No I need all the help I can get! I’ve put together a pretty detailed but simple survey I’ve given out to almost everyone I know. I want to make sure i straddle the line well between what I want to produce and what the market wants.
I’ve also been BEYOND amazed at the helpfulness and kindness of my local health department and my state health department. I can sell and do pickup at farmers markets with just my usda processed meat, but I have to have an individual building that can be considered a “store front” on property that can’t house livestock that has a mop sink and a bathroom and they’ll give me a license to sell to the public. I have to have that for any on farm pickups or deliveries.
So far, the local folks have been very encouraging. The only problem is the county Ag officer won’t allow me an agriculture property exemption in the county I want to stay in for pastured poultry. He “only allows Ag exemption for poultry houses for Tyson” and he told me that to my face.
I said, so if I build a 20,000 square foot building for 100,000 chickens and let a corporation take all my profits you’ll consider tax benefits for farming but if I pasture poultry for the local community you won’t? And he just looked at me.
All I want to do now is raise enough to offset my chicken costs for myself. But I also want to have the property i would need to expand if everything falls into line.
