CAL Ranch Does Not Support Backyard Chicken Farmers - Please Boycott Them
I know you poultry enthusiasts are busy this time of year, so I'll try to make this as brief as possible, but I think the story needs to be heard. It is important because we have so little freedom left in this country that backyard chickens will soon be a part of the past, and we'll all be eating supermarket eggs from caged birds. I am part of a group of backyard chicken farmers located in a small town in Southeastern Arizona. This has traditionally been a rural community with no laws that prohibit raising poultry (roosters and all) on residential property. However, more and more people are moving here from cities to escape the rat race, congestion and high real estate prices. While they are drawn to small town life in the country, many come here on impulse without real knowledge of what country life entails, or regard for people who've lived here before them. A rooster crowing in the morning, after living in the city can be a welcome occurrence for some, and a rude awaking for others. So many complain to the local law enforcement about neighbors that raise chickens. To appease these new people who can be persistent in their complaining, local law enforcement tries to reinterpret local ordinances every so often so that they can press us to reduce our flocks, get rid of roosters and in effect curtail our farming activity. For me, its not so much about resistance as it is about keeping a way of life that includes being able to raise wholesome food that is free of harmful chemicals and not being dependent on big grocery store chains (we only have one grocery store here-Safeway).
Just recently (April of 2019), this became very personal for me. when a couple moved next door from out of state The day after they arrived, they began complaining about my roosters, the "weeds" in the easement behind our property and asking nosy questions about the condition of my roof. I lived with their rude, aggressive and obnoxious behavior for weeks, until the male part of the couple confronted me about my animals which he claims keep him up at night, and smells coming from my compost pile. When he threatened me, I ignored him, as nothing I said seemed to diffuse the situation (I offered to lay down fresh straw). Two days later, the police and animal control were in their yard, peering over the tall cinderblock wall that separates our property while I was feeding my animals in the morning. The animal control and police officer then came over and made demands that I get rid of my roosters and clean up dog droppings which they claimed was the source of odors (it was not, but they were grasping at straws, trying to find an ordinance that would work). Again, there is no ordinance that says you can't have roosters, and that they can tell you when to clean up after your dog on your own property. I clean it up all the time because I have 2 Great Pyrenees dogs. I just hadn't before 8 in the morning the day they were there, after two solid days of thunderstorms, hail and monsoon rain.
I was even more surprised when I found that the female part of the couple that moved next door was the manager of a local big box feed store, C-A-L Ranch when I went there to buy feed. Talk about an uncomfortable situation. I thought, that I could either avoid that store, and buy feed from a local, family run feed store, or I could write to the owner and senior management of C-A-L Ranch. I chose the latter, writing to the general manager of the local store, the regional manager and the owner, Jerry Ward, in Ammon, Idaho. None of these people responded to my letter, but I did get an email from the operations manager, Scott Woodrow who I assume handles customer relations. When I spoke with him on the phone I explained the situation and said that it seemed contradictory that the manager of their feed store finds farming activities so repugnant that she must call the police instead of discussing the situation with her neighbor in a civil and non threatening way. He agreed with me that it did seem contradictory, and odd that she would be complaining so soon after moving here (given that I have been living and farming here for years), but he bluntly told me that their "employees' private lives are private", and there was nothing they could do, but they would "talk to" my neighbor. After thinking about our conversation, I wrote to Scott Woodrow and the owner Jerry Ward again, this time by email stating that I was not expecting them to let my neighbor go, but to have a counseling session where the importance of customer relations and supporting the local farming community (which is really their bread and butter) was emphasized. He wrote back, asking that I call him to discuss the matter, which I did but he did not return my call. The very next day after my original conversation with Mr. Woodrow, the local animal control officer was at my house again, banging on my door, yelling for me to come out, and making a big scene in front of the entire neighborhood while I was out walking my dogs. So apparently, no one at C-A-L Ranch ever spoke to my neighbor, or if they did, it was not in such a way that caused her to be concerned, even in the slightest way, about her behavior. The animal control officer claims that my neighbors were calling every day to complain, sometimes several times a day. This she told me during her latest visit to my house (she's been here multiple times), when she told me "your yard stinks", and left me a written warning for causing a nuisance . This was again after a period of heavy monsoon rain, when the entire town was trying to recover and clean up. On this occasion, I told her that the neighbor was threatening me and I did not feel safe. She replied that the neighbor's dog had bitten her. Is that not against the law? If the neighbor cannot control her own dog's vicious behavior, or even train him correctly, what's she doing managing a feed store that has a grooming salon and hosts vaccination clinics? I don't believe they were even cited for the bite, and the dog continues to growl and bark at me and the rest of the neighborhood. Luckily, I am not easily deterred by dogs, because I've been trained to handle them.
What I don't really understand is why country sounds like a rooster crowing is more offensive to my neighbors than city sounds like the rumbling of Harleys and cars with stereos turned up all the way roaring down the road in the middle of the night. Not to mention the sirens that often pierce the silence at all times of the day and night. We live off the Interstate, and its not exactly a quiet neighborhood. Maybe I'm an easier (and safer) target than the scary looking biker that lives down the street. It seems like my neighbors feel that the people who were here before them need to be corrected or modified to match whatever their neighborhood was like before (they tell me they are from Minnesota, and want a green lush lawn, but we live in the desert). In a fit of rage, the neighbor told me "I didn't move to the country!". If this isn't the country, I must have hallucinated it.
As a manager, you represent the company you work for, and your decorum and diplomacy, especially around customers, should at the very least not detract from the reputation your company works hard to present to the public. If I owned a feed store, I would want my managers' behavior to reflect favorably on my business, because poultry farmers have it hard enough without having their feed store working against them.
I have spoken to other people in town and we feel that a boycott of C-A-L Ranch is not only needed but an essential part of keeping the status quo, where we have the freedom to raise our own food and not be penalized for farming activities that are perfectly legal in our community. We are hoping that you will join this boycott in support of and in solidarity with fellow poultry enthusiasts and backyard farmers. C-A-L Ranch stores are located in Arizona, Idaho, Utah and Nevada and online where you can order Farm & Garden Supplies, Pet & Livestock Feed, Clothing, Hardware, Toys, and Footwear. They have posted folksy videos on their website where the founders talk about a private, family run operation where "legendary customer service", being fair to customers, and continual improvement is part of the C-A-L Ranch mission and value system. Personally, I have chosen to buy my feed at a local family run store, and shop elsewhere for products that I used to buy at C-A-L Ranch. They are really just another big box store that has chosen to ignore their customers. Perhaps this boycott will encourage them to change.
I know you poultry enthusiasts are busy this time of year, so I'll try to make this as brief as possible, but I think the story needs to be heard. It is important because we have so little freedom left in this country that backyard chickens will soon be a part of the past, and we'll all be eating supermarket eggs from caged birds. I am part of a group of backyard chicken farmers located in a small town in Southeastern Arizona. This has traditionally been a rural community with no laws that prohibit raising poultry (roosters and all) on residential property. However, more and more people are moving here from cities to escape the rat race, congestion and high real estate prices. While they are drawn to small town life in the country, many come here on impulse without real knowledge of what country life entails, or regard for people who've lived here before them. A rooster crowing in the morning, after living in the city can be a welcome occurrence for some, and a rude awaking for others. So many complain to the local law enforcement about neighbors that raise chickens. To appease these new people who can be persistent in their complaining, local law enforcement tries to reinterpret local ordinances every so often so that they can press us to reduce our flocks, get rid of roosters and in effect curtail our farming activity. For me, its not so much about resistance as it is about keeping a way of life that includes being able to raise wholesome food that is free of harmful chemicals and not being dependent on big grocery store chains (we only have one grocery store here-Safeway).
Just recently (April of 2019), this became very personal for me. when a couple moved next door from out of state The day after they arrived, they began complaining about my roosters, the "weeds" in the easement behind our property and asking nosy questions about the condition of my roof. I lived with their rude, aggressive and obnoxious behavior for weeks, until the male part of the couple confronted me about my animals which he claims keep him up at night, and smells coming from my compost pile. When he threatened me, I ignored him, as nothing I said seemed to diffuse the situation (I offered to lay down fresh straw). Two days later, the police and animal control were in their yard, peering over the tall cinderblock wall that separates our property while I was feeding my animals in the morning. The animal control and police officer then came over and made demands that I get rid of my roosters and clean up dog droppings which they claimed was the source of odors (it was not, but they were grasping at straws, trying to find an ordinance that would work). Again, there is no ordinance that says you can't have roosters, and that they can tell you when to clean up after your dog on your own property. I clean it up all the time because I have 2 Great Pyrenees dogs. I just hadn't before 8 in the morning the day they were there, after two solid days of thunderstorms, hail and monsoon rain.
I was even more surprised when I found that the female part of the couple that moved next door was the manager of a local big box feed store, C-A-L Ranch when I went there to buy feed. Talk about an uncomfortable situation. I thought, that I could either avoid that store, and buy feed from a local, family run feed store, or I could write to the owner and senior management of C-A-L Ranch. I chose the latter, writing to the general manager of the local store, the regional manager and the owner, Jerry Ward, in Ammon, Idaho. None of these people responded to my letter, but I did get an email from the operations manager, Scott Woodrow who I assume handles customer relations. When I spoke with him on the phone I explained the situation and said that it seemed contradictory that the manager of their feed store finds farming activities so repugnant that she must call the police instead of discussing the situation with her neighbor in a civil and non threatening way. He agreed with me that it did seem contradictory, and odd that she would be complaining so soon after moving here (given that I have been living and farming here for years), but he bluntly told me that their "employees' private lives are private", and there was nothing they could do, but they would "talk to" my neighbor. After thinking about our conversation, I wrote to Scott Woodrow and the owner Jerry Ward again, this time by email stating that I was not expecting them to let my neighbor go, but to have a counseling session where the importance of customer relations and supporting the local farming community (which is really their bread and butter) was emphasized. He wrote back, asking that I call him to discuss the matter, which I did but he did not return my call. The very next day after my original conversation with Mr. Woodrow, the local animal control officer was at my house again, banging on my door, yelling for me to come out, and making a big scene in front of the entire neighborhood while I was out walking my dogs. So apparently, no one at C-A-L Ranch ever spoke to my neighbor, or if they did, it was not in such a way that caused her to be concerned, even in the slightest way, about her behavior. The animal control officer claims that my neighbors were calling every day to complain, sometimes several times a day. This she told me during her latest visit to my house (she's been here multiple times), when she told me "your yard stinks", and left me a written warning for causing a nuisance . This was again after a period of heavy monsoon rain, when the entire town was trying to recover and clean up. On this occasion, I told her that the neighbor was threatening me and I did not feel safe. She replied that the neighbor's dog had bitten her. Is that not against the law? If the neighbor cannot control her own dog's vicious behavior, or even train him correctly, what's she doing managing a feed store that has a grooming salon and hosts vaccination clinics? I don't believe they were even cited for the bite, and the dog continues to growl and bark at me and the rest of the neighborhood. Luckily, I am not easily deterred by dogs, because I've been trained to handle them.
What I don't really understand is why country sounds like a rooster crowing is more offensive to my neighbors than city sounds like the rumbling of Harleys and cars with stereos turned up all the way roaring down the road in the middle of the night. Not to mention the sirens that often pierce the silence at all times of the day and night. We live off the Interstate, and its not exactly a quiet neighborhood. Maybe I'm an easier (and safer) target than the scary looking biker that lives down the street. It seems like my neighbors feel that the people who were here before them need to be corrected or modified to match whatever their neighborhood was like before (they tell me they are from Minnesota, and want a green lush lawn, but we live in the desert). In a fit of rage, the neighbor told me "I didn't move to the country!". If this isn't the country, I must have hallucinated it.
As a manager, you represent the company you work for, and your decorum and diplomacy, especially around customers, should at the very least not detract from the reputation your company works hard to present to the public. If I owned a feed store, I would want my managers' behavior to reflect favorably on my business, because poultry farmers have it hard enough without having their feed store working against them.
I have spoken to other people in town and we feel that a boycott of C-A-L Ranch is not only needed but an essential part of keeping the status quo, where we have the freedom to raise our own food and not be penalized for farming activities that are perfectly legal in our community. We are hoping that you will join this boycott in support of and in solidarity with fellow poultry enthusiasts and backyard farmers. C-A-L Ranch stores are located in Arizona, Idaho, Utah and Nevada and online where you can order Farm & Garden Supplies, Pet & Livestock Feed, Clothing, Hardware, Toys, and Footwear. They have posted folksy videos on their website where the founders talk about a private, family run operation where "legendary customer service", being fair to customers, and continual improvement is part of the C-A-L Ranch mission and value system. Personally, I have chosen to buy my feed at a local family run store, and shop elsewhere for products that I used to buy at C-A-L Ranch. They are really just another big box store that has chosen to ignore their customers. Perhaps this boycott will encourage them to change.
You're not breaking the law. You're perfectly within your rights. Call and complain about their dog/the actual illegal things they are doing. And when animal control/the police say they're complaining, just tell them you're not doing anything illegal and to stop harassing you. I would totally get a restraining order. Do anything you can to protect yourself. Document everything too. Get a cheap little camera to film your front door so you can have these interactions on tape.
