, not AG) business was crippled and we lost the farm.

Now I have 5 acres in a different Twp. They've never said boo, probably unaware I have chickens. Same RTF applies here.

 

[nbassette]

Can I get a copy?

 

[justplainbatty]

Can I get a copy?

Of my papers or the MI RTF?
going outside for the day, won't be on here until dark.

 

[RTFchickens]

Hi fellow BYC members!!!
I'm so glad to see some new names on this thread! There is so much going on in Michigan regarding Right To Farm issues. After the Ag commission vote last year, many people have been singled out by their townships. This thread has been near and dear to my heart as this is how I personally found help in my own battle against my township. For those of you that are unfamiliar with my story, I own over 50 acres zoned residential and I'm not allowed by my township to own ONE single chicken!
Much of the Right To Farm issues that were previously discussed here have moved to Facebook on the Michigan Small Farm Council's page. There is also a MSFC discussion forum on the Internet that contains a wealth of information.
Raz and Wingless are both members of MSFC and are filled with knowledge on this topic. Thanks to them, the townships harassment has stopped.
Thanks for listening, and let me know if I can help you, or point you in the right direction if nothing else.
RTF

 

[CaraBear]

My update from Midland -

 

[justplainbatty]

My update from Midland -

Ok, I read the WHO and EPA reports and studies. This is the biggest load of chicken poo! Really?! What doesn't cause cancer? Apparently, it would be safer to eat only plants and air! Midland has taken this way too far. I suppose you might bring in several tons of contaminated feed, roll around in it daily and eat it by the bowl full!
these studies are based on toxic spills into feed grains that were passed along in the food chain. How dare you!
I would rather roll around in chicken poop all day and then eat eggs for dinner than believe what these alarmist groups are pushing! You know, my grandmother grew up in PA, exposed to oil, coal and steel, mining, production etc. She lived in a rural area, born in 1915 and moved to Buffalo NY in her 20's. She moved to Santa Monica CA in her 40's. She smoked until she was 79, she ate lots of chicken, beef, liver and pork and, worked at a newspaper the last 20 years of her career. Finally at age 97 she developed kidney cancer and passed at 98. It must have been dioxins!!!
Don't breathe, it causes cancer!

 

[BigHope888]

My update from Midland -
BOO.