Here is a link to an extension website with general information:
http://articles.extension.org/pages/33350/poultry-processing-regulations-and-exemptions
And a link to an extension website with Michigan-specific information (scroll down to Michigan)...
Yes, I spoke to the author of the original, 2014 piece yesterday.
She said there are pages that search for previously viral articles, and then just run them again in the hopes of getting a lot of hits on their site, and making a lot of money.
Nothing has changed with Michigan's Right to...
This entire thread is about Michigan's Right to Farm Act, which in 1999 was amended to prohibit the use of zoning to interfere with those farmers who are commercial (for example, by selling some eggs), and which follow applicable GAAMPs.
Since then there have been 4 court cases involving farms...
Hey everybody -
At one time this was a very active thread where important issues around Right to Farm in Michigan were discussed. One reason it isn't as active anymore is because many of us moved on to form the Michigan Small Farm Council so we could advocate for these issues not only in this...
Hi there, cobhousedreamer, and welcome to BYC!
There are a couple of schools of thought on your situation.
Most folks on this thread (and I am one) would argue that the state-level Right to Farm Act protects your right to keep chickens, as long as you sell something (like eggs), and as long...
I agree that MDARD will help if you meet their criteria. The problem is that the law protects a whole lot more people than MDARD will admit to. To my way of thinking, every time MDARD tries to convince an individual or a township or a municipality that someone isn't protected because they are...
Since the last amendment to the Michigan RTF in 1999, the Appeals Court has four times heard cases involving farm operations in residentially zoned areas: Padgett v Mason County (2003): Village of Rothbury v Double JJ Resort Ranch (2004); Papesh v Shelby Charter Twp (2005); and Papadelis v Troy...
Riverdale, RTF is used routinely to protect CAFOs in Michigan. There is one old family farm that I know of in Lenawee County that is now surrounded by CAFOs, and is expected to tolerate the smell of 90 million gallons of liquid manure on any given day. That is what RTF has done in Michigan...
Riverdale, no one is disputing that RTF protects centennial farms like yours from suburban encroachment.
But the fact remains that the 1999 amendment was written so broadly that it covers everyone who meets RTF criteria, regardless of the size or place of their operation; there is simply no...
You're very welcome.
I have a great fondness for this BYC thread, since so much of what I learned in the early days happened here. But a lot of the work has now moved to the pages of the Michigan Small Farm Council. I hope you'll join us if you haven't already, and that you'll also keep an...
There has been a lot going on in Brady Township recently, where they are considering changes to the ordinances to disallow commercial agriculture in rural residential areas. You can find Twp documents as links on this page...
Allie, some of the folks from this thread started the Michigan Small Farm Council, way back in 2012. You are always welcome to contact them at [email protected]. We'll help if we can.
Wendy
Well, the agenda for the November 12th meeting of the Commission of Agriculture has been released, and the 2015 proposed GAAMPs are on it. We've heard rumors that MDARD will take further action to cut small farms out of RTF protection, despite the fact that it is outside their authority to...
This thread has always been important to folks wanting to know what is going on with Right to Farm in Michigan. It is true, however, that at the moment the place where most of the discussion is happening on the Facebook page of the Michigan Small Farm Council. That has a different feel, but...
Posted today on the Michigan Small Farm Council Facebook page:
Yesterday I spoke to Mark Schauer about the problems that small farmers in Michigan face under the Snyder administration, and suggested that at least part of the problem is that small urban and residential farmers are not...
I agree! We didn't mean to gang up on you, Matt. You just happened to jump in on a topic that we've been thinking and talking about for a long time. You're very welcome to join us here.
Matt, in your original post you said this:
"The right to farm means you can't move to the country and complain that you can smell cow manure from the farm next door .If you live in a " Residential"
zoned area the law doesn't apply to you.I live in an "agriculture" zoned area so someone can't...
Well here is something new and interesting.
Right after the changes to the 2014 Site Selection GAAMPs were approved this spring there was a flurry of publications from MSU-Extension that seemed to give more legal weight to the changes that had occurred than was warranted. For example, Brad...