I wanted to share news from Binghamton New York with anyone who is looking to create more progressive code in their city or town surrounding light agriculture.
To be clear, our thus-far year-long endeavor has been to codify agriculture into the City's Codes of Ordinance. The code currently allows residents to keep up to 4 chickens, or rabbits. There is also a lack of rules surrounding ducks, and bees, and they are de facto allowed.
This legislation: http://www.binghamton-ny.gov/legislative-initiatives was drafted by citizens in conjunction with the city's planning department. While the show of support from the community has been overwhelming, 4 of the 7 councilpeople persist in opposing the legislation. Their positions range from unreasonable, to downright deranged. We have made a solid effort at fielding bodies, and comments into the proper channels of discourse and have, thus far, succeeded in keeping the bill from being killed outright.
I would say that our efforts have been incredibly successful, even though we have yet to triumph. I wanted to start this thread, because I have been having conversations within my own community for so long now, that I thought it might be refreshing to have some conversations with the fine folks of the BYC Forum.
For those of you on Facebook, you can find our chicken affinity page here: https://www.facebook.com/BinghamtonBackyardChickens
What follows is a selection of the coverage on this issue thus far. Note the atrocious quality of our local media. I think that one of the things I've learned through this process, is that local media is likely to be terrible most places around the country. The most effective thing that we managed to do in this endeavor was to create our own media. This video was particularly effective, and shot on a cell-phone camera:
We bumped up the profile of the video, by putting $40 into boosting it through a Facebook Promoted Post (much more effective than I thought it would be).
I think that the most distressing thing about the outcome of the meeting last night, was the introduction of fear of disease into the public discourse. This could very well have the effect of killing the bill altogether, whether by changing the tone of conversation, or by making the bill so cumbersomely onerous on homeowners, that there's no way it would pass anymore.
Has anyone else gone through this fight with their town, or city, and have any amusing/instructive anecdotes, and/or effective tactics and strategies (or ones that proved ineffective).
To be clear, our thus-far year-long endeavor has been to codify agriculture into the City's Codes of Ordinance. The code currently allows residents to keep up to 4 chickens, or rabbits. There is also a lack of rules surrounding ducks, and bees, and they are de facto allowed.
This legislation: http://www.binghamton-ny.gov/legislative-initiatives was drafted by citizens in conjunction with the city's planning department. While the show of support from the community has been overwhelming, 4 of the 7 councilpeople persist in opposing the legislation. Their positions range from unreasonable, to downright deranged. We have made a solid effort at fielding bodies, and comments into the proper channels of discourse and have, thus far, succeeded in keeping the bill from being killed outright.
I would say that our efforts have been incredibly successful, even though we have yet to triumph. I wanted to start this thread, because I have been having conversations within my own community for so long now, that I thought it might be refreshing to have some conversations with the fine folks of the BYC Forum.
For those of you on Facebook, you can find our chicken affinity page here: https://www.facebook.com/BinghamtonBackyardChickens
What follows is a selection of the coverage on this issue thus far. Note the atrocious quality of our local media. I think that one of the things I've learned through this process, is that local media is likely to be terrible most places around the country. The most effective thing that we managed to do in this endeavor was to create our own media. This video was particularly effective, and shot on a cell-phone camera:
I think that the most distressing thing about the outcome of the meeting last night, was the introduction of fear of disease into the public discourse. This could very well have the effect of killing the bill altogether, whether by changing the tone of conversation, or by making the bill so cumbersomely onerous on homeowners, that there's no way it would pass anymore.
Has anyone else gone through this fight with their town, or city, and have any amusing/instructive anecdotes, and/or effective tactics and strategies (or ones that proved ineffective).
- http://www.pressconnects.com/articl...7/Letter-Local-food-plan-would-aid-Binghamton
- http://www.pressconnects.com/proart...tractive-young-professionals?pagerestricted=1
- http://www.wicz.com/news2005/viewarticle.asp?a=28573
- http://www.pressconnects.com/videonetwork/2516184500001/Farm-fresh-to-Binghamton-streets
- http://www.pressconnects.com/articl...-would-clarify-city-s-urban-agriculture-rules
- http://www.wbng.com/news/local/Urban-farming-debate-grows--213935711.html?vid=a
- http://www.pressconnects.com/articl.../Urban-farming-Binghamton-put-out-pasture-now
